Archive for October, 2012

Job of the Day: Latin America & Caribbean Division Internship with the ABA Rule of Law Initiative

The Rule of Law Initiative is a public service project of the American Bar Association dedicated to promoting legal reform efforts in over 40 countries around the world. The Rule of Law Initiative practices under the belief that rule of law promotion is the most effective long-term antidote to the most pressing problems facing the world community today, including poverty, economic stagnation, and crippling levels of corruption.

The Rule of Law Initiative concentrates its technical legal assistance efforts in the following substantive areas: 1) Anti-corruption & public integrity; 2) Criminal law & combating trafficking in persons; 3) Gender issues; 4) Human rights & conflict mitigation; 5) Judicial reform; 6) Legal education reform; and 7) Legal profession reform.

The Rule of Law Initiative’s Latin American and Caribbean Division provides assistance in support of legal reform efforts in Ecuador and Nicaragua and has previously carried out projects in Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru. The Latin America and Caribbean Division has implemented programs in a variety of areas, including:

  • combating and documenting human trafficking;
  • promoting law school accreditation reform;
  • promoting mediation and alternative dispute resolution to provide speedier access to justice;
  • assisting in transitioning from inquisitorial to adversarial criminal justice systems;
  • supporting governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with capacity building; and
  • providing neutral advice and support to restructure laws in a number of substantive areas; including arbitration, commercial mediation, and competition law.

The Latin America and Caribbean Division implements its programs through partnerships with in-country government offices, bar associations, judges associations and NGOs. The division, housed in Washington, D.C., is currently accepting applications for interns to assist with several tasks associated with the management of current programs and development of new ones in judicial reform, legal education reform, and anti-human trafficking.

For more information on responsibilities, qualifications, and application instructions, view the full listing on PSJD.org (log-in required).

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Special Edition #PSJDChat: Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair Q&A Panel Tomorrow!

Are you attending the Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair (CCF) October 26-27? Do you have questions that haven’t been answered yet? Equal Justice Works is joining PSJD in a tweet chat to answer all your questions about CCF! Use hashtags #PSJDChat and #EJWCCF to send questions to our panelists—Nita Mazumder and Lauren Fuchs of Equal Justice Works. Come join the conversation with @EJW_org and @PSJDTweets tomorrow on October 17 at 3 p.m. EDT and get all your CCF questions answered!

Also, Equal Justice Works recently sent out this exciting press release:

Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor to share her public service experiences at Equal Justice Works annual Conference and Career Fair

What:  Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will share the public service experiences that led to her appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States at the annual Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair, Oct. 26 and 27 in Arlington, VA.  Judge David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will join Justice Sotomayor in a conversation designed to inspire the audience of current and future public interest lawyers. 

 Appointed as the 111th justice by President Barack Obama in 2009, Justice Sotomayor is the first Hispanic and third woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Sotomayor and Judge Tatel will take questions from the audience during the session.  Please note that this event is only open to registered attendees of the Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair.

 The Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair is the largest national conference and career fair specifically designed for law students interested in public interest careers.  Attracting more than 1200 law students from nearly 200 law schools around the country, the event offers two days of interview opportunities with more than 120 public interest employers; career development and skill-building sessions; mock interviews and resume revision; and networking opportunities.

 When:             Friday, Oct. 26, 7:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. & Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012 8 a.m. – 3:20 p.m.

 *Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will speak Friday, Oct. 26 at 4:15 PM*

 Where:            Crystal Gateway Marriott – 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202

For more information on the 2012 Conference & Career Fair, visit the EJW website. Tomorrow’s #PSJDChat is not to be missed if you’re attending the conference this year, so come prepared to ask any questions you’ve had about anything career fair related. See you tomorrow!

 


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Job o’ the Day: Rangel Program Fellowship with the U.S. Department of State/Howard University

   

The Rangel Program is a collaborative effort between Howard University and the U.S. State Department that seeks to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers as diplomats in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. The program seeks individuals interested in helping to shape a freer, more secure and prosperous world through formulating, representing, and implementing U.S. foreign policy. The Program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service and those with financial need.

There are two major components to the Rangel Program: an International Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program that provides support for graduate school, professional development, and entry into the U.S. Foreign Service, and an undergraduate International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program that provides undergraduates with the opportunity to enhance their skills, knowledge and understanding about U.S. foreign policy.

The deadline to apply for the International Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program is January 18, 2013. For more information, view the full listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).

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Landing the Job: Resume and Interviewing Tips to Keep You Out of the “No” Pile

Everyone knows that applying for jobs can be an incredibly competitive process. Your resume is often the first impression employers have of your skills and experience, and starting off on the wrong foot can quickly diminish your chances of landing a desired position.

In the CNN Money article “10 Reasons Your Resume Isn’t Getting You Interviews,” career blogger Alison Green offers up several common resume blunders that could stop you from getting that call-back you’ve been waiting for. Of Green’s list, here are PSJD’s top 3 that apply to law students on the public interest job hunt:

1. It Just Lists Duties and Responsibilities, Not Accomplishments. Generally speaking, law students do a lot of the same things at their respective jobs and internships (memos, legal research, etc.). However, potential employers may be more impressed by facts, figures or special awards related to your legal work. For instance, did you help the organization start any new projects? Have you ever been recognized for your service to a particular community or client population? Make yourself stand out by noting awards and accomplishments for the work you’ve done!

2. It wastes space on things that are irrelevant, like descriptions of your employer’s business. Public interest legal organizations do amazing work, and it’s tempting to add their mission to your resume. However, Green points out that this information is more suited for the job interview than your resume. Use this space to describe your role and how you contributed to the organization.

3. It includes everything you’ve ever done, rather than just the highlights. In the article, Green states that the initial scan of your resume takes employers only 20 seconds. Law students are pretty accomplished individuals, but you only want employers to know about the best of the best of your accomplishments. Keep your resume short, focused and concise to convey your most important highlights.

Click here to read the rest of the article for more tips. Once you’ve landed an interview, check out PSJD’s Interviewing Tips for Postgraduate Public Interest Jobs for tips and best practices gathered by PSJD from nonprofit and government legal employers. For guidance on following up, Harvard Law School’s Office of Public Interest Advising (OPIA) offers extensive tips and best practices on public interest job interviewing in their Job Interview & Follow-Up Guide.

Happy job hunting!

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New Innocence Project Clinic at West Virginia University College of Law

 

The Innocence Project climbs into the Mountain State.  From the Gazette-Mail:

[Innocence Project clinic director Valena] Beety and recent University of Chicago Law School graduate Kristen McKeon, who is helping with cases as part of a yearlong fellowship, will handle the bulk of the casework for the WVU clinic. The clinic’s four law students are charged with screening applicants for the program, Beety said.

“We’re focusing as a project on freeing innocent people who are in prison, but also on policy problems, systemic problems that lead to wrongful convictions, and making eyewitness identification more reliable,” she said.

Seventy-five percent of the 297 prisoners exonerated through DNA evidence since 1989 were convicted because they were mistakenly identified as suspects, according to figures from the national Innocence Project, which is based in New York.

WVU’s clinic is still new, Beety said, so they haven’t received many applications for post-conviction help, but she has been reaching out to prisons, public defender offices and other avenues for leads on potential cases.

When the applications do start rolling in, the clinic’s student screeners will generally take two factors into account in determining whether to take a case: the credibility of the applicant and whether there is likely to be evidence that would conclusively point to an exoneration.

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Job of the Day: Ella Baker Summer Internship Program at the Center for Constitutional Rights

Photo of Ella Baker

The Ella Baker Summer Internship Program was created in 1987 to honor the legacy of Ella Baker, a hero of the civil rights movement.

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) is a New York-based nonprofit legal and education organization dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Founded in 1966 by attorneys who represented civil rights movements in the South, CCR is committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change.

CCR is currently accepting applications for the Ella Baker Summer Internship program, part of the organization’s new Social Justice Institute (SJI). This innovative training institute for social justice law students and lawyers was created in partnership with the Bertha Foundation.

Interns will work under direct supervision of attorneys and will be given high-quality assignments and periodic feedback, in addition to participation in weekly educational seminars. Topics will range from litigation skills, theories of social change, and guest lectures by noted local organizers and activists.

Selected students will be placed at one of the following sites:

  • the Center for Constitutional Rights office in New York, focusing on government misconduct and international human rights;
  • the Community Justice Clinic at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, focusing on criminal law, police misconduct, public housing;
  • the Community Justice Project at Florida Legal Services in Miami, Florida, focusing on immigration, wage-theft ordinances, housing, and working conditions for taxi-drivers; and,
  • the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), the premiere human rights legal organization in Haiti, partnering up with the Boston-based Institute for Justice & Democracy.

For more information on qualifications, salary, and application instructions, visit PSJD.org (log-in required). The deadline to apply is November 11, 2012.

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Upcoming 2L and 3L Government Honors Deadlines!

Are you interested in working for the government? If so, act quickly: the following programs have 2L and 3L deadlines coming up soon! For more information on applying to work within the federal government, check out our Government Careers page in the PSJD Resource Center.

Click here for more details about these programs, provided in the 2012-13 Government Honors & Internship Handbook (log-in required). See the jobs below!

2L Deadlines

  • Department of Defense – Office of General Counsel 2013 OSD Summer Honors Legal Internship Program (Paid, Deadline 10/11/12)
  • Federal Trade Commission – Bureau of Competition Honors Legal Intern Program (Paid, Deadline 10/12/12)
  • Environmental Protection Agency – R9 Summer Law Clerk Program (Paid, Deadline 10/15/12)
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – Office of General Counsel 2013 Summer Intern Program (Unpaid, Deadline 10/15/12)
  • Department of Homeland Security – Office of General Counsel Pathways Internship – Law Clerk (Paid, Deadline 10/15/12)
  • Texas Attorney General – Law Clerk Program (Unpaid, Deadline 10/15/12)
  • Federal Trade Commission – Bureau of Consumer Protection Summer Honors Legal Intern (Paid, Deadline 10/18/12 First Screening Deadline; 10/12/12 Final Deadline 
    
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation - Summer Volunteer Internship (Unpaid, Deadline 10/22/12)
  • Ohio Attorney General’s Office – Summer Law Clerk Program (Paid, Deadline 10/29/12)
  • Securities & Exchange Commission – Summer Honors Law Program (Unpaid, Deadline 10/29/12)
  • Maricopa County Attorney – Law Clerk Program (Paid & Unpaid, Deadline 10/31/12)
  • Sacramento County CA District Attorney’s Office – Summer Law Student Internship Program (Paid, Deadline 10/31/12)

3L Deadlines

  • California Franchise Tax Board – Legal Internship Program (Unpaid, Deadline 10/15/12)
  • Department of Energy – Office of General Counsel Law Student internship Program (Unpaid, Deadline 10/15/12)
  • Executive Office of the President – Office of Science & Technology Policy OSTP Legal Internship Program (Unpaid, Deadline 10/15/12)
  • U.S. House of Representatives – Committee on the Judiciary Majority Office Intern Program (Unpaid, Deadline 10/15/12)
  • Office of the City Attorney San Francisco – 2013 Intern Program (Unpaid, Deadline 10/19/12)
  • Securities & Exchange Commission – Law Student Observer Program (Unpaid, Deadline 10/19/12)
  • Election Assistance Commission – Office of General Counsel Law Clerkship Program (Paid, Deadline, 10/25/12)
  • Executive Office of the President – Office of Administration General Counsel’s Office Law Student Internship Program (Unpaid, Deadline 10/29/12)
  • Department of Health & Human Services – Departmental Appeals Board Volunteer Internship/Externship Program (Unpaid, Deadline 10/31/12)
  • Overseas Private Investment Corporation – Department of Legal Affairs Legal Internship Program (Unpaid, Deadline 10/31/12)
  • Wisconsin Department of Justice – Division of Legal Services Law Clerk Program (Unpaid, Deadline Late Oct.)

 

 

 

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Public Interest News Bulletin – October 12, 2012

By: Steve Grumm

Happy Friday, ladies and gents.  I spent time earlier this week romping around in the mountains of Wyoming and Colorado, prompting me once more to wonder why I live on the East Coast.  My Blackberry’s continued buzzing while I was 9000 feet up reminded me that, for good or for ill, it’s harder and harder to truly disconnect these days.  I fought off a few impulses to toss it into the Big Thompson River.  And I’m glad I didn’t because much has happened in the public interest arena. 

First, big props to Kelly Tautges, Friend of the PSJD Blog and (actual title) Director of Pro Bono with the Chicago Bar Foundation.  The Daily Law Bulletin has named Tautges one of “40 Under 40” lawyers to watch in Chicago.  I was enlisted to help embarrass Kelly by publicizing this distinction.  So that’s checked off the to-do list.  (Sorry, Kelly.  Not really.)

Okay, the access-to-justice and public-interest week in very, very short:

  • Missouri’s indigent defense program is becoming a weekly news fixture;
  • next door in Illinois, funding for foreclosure prevention goes to a Chicago legal aid office;
  • the “Is the Income Based Repayment program sustainable?” inquiry continues;
  • a public defender in San Diego will cost you $50;
  • a profile of NOLA’s pro bono project;
  • the FTC goes after “legal aid” scams preying on distressed homeowners;
  • Michigan bill to revamp indigent defense program faces legislative scrutiny;
  • pro bono Down Under;
  • Manhattan DA and New York Law School collaborate on new clinical program;
  • Colorado Bar Association fundraiser may offset IOLTA shortfalls facing the legal aid community;
  • is California’s 3 Strikes law striking out;
  • Alabama revs up the “justice bus” engine;
  • proposed New Mexico constitutional amendment to create independent public defender program
  • Massachusetts launches program for retired attorneys to do pro bono work.
  • Super Music Bonus.

The summaries:

  • 10.11.12 – there’s been a lot of ink spilled recently over the health of Missouri’s indigent defense program.  Some county defenders’ offices are limiting case intake on account of a perceived case overload which is straining resources.  A new report from the state auditor may muddy the picture, however.  “Missouri’s auditor challenged Wednesday whether the state’s public criminal defense lawyers really can support the notion that they face a genuine ‘caseload crisis.’  In a report critical of the Missouri state public defender system, Auditor Thomas A. Schweich took no position as to whether such a crisis really existed. He noted that his auditors found that the system has depended on outdated models and unsupported assumptions to calculate how much time its lawyers actually work on cases….  Cathy R. Kelly, director of the public defender system, said her office already was working on solutions to problems outlined in the audit.
    Kelly said she is happy to find better ways of measuring caseloads. But those figures, when they become available, could show that the problem is worse that anyone imagines, Kelly said.  ‘Be careful what you wish for,’ she said.”  (Story from the Kansas City Star.  Additional coverage from St. Louis Public Radio, MissouriNet, and here’s the auditor’s report.)
  • 10.11.12 – $650,000 of Illinois’s mortgage foreclosure fraud settlement money is going to Metropolitan Family Services to represent low-income families facing foreclosure.  (Story from the Sun-Times, and here’s an MFS press release.
  • 10.11.12 – a couple of weeks ago we took note of a blog post wondering whether the Income Based Repayment program can have staying power given how many debt-laden graduates enter the employment market each year.  This week an AmLaw op-ed piece picks up on that question: “IBR is calibrated for typical college graduates who have less than $30,000 in student loan debt. Its proponents did not contemplate the already high and ever-increasing costs of professional education coupled with acute professional oversaturation and underemployment. With so many law school graduates trying to enter the workforce with six-figure debts and very poor short- and long-term employment prospects, the likelihood that the government will be forced to cancel large amounts of law school debt in 20-25 years is high. As a result, the question floating in the legal education community is just how unpayable are most law school debts?” I’m on vacation this week and haven’t had a chance to closely read the data-heavy piece.  But in the Great Recession’s wake this is a question that law school administrators must be looking at.  I’d love to hear from Heather Jarvis, Equal Justice Works, and other debt experts on the issue.
  • 10.10.12 – “Criminal defendants who are too poor to hire their own defense attorneys will have to pay $50 for public-defender representation under an ordinance approved unanimously by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.  People who are too poor to pay even the new $50 “registration fee,” can ask a judge to waive it.  Despite concerns about the impact on the Sixth Amendment right to defense counsel, many counties in California have implemented court-appointed-attorney fees, which the state Legislature legalized in 1996. Originally set at $25, the cap was raised to $50 in 2010.”  (Story from San Diego City Beat.)

 

  • 10.10.12 – a profile of NOLA’s Pro Bono Project: “Rachel Piercey, executive director of the Pro Bono Project, talks with great passion about her group’s work to provide free civil legal services to New Orleanians who need them. ‘We’re in our 26th year of operation, and we continue to grow because unfortunately, the civil needs of the poor are not going away,’ she said.   ‘And the needs always exceed the available resources. The entire organization is built around the volunteer concept and giving back to our community.’  During a typical year, the project averages between 1,300 to 1,400 cases, but in 2012 there has been a 50 percent increase in the case load.”  (Full story in the Times-Picayune.)
  • 10.10.12 – “Targeting scam artists offering bogus legal services to distressed homeowners, the Federal Trade Commission on October 9 announced three suits against mortgage relief operations that allegedly victimized thousands of consumers.   In suits filed in federal court in Florida, California and Ohio, the FTC charged the companies with violating the Federal Trade Act and the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services rule by falsely claiming they could help homeowners avoid foreclosure. In some instances, the scammers allegedly promised but failed to deliver assistance from a ‘network’ of lawyers, or falsely passed themselves off as attorneys.”  (Full story in the National Law Journal.)
  • 10.9.12 – news out of Michigan about proposed reforms to what is now a decentralized, county-by-county indigent defense system.  “A Senate panel has begun hearing arguments on a bill to fix the way Michigan counties provide defense attorneys to the poor.  The chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee says he’s still skeptical about the legislation.  Senator Rick Jones says…he…doesn’t see it as a statewide issue that requires sweeping changes…. The bill would create a state panel to set standards for appointing public defenders. Supporters point to a number of studies that rank Michigan’s public defense system among the worst in the country.  Some Michigan counties worry the changes could cost them, even if they’re already doing a good job.  The state House has already passed the bill out of committee. It now awaits a vote on the House floor.”  (Story from Michigan Public Radio.)
  • 10.9.12 – “Australia’s foremost pro bono advocate has challenged mid-tier and small law firms to devote more resources to pro bono work.  John Corker…of the National Pro Bono Resource Centre…spoke to Lawyers Weekly in the wake of the release of the National Law Firm Pro Bono Survey.  While the average number of pro bono hours per lawyer per year had increased when compared to the last survey two years ago (from 29 hours per lawyer per annum in 2010 to 29.9 hours in 2012), it was large law firms that picked up the slack.” (Full story from Lawyers Weekly.)
    • Here’s the Centre’s 2012 report, in case you’d like to learn more about pro bono Down Under in the Outback among the Kangaroos and the Fosters and “That’s not a knife…” and I’ve run out of stereotypes so let’s all be happy about that.
    • As an aside, I’ve met John Corker a few times.  He’s a delightful person and a highly successful advocate for pro bono in Australia.  While at a conference in 2008, John and I ended up sitting together for John’s first-ever baseball game.  (Twins v. Red Sawx in the old Metrodome.)  I’m a lifelong baseball fan, and thought it would be easy to walk him through the basics.  Turns out baseball is by any objective measure the craziest game you could ever conjure up, and/or I’m the world’s worst explainer.  John graciously pretended to understand my ham-handed rule explanations.  But we had some beers and shared some laughs.  And that’s baseball’s true virtue, anyway, people.
  • 10.9.12 – “The Manhattan District Attorney’s office and New York Law School are teaming up to have students prosecute non-violent misdemeanors and violations in the Manhattan Criminal Court’s Quality of Life part. The clinical program announced Oct. 5 will allow students to engage in plea negotiations, prepare witnesses and participate in suppression hearings and bench trials under the supervision of assistant district attorneys and adjunct professors. The yearlong clinic will begin in the fall of 2013.”  (Story from the New York Law Journal.)
  • 10.9.12 –  “[Legal aid] programs around the state will be spared cuts after a Colorado Bar Association fundraising drive has helped cover almost the entire projected [IOLTA] shortfall.  The CBA and its sections in three months have raised $79,000, just shy of the estimated cuts….  The programs are funded largely by the Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation, made of the interest earned on lawyers’ trust accounts. But because of the down economy, and its resulting low interest rates, the fund hasn’t generated the same funding level as past years. Just this year, COLTAF monies going to Colorado Legal Services dropped by $500,000.  In June, the CBA learned that pro bono programs were going to receive an $83,000 reduction in their COLTAF funding. The bar quickly organized a fundraiser, and nearly every section contributed with the CBA matching the donations dollar-for-dollar.”  (Here’s the story – but I just quoted most of it – from Law Week Colorado.)
  • 10.8.12 – a New York Times op-ed looks at whether California’s “3 strikes” law is working as it should.  A study [by Stanford Law’s Three Strikes Project] showed that more than 4,000 inmates in California are serving life sentences for nonviolent offenses under the three-strikes law. While it is possible that some of the inmates may be eligible for parole after 25 years, a majority face the prospect of decades of prison time. Many of these stiff sentences struck us as egregious. Although judges have sentencing discretion in a very narrow band of three-strikes cases, the reality is that judges almost universally consider themselves bound under California law to impose a life sentence for a third felony offense, no matter how minor.”  (Here’s the fancy multimedia opinion piece.)
  • 10/8/12 – Alabama’s going the justice bus route.  “Low-income Alabamians across the state this month can get free legal help when the ‘Justice Bus’ rolls into town.  In conjunction with the National Pro Bono Celebration, volunteer lawyers will fan out to four spots in the Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile regions. They literally will arrive in buses.  The lawyers will help people with uncomplicated civil matters like wills and trusts, uncontested divorces, housing disputes and debt collection issues.”  (Story from Alabama.com.)  The piece notes that these very well-intentioned Alabama lawyers borrowed the idea from lawyers in California.  They also borrowed the name “Justice Bus,” which may or may not be cool with San Francisco-based One Justice, which launched the initiative back in 2007.
  • 10.6.12 – “It’s the last item on the Nov. 6 ballot. Hence, proponents are urging voters to “start at the bottom” with Amendment 5, which would change the New Mexico Constitution to create an independent Public Defender Department.  The chief public defender is currently appointed by the governor, and the agency is attached to the state’s Corrections Department.  The amendment gives authority to appoint the chief public defender to a Public Defender Commission, which also would provide administrative guidance and oversight of the new department.”  (Story from the Santa Fe New Mexican.)
  • 10.5.12 – Massachusetts has just launched a program for retired attorneys to serve as pro bono “fellows”, helping beleaguered legal aid offices deal with overwhelming caseloads.  (Story from the AP.)

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Job of the Day: Health Policy Legal Intern at HealthHIV in Washington, D.C.!

HealthHIV is a national, minority-based nonprofit organization that advances effective prevention, care and support for people living with, or at risk for, HIV/AIDS. By providing education, technical assistance, and health services research to organizations, communities and professionals, HealthHIV increases dialogue and promotes advocacy around issues relevant to living with HIV/AIDS. Among the health services it offers, providing health insurance remains its top priority. It excels in that particular sector, and was also listed as one of the best health insurance companies last year.

HealthHIV is currently looking for applicants for its Health Policy Legal Internship. HealthHIV’s health policy legal interns are highly motivated second and third-year law students who are interested in health equity and health policy as related to HIV and hepatitis prevention, care, and treatment. Applicants should be currently enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school, and available to commit to at least 10 hours a week.

From the PSJD job posting:

Working with the Director of Prevention and Policy, the Health Policy Law Clerk will:

  • Contribute to analysis of health care policy that impacts HIV and hepatitis prevention, care, treatment, and health equity.
  • Research areas of health law, and write policy guidance on a wide range of health issues.
  • Monitor implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the establishment of State Insurance Exchanges, expansion of Medicaid, development of essential health benefits, and impact of cost containment measures on people at risk for, or living with, HIV or hepatitis.
  • Develop best practice health policy papers for local advocates on topics impacting state health departments, community health centers, community-based organizations, and consumers.
  • Monitor federal and/or state legislation and regulations.
  • Coordinate advocacy meetings and policy briefings with federal, state, and local legislators.

The health policy internship is a paid position. An unpaid internship is also available for academic credit through their law school. For more information, view the full listing at PSJD.org (log-in required)!

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Expert Opinion: Public Interest Lawyer’s Career Path Takes Her Back to Law School….Then Out….Then Back Again.

Editor’s note: our “Expert Opinion” series offers thoughts, insights, and career advice from public interest lawyers, law students, and others who work for the public good.  This week’s Expert is Michele Storms, Assistant Dean for Public Service & executive director of the W.H. Gates Public Service Law Program at the University of Washington School of Law.  On to the interview with Michele…

Michele Storms

Can you give us a brief outline of how you got to the job you are in today?

I went to law school because I wanted to be a civil legal aid lawyer and I was really fortunate that I…actually had a legal aid job by the time I graduated.  At my first position I represented domestic violence survivors in protection order and family law cases.  I would have happily done a legal aid practice for my whole career but about six years into my first job I learned of an opportunity to be a clinical teacher at a law school.  Being in clinic during law school was the best part of school and I thought being a clinical law teacher would be amazing.  I was lucky to be hired at the University of Washington School of Law and spent the next 8 years teaching clinics, family law and child advocacy.  As much as I loved doing the clinical work, legal aid was still my passion and when an opportunity arose to return to legal aid on the management side I went for it and then spent the next four years as a statewide advocacy coordinator back at legal aid.  I worked on statewide training events, helped to facilitate several substantive area task forces, mentored and supervised advocates and did a lot of community outreach around access to justice issues.   Now I am back at the University of Washington School of Law – I first returned to direct the Gates Scholarship Program and the job has now evolved into being the Assistant Dean for Public Service.

Was this position what you originally planned on doing, or was your career trajectory part of an evolving process?  

I never imagined I would one day be an assistant dean at a law school!  Getting to where I am today has definitely been an evolution.   What I learned from my first few positions was that I loved public interest law but I also loved working with students.  I’m really fortunate that I am able to combine these two loves.  Although I no longer work directly with clients on legal cases, I am helping many students achieve their public interest dreams by providing career coaching, access to programming, speakers, mentors, funding and more.

How did your contacts with previous employers, professors, and colleagues influence your job search, if any?  

I’ve had some great mentors over time.  I’ve been lucky to have people who were honest with me about my skills and talents and areas for growth and this has helped me figure out which opportunities are best for me.  I’ve also always gotten involved in a lot of committees and community work over the years and I’ve met so many amazing people.  Learning about what other people do and how they’ve achieved their positions has also been educational for me.  I’m thrilled with what I am doing now but who knows what else I might do in my career!  I like to keep an open mind and heart.

Would you change your preparation for this position in any way if you had the chance? 

Every position I had —whether paying job or volunteer opportunity — taught me things that I would need for the next position.  I didn’t always know which position would come next but I dug into every opportunity with gusto and gave it all my best.  So I probably would not change anything!

A very real concern for many law students hesitant to pursue public interest jobs is how to pay off student loans. How have you utilized repayment plans or other programs to balance paying student debt, if any, with living expenses?   

Fortunately during my first year of law school at Gonzaga University School of Law I applied for and was selected to be a Thomas More Scholar.  The Thomas More Program paid my tuition for my 2 and 3L years so I only took out a small number of loans.  I lived very frugally during law school which paid off in the end.  When I started my first civil legal aid job at Evergreen Legal Services they had a loan repayment program which I was able to participate in for the first few years of my practice.   Even though my salary was low, I paid as much as I could in addition to the payments made by my employer so it helped me to get my loans paid off relatively quickly.   Law school costs a lot more now than it did when I went to law school.  So when students are considering law school I always encourage them to apply to schools that have public service scholarships and to apply for the programs – don’t think you don’t have a chance.  You have to go for it.  And then, regardless of whether you get into a scholarship program, take as few loans as you possibly can.

What advice would you offer to law students seeking a position in the public interest arena?

If you really have a passion for public interest work then there is a way to make it happen, you should never give up but you do have to be patient and strategic.  I really wanted to do civil legal aid and those jobs don’t come open very often – but they do come.  If you can be flexible about where you start your practice you’ll increase your chances of getting to do the kind of work you care about so being willing to move someplace new is a plus.   The first job I applied for was in a small rural community I had never visited before.  I would have gone anywhere to do this work!   I wasn’t hired for that position but I think my willingness to interview for what some considered a less desirable position opened other doors for me.  Volunteering is also a great way to get your foot in the door.  Don’t be afraid to reach out to people who have the kind of job you want.  Shadow them, seek them out as mentors and offer to help out however you can.  I see this technique working for recent grads over and over again.  The need for public interest lawyers is huge even though the resources are limited.  There are so many people who need representation and so many causes that need champions.  So most importantly, never give up!

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