Posts Tagged public interest
May 30, 2012 at 1:15 pm · Filed under Public Interest Jobs ·Tagged access to justice, career resources, careers, civil rights, community law, pslawnet, public interest, public interest law
The Center for Collaborative Change is seeking an energetic, dedicated graduate student or recent graduate with inter-disciplinary skills and a passion for collaboration to join our team as a Summer 2012 Community Law and Policy Intern. Current projects that interns could be involved with include a community wide needs assessment for Newark, community input portions of the Newark Master Plan, and a non-profit community organization incubation summit.
The Center for Collaborative Change is a community-based nonprofit that brokers collaborative solutions to make Newark thrive. Our mission is to engage community and civic leadership in policy and program development in order to accelerate Newark’s revitalization while ensuring that the process includes and responds to the priorities of its community members. The Center is committed to restoring trust between Newark’s decision-makers and residents, realigning them to be on the same team, and using the knowledge and resources of that alliance to establish a critical mass of reforms that will bring Newark to a tipping point where a positive cycle of health, abundance and opportunity can achieve momentum. For more information about the Center, please visit our website: http://www.newarkchange.org.
See the full listing at PSLawNet!
Permalink
May 30, 2012 at 10:24 am · Filed under News and Developments ·Tagged access to justice, jobs, new york, pro bono, pslawnet, public interest, public service
From the New York Times’ Opinion Pages:
In “Rethinking Pro Bono” (Op-Ed, May 14), Ben Trachtenberg casts Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman’s new legal public service requirement as bad policy, saying students and graduates can’t afford it, can’t do it and shouldn’t be asked to do it since better ideas abound. Starting in 2013, candidates for admission to the New York State Bar must complete 50 hours of public service.
Contrary to Mr. Trachtenberg’s argument, 50 hours of pro bono work will not mire law students and graduates in poverty. Moreover, volunteers can make a difference while gaining skills, confidence and links to jobs. . . .
The pro bono requirement may have hidden virtues. Over time, schools, firms and the courts may guide more resources toward public service, helping to improve its quality. The first opportunity to do pro bono can also make the second easier, instilling in many a commitment for life.
Alternative approaches may also have merit, but credit the chief judge for acting in urgent times to make this good idea a reality.
Read the rest here and respond to this letter for NYT’s Sunday Dialogue.
Permalink
May 29, 2012 at 1:44 pm · Filed under Public Interest Jobs ·Tagged attorney jobs, civil rights, election law, jobs, justice, pslawnet, public interest
Alliance for Justice is a national association of over 100 organizations, representing a broad array of groups committed to progressive values and the creation of an equitable, just, and free society. AFJ works to ensure that 
the federal judiciary advances core constitutional values, preserves human rights and unfettered access to the courts, and adheres to the even-handed administration of justice for all Americans. It is the leading expert on the legal framework for nonprofit advocacy efforts, providing definitive information, resources, and technical assistance that encourages organizations and their funding partners to fully exercise their right to be active participants in the democratic process.
AFJ is seeking a Director of Justice Programs. The Director of Justice Programs is a senior staff member who will be responsible for managing research and developing and implementing strategy around AFJ’s justice policy initiatives. The Director of Justice Programs reports to the executive vice president.
The Director of Justice Programs is expected to be a national authority on the broad range of legal policy issues handled by AFJ.
Permalink
May 25, 2012 at 1:15 pm · Filed under Public Interest Jobs ·Tagged immigration law, law jobs, legal aid, legal services, pslawnet, public interest
Brazilian Alliance – a non-profit organization providing legal, educational, and advocacy services to Portuguese-speaking communities in the San Francisco Bay Area – seeks legal interns for the Spring, Summer, and/or Fall. 
Brazilian Alliance wants to give their interns significant work responsibility. Interns will interview and perform legal tasks under attorney supervision, and draft written work products.
Brazilian Alliance’s mission is to provide Social Services to the Brazilians and Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) communities living in the Bay Area by building alliances with local, state, federal, and international community organizations.
To learn more, visit PSLawNet!
Permalink
May 24, 2012 at 1:41 pm · Filed under Career Resources ·Tagged career development, internships, jobs, law, legal career, pslawnet, public interest, summer
by Kristen Pavón
Yesterday, we hosted our Summer Success: Getting the Most from Your Summer Public Interest Experience webinar. Our presenters, Deb Ellis, the former Assistant Dean for Public Service at NYU School of Law, and Lindsay M. Harris, the EJW fellow and Immigration Staff Attorney at Tahirih Justice Center, provided some great tips on how interns/externs/volunteers can maximize their summers. If you were “there,” thanks for attending! 🙂
In case you missed it, the webinar recording should be available in the next week or so. In the meantime, here are just a few of the highlights:
- Act as though your summer position is an extended interview.
- Be realistic about your expectations for feedback (meaning, don’t expect to get comments and notes on every single assignment).
- Make your supervisor your mentor.
- Be indispensable and take advantage of all learning opportunities (some organizations take note of attendance and non-attendance).
- Keep track of your summer work product.
- If you’re in a new city for the summer, have fun! (Check out PSLawNet’s Having Fun on the Cheap page for suggestions!)
Permalink
May 23, 2012 at 1:15 pm · Filed under Public Interest Jobs ·Tagged employment, jobs, law jobs, policy, pslawnet, public interest
National Skills Coalition (NSC) is seeking applications to fill a full-time Senior Policy Analyst position in our Washington, DC office. The successful candidate will work with NSC’s Federal Policy Director to help maintain the organization’s expertise in a number of policy areas, and to assist with our efforts to improve
those policies within federal legislation, agency regulation and related funding initiatives. The Senior Policy Analyst will also work with Field staff to involve NSC members in those advocacy efforts, and to support their advancement of similar policy goals at the state and local level.
National Skills Coalition is a broad-based coalition working toward a vision of an America that grows its economy by investing in its people so that every worker and every industry has the skills to compete and prosper. We engage in organizing, advocacy, and communications to advance state and federal policies that support these goals – policies that are based on the on-the-ground expertise of our members.
Learn more at PSLawNet!
Permalink
May 22, 2012 at 12:04 pm · Filed under Career Resources ·Tagged careers, job advice, jobs, law, pslawnet, public interest
by Kristen Pavón
In the May 21, 2012 issue of Fortune, Dupont CEO Ellen Kullman said the best advice she received was from her father.
“My dad started and ran a landscaping business. He put me to work watering plants for my grandmother and for our house. His mantra was, ‘If you don’t water it, it’s going to die.’ That was the job I hated most: pouring water on those darn flowers. But my mother and my grandmother had the most beautiful gardens in town.
For Kullman, her father’s advice translated into “investing yourself in what you’re building in order for it to grow.”
For me, the “water the plants” advice also has to do with patience, and is especially relevant in the slowed public interest job market. Just as lovely flowers don’t grow over night, your dream public interest job may not be available the day you graduate.
However, if you stay relevant, work hard, persevere, and create opportunities to build your credibility and skills, you’ll eventually land where you want to be [or, to keep the analogy going — you’ll grow your own strong public interest law flower… or something like that].
Permalink
May 21, 2012 at 1:15 pm · Filed under Public Interest Jobs ·Tagged attorney, jobs, law jobs, public interest
Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1967, the Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) is a law firm that empowers low-income people 
by providing legal information, advice, and other services free of charge. MLSA works both on individual cases and under a systemic approach to help low-income people escape domestic violence, keep their housing, preserve their public benefits, protect their finances, and much more.
The Staff Attorney will provide legal services to clients throughout the state of Montana in the area of foreclosure assistance and loss mitigation, including housing, consumer, bankruptcy, and related civil legal issues. Services provided will range from brief counsel and advice, to more extended assistance, including representation. Requires travel within and outside Montana.
This position will handle all aspects of legal representation including client contact, pleading preparation, research, file maintenance, and hearing and trial work. The staff attorney will also participate in MLSA’s statewide initiatives, implement grant and contract requirements through casework and foster pro bono involvement with the private bar.
Interested? Check out the full listing at PSLawNet!
Permalink
May 18, 2012 at 1:15 pm · Filed under Public Interest Jobs ·Tagged attorney jobs, career, jobs, legal aid, pslawnet, public interest
Neighborhood Legal Services Program (NLSP), a private, non-profit law firm that provides vigorous and high quality civil legal services to low-income residents of the District of Columbia, seeks a Staff Attorney to provide civil legal services to clients in its community-based law office.
NLSP has a long tradition of fighting for justice for the poor, combining direct representation to protect essential rights and opportunities for low-income individuals and families with efforts to achieve broad-based change. The successful applicant will be passionate about achieving justice and overcoming barriers facing low-income people, a creative and zealous lawyer and a team-player, committed to achieving lasting results for clients and low-income communities.
The Staff Attorney will be located in NLSP’s Far Northeast neighborhood office. The Staff Attorney will report to the Managing Attorney of NLSP’s Far Northeast and Southeast offices.
Interested? Learn how to apply at PSLawNet!
Permalink
May 17, 2012 at 1:15 pm · Filed under Public Interest Jobs ·Tagged attorney, constitutional law, jobs, justice, law, pslawnet, public interest
Tired of working on cases you don’t believe in? Long to do something meaningful with your law degree? Love our Constitution and its founding principles? The Institute for Justice (www.IJ.org), the nation’s leading 
libertarian public interest law firm, is seeking an experienced litigator for its Florida Chapter located in downtown Miami. With a 20-year track record of accomplishments, including five cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, IJ is the premier law firm working to vindicate the liberties of all Floridians.
The constitutional litigator’s primary responsibility will be litigating cases in the areas of economic liberty, free speech, private property rights and school choice in both state and federal courts in Florida.
Learn how to apply at PSLawNet!
Permalink
The PSLawNet Blog 