The National LGBT Bar Association is now accepting submissions for the Michael Greenberg Writing Competition, the Student Leadership Award and the International Association of LGBT Judges Writing Competition:
by Ashley Matthews
This past weekend, students from all over the world convened at the sixth annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U, for short) at the Washington University in St. Louis. The conference brings together socially innovative college and graduate students, non-profits, experts and celebrities to brainstorm ideas, best practices and action plans to attack some of the world’s most pressing social justice issues.
Student attendees were awarded more than $400,000 in funding to seed their projects, and a $100,000 grand prize went to the winners of the Resolution Project, a social venture competition held on-site. All projects are targeted at one of CGI U ‘s five focus areas: Education, Environment & Climate Change, Peace and Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Health.
Comedian Stephen Colbert interviewed former President Bill Clinton on Saturday and hosted the closing session, and notable guests included Jack Dorsey, Salman Khan and other innovators and entrepreneurs.
Sounds like something cool for you or someone you know? Check out CGI U’s FAQ’s and application information for tips and an overview on how to apply for next year.
And, just for fun, check out Colbert’s interview with Clinton below:
Women’s Link Worldwide, an international human rights nonprofit working to ensure gender equality around the world, created the Gender Justice Uncovered Awards to cast a spotlight on the tremendous influence judges and courts have on the sense of justice and in the daily lives of people in all countries.
The Awards highlight decisions or statements made in the context of a legal process by judges, members of human rights committees, asylum offices, prosecutors, or ombudspersons which have a positive or negative impact on gender equality, including those related to sexual and reproductive rights, gender violence, and gender discrimination. Incredibly sexist decisions get the dishonor of receiving bronze, silver and gold “Bludgeons”. The three best decisions that promote gender equality receive bronze, silver and gold Gavels. A special award is also given to the decisions that receive the most public votes via the Women’s Link website.
Any person from anywhere in the world can nominate a judicial decision by submitting the form on the Women’s Link website, and a few of the nominated cases will even make it to the Gender Justice Observatory – a resource center containing judicial decisions from around the world on issues related to gender.
So, what are you waiting for? Nominate a judicial decision for a Gavel (or Bludgeon – boo!) before the April 30th deadline, and help promote gender justice today!
Law school debt affects many elements of an attorney’s professional career, from the selection of a post-graduate employer to stressing about repayment options. Lack of proper debt management can have a wide range of consequences, not only on law graduates but on the public service organizations that employ them. As legal aid groups and non-profits face a dearth of available positions and the threat of funding cuts, it’s becoming more and more important to stay financially literate so your employees can afford to be advocates for marginalized communities.
For this reason, NALP has engaged Heather Jarvis to serve as our student debt expert to provide members with information, best practices and professional insight related to educational debt and repayment options for law students and graduates. Tomorrow on March 12 at 2:00 pm, she’ll be leading the webinar Recruit and Retain the Best and Brightest in Spite of Their Student Loan Debt: NALP’s Step-by-Step Guide for Public Service Employers.
If you are a public interest employer, please respond to this brief survey to help Heather Jarvis tailor her efforts to your needs! See you at the webinar tomorrow!
The Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern University School of Law invites nominations for its 2013 Global Jurist of the Year Award. The deadline is March 15, 2013.
The Award is granted annually to a judge in recognition of that judge’s contribution to the advancement of international human rights law or international criminal law. Special account is taken of those who have shown outstanding dedication to the rule of law and courage in the face of adversity, including personal risk. Jurists from all nations and tribunals are eligible for consideration.Nominations can be submitted electronically to j-sorensen@law.northwestern.edu or by mail to Professor Juliet Sorensen, Center for International Human Rights, Northwestern University School of Law, 375 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
The present value of the annual award is $5,000. The awards ceremony will be hosted by Northwestern University School of Law in Fall 2013.
For more info:
eben.saling@law.northwestern.edu
312-503-8579
Here’s a message from our friends over at Equal Justice Works:
Has your student debt become a financial burden you are struggling to deal with? Are you worried about the amount you are borrowing to pay for college or graduate school and wondering if you will be able to repay it all? If so, Equal Justice Works is here to help.
We provide in depth information on loan repayment assistance programs and relief programs like Income-Based Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness to help everyone pursue the career of their dreams. Our eBook, Take Control of Your Future, details the steps you need to take to manage your student debt now and in the future.
Every month, our free, live webinars also provide a comprehensive overview of the federal debt relief options available for students and graduates and provide viewers with the opportunity to ask questions. Click here to view a schedule of our webinars and to register for an upcoming session.
Our March sessions include:
Drowning in Debt? Learn How Government and Nonprofit Workers Can Earn Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Thursday, March 14, 3-4 p.m. EST
Thursday, March 28, 3-4 p.m. EST
A must attend for anyone with educational debt planning to work or currently working for the government or a nonprofit, this webinar explains how you can benefit from income driven repayment plans, including President Obama’s new Pay As You Earn program, and exactly how Public Service Loan Forgiveness works.
Finally, make sure you keep up with what’s shaping the student debt world by following our weekly U.S. News blog, the Student Loan Ranger. Last month let you know how to evaluate Loan Repayment Assistance Programs; looked at a report analyzing how the financial aid system can be revamped to support college access, affordability, and completion; and asked if the increased credit risk posed by student loans will affect borrowers’ credit scores in the future.
See you at the webinars!
Law school debt affects many elements of an attorney’s professional career, from the selection of a post-graduate employer to stressing about repayment options. Lack of proper debt management can have a wide range of consequences, not only on law graduates but on the public service organizations that employ them. As legal aid groups and non-profits face a dearth of available positions and the threat of funding cuts, it’s becoming more and more important to stay financially literate so your employees can afford to be advocates for marginalized communities.
For this reason, NALP has engaged Heather Jarvis to serve as our student debt expert to provide members with information, best practices and professional insight related to educational debt and repayment options for law students and graduates. Next Tuesday, March 12 at 2:00 pm she’ll be leading the webinar Recruit and Retain the Best and Brightest in Spite of Their Student Loan Debt: NALP’s Step-by-Step Guide for Public Service Employers.
If you are a public interest employer, please respond to this brief survey to help Heather Jarvis tailor her efforts to your needs!
Practicing public interest law can sometimes be a thankless job, so celebrate your favorite public interest lawyer by nominating them for Stanford Law School’s National Public Service Award!
Every year, Stanford Law honors an attorney who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service and social justice in his/her career. They are looking for nominees who are leaders in their field, who embody the tradition of public service that Stanford Law seeks to develop in their own students. Nominees, however, don’t have to actually be Stanford Law School alumni. The award is open to all lawyers who are engaged in public interest or public service work, including litigation, education or advocacy in the non-profit and government sectors. Stanford Law welcomes nominations from everyone, including younger attorneys who have significantly advanced social justice in the past year.
The award is presented at the Annual Public Service Awards Dinner, taking place this fall. Past recipients include the Honorable Patricia M. Wald, for her lifetime of public service; Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. for his lifetime of public service; Bryan Stevenson, Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative; Debo P. Adegbile, the Director of Litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.; and Shannon Price Minter, the Legal Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
The nomination deadline is April 1, 2013. More details are available online at the Stanford Law School Awards & Fellowships page.
Photo from law.duke.edu
If you’ll be in Washington, D.C. this summer and are interested in gaining a better understanding of U.S. and foreign policy, Duke Law School is currently accepting applications to participate in short courses at their new Summer Institute on Law & Policy. During the evening classes, Duke Law faculty will lead sessions on topics including Federal Policymaking, Health Care Law & Policy, National Security Law and Foreign Policymaking.
The program is open to students from other law schools, as well as upper-level college students, graduate and professional students, and professionals working in Washington D.C. Here’s some information from their website:
Duke Law’s new D.C. Summer Institute offers short courses taught by Duke Law faculty on topics of broad interest to college students and professionals working in D.C., such as constitutional and regulatory law, the legislative process, and the legal framework in which public policy is formulated and implemented. Evening courses offered during two, two-week sessions will focus on law and policy in specific areas such as national security, financial institutions, environmental law, and health care. The Institute is designed for those considering law school or careers in the public sector, professionals working in public policy, and others who are interested in how the law shapes policy and regulation in the United States.
The first session is from July 8 – July 18, 2013 and the second session is from July 22 – August 1, 2013. Applications are available on the DC Summer Institute website, and should be sent in before April 15, 2013.
Advancement Project, a progressive civil rights organization dedicated to using innovative tools and strategies to strengthen social movements and achieve high impact policy change, has been working on ending the school-to-prison pipeline. This pipeline is used by many school systems to shut off academic opportunities and funnel troubled youth into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Suspensions, expulsions and school-based arrests are being used more and more to deal with disciplinary and behavioral problems, pushing students out of school and into jail.
Advancement Project invites those who are currently engaged in community-based efforts to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline to apply to their 2013 Action Camp 2.o. Groups including youth, people of color, LGBTQ-identifying persons, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. As stated on their website:
ActionCamp 2.0 Goals
There are three goals for ActionCamp 2.0:
- Achieve a shared understanding of the School-to-Prison Pipeline.
- Arm participants with strategies and tools for dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline at the local, state, and national levels.
- Broaden and strengthen the community-led grassroots movement against the unfair discipline and criminalization of students.
What Will be Covered at ActionCamp 2.0?
ActionCamp 2.0 is designed as a deeper dive into the skills and strategies necessary to dismantle the School-to-Prison Pipeline with a new focus on action planning. The curriculum is designed to both share the best practices as defined by the ActionCamp Training Team and take advantage of the collective experience and knowledge of participants. We will offer a range of workshops including:
- Base building, Mobilization, & Direct Action - Bringing supporters to your campaign and organizing them to create change
- Strategic Communications –Using media and communications tools to advance your campaign
- Alternatives and Solutions to the School-to-Prison Pipeline - Examining the alternative models for school discipline
- Alliance and Coalition Building - Best Practices for building local, state, and national coalitions
- Data & Policy Analysis – How to interpret and use data on school discipline for your campaign and understand current and potential policies
- Talking to Policy Makers & Power Analysis – How to identify those with the power to help your cause and strategies for talking with policy makers about school discipline issues
- Popular Education: The School-to-Prison Pipeline in Historical Perspective –Tools for educating communities on the School-to-Prison Pipeline with a focus on connecting it with the various historic systems of oppression.
- Grassroots Fundraising –Strategies for securing the resources to keep your work viable
Make sure you check out the Action Camp Tumblr page for a little more information about the program. The New Orleans Action Camp will take place during the spring, from April 19 – 21, 2013. The Denver Action Camp will take place during the summer, from June 28 -30, 2013. Click here to apply!