Job o' the Day: Attorney Internships (with possibility of permanent employment) with the Eviction Defense Network in LA!

While this opportunity is unpaid, there is a possibility of permanent employment after the internship training. Check it out —

Eviction Defense Network (EDN) is a network of trial lawyers founded in 2003 that advocates for tenants. EDN is dedicated to defending the right to affordable housing and ensuring access to justice in housing matters to tenants in Los Angeles County. EDN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal assistance and representation to tenants facing eviction.

Eviction Defense Network (EDN) is be expanding its services starting with a two-month training opportunity for four attorneys.

From January 28, 2012 through March 30, 2012, EDN is offering a training opportunity with possible salaried positions at the conclusion of the two-month training.

This is a two-month unpaid Internship Program for attorneys interested in then applying for 4 possible job openings at the conclusion of the training.

The training starts with a half day orientation on January 13, 2011 and 1 full day of classroom training on January 14 (Saturday).

Is this position for you? Find out how to apply at PSLawNet!

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Legal Aid Office in Georgia Can't Catch a Break

by Kristen Pavón

As if shrinking budgets weren’t enough, a legal aid office in Athens, Georgia was burglarized last weekend. I mean, really?

Almost a dozen laptop computers were stolen. Attorneys didn’t seem too upset about it though…

“As far as the effect of the theft on our work, it’s not going to slow us down much,” he [Public Defender John Donnelly] said. “We’ll work around it until we can get them back or replaced.”

“They are all password protected, so the files are not easily accessible,” Donnelly said.

That’s a great attitude. If it were me, I’d be up-the-wall upset — what could I get done without my computer?! Nada.

Read the rest of the story here.

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Job o' the Day: Staff Attorney at Idaho Legal Aid Services!

Here’s an opportunity to do some important work!

Idaho Legal Aid Services, Inc. (ILAS) is seeking applicants for an attorney position with its satellite office located at the Nampa Family Justice Center. The Nampa Family Justice Center is a partnership of agencies dedicated to ending family violence and sexual assault through prevention and response by providing comprehensive, client-centered services in a single location. Supervision of Justice Center staff is provided by the Caldwell ILAS office.

The Justice Center office is staffed by one and one-half attorneys and a half time support staff person.  The Justice Center office focuses solely on providing services to victims of domestic violence, stalking and/or sexual assault cases in the Third Judicial District.

Ready to apply? Find out how at PSLawNet!

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Job o' the Day: Attorney at the Legal Aid Justice Center in Falls Church, VA!

The Legal Aid Justice Center seeks a bilingual attorney to join its office in Falls Church, Virginia. The Center’s work includes the provision of general civil legal assistance in the areas of housing, consumer, and employment law for Northern Virginia’s diverse low-income immigrant communities. Also, Legal Aid Justice Center provides extensive representation to, and works closely with, the region’s predominantly Latino day laborers.

The Legal Aid Justice Center is a nationally recognized, non-profit program providing free civil legal assistance from four offices throughout the state of Virginia. Our dynamic staff of more than thirty advocates pursue systemic legal advocacy for all low-income Virginians using a wide array of strategies. Through legal representation, community organization, and statewide advocacy, the Legal Aid Justice Center works both to eliminate the immediate symptoms and to address the underlying causes of poverty in Virginia. We encourage diversity, value unique voices, pursue our goals with passion, and have fun while working for the public interest.

Want to join the team at Legal Aid Justice Center? Check out the listing at PSLawNet!

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GW Law Addresses Local Needs with Six New Pro Bono Programs

by Kristen Pavón

Paul Schiff Berman signed on as George Washington University Law School’s Dean this year, and in the short time he’s been at GW Law, six new pro bono programs have been developed.

The programs allow students to gain valuable hands-on experience while tackling a variety of issues, including illegal and unnecessary school exclusion in D.C. public schools and public charter schools, sealing criminal records, and providing legal assistance to the homeless, as well as to unrepresented litigants in administrative hearings.

Here are the new projects:

  • GW Cancer Pro Bono Project
  • Homeless Pro Bono Project
  • GW Street Law at the Arlington County Detention Facility
  • Suspending Suspensions Pro Bono Project
  • District Record Sealing Service
  • DC Office of Administrative Hearings Resource Center Pro Bono Project

You can learn about each project at Dean Schiff Berman’s blog.

I think the Suspending Suspensions Project is especially interesting! What do you think? What innovative pro bono projects are available at your law schools?

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Job o' the Day: Summer Advocate for Migrant Workers at Friends of Farmworkers, Inc. in PA!

Friends of Farmworkers, Inc., is looking for a two law students with strong commitments to social justice for internships during the summer of 2012. The interns will advocate for migrant workers in Pennsylvania.

Friends of Farmworkers (FOF) aims to improve the living and working conditions of indigent farmworkers, mushroom workers, food processing workers, and other workers from immigrant and migrant communities by providing direct legal services for claims arising out of employment to workers throughout PA and to organizations whose members are client-eligible workers and their families.

The summer advocate is responsible for drafting complaints, pleadings, or briefs for filing with administrative bodies (OSHA, NLRB, EEOC, and state equivalents) and state and federal courts. The interns are able to observe and participate in meetings with clients, advocacy organizations, governmental agencies. In addition, Friends of Farmworkers prefers the intern to be fluent in Spanish, Chin, Burmese, or Dzongkha.

A stipend can only be offered to one of the interns, but Friends of Farmworkers will work with the other candidate to help secure funding through their law schools or other sources.

If interested, check out the listing at PSLawNet!

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Legal Services Corp's Chairman reacts to funding cuts: 2012 will be daunting.

by Kristen Pavón

In a press release today addressing a 14 percent reduction in funding for 2012, Legal Services Corporation’s Chairman John G. Levi echoed the access to justice crisis concerns and warnings we’ve all heard before.

Federal funding has long been the cornerstone for legal aid, and essential to fulfilling our nation’s promise of equal justice for all.  We all understand that the rule of law is in jeopardy when the protections of the law are not available to increasingly large numbers of low-income citizens—especially victims of domestic abuse, the elderly and people facing the loss of  their homes. The nation’s poverty population has never been this large, and, as a consequence, requests for civil legal assistance are increasing.

He also outlined three ways LSC is trying to do its part in promoting access to justice:

  1. Expanding partnership and collaborations
  2. Using the newly established Pro Bono Task Force to identify innovative practices that can help increase pro bono services
  3. Exploring how to more effectively use technology

There are lots of great and innovative ideas out there about pro bono and how to address our access to justice crisis and many conversations have taken place — now is the time for implementation. Let’s do.

Read Levi’s entire statement here.

If you work for an LSC-funded organization, how are you adapting to the funding cuts? How, if at all, will you fill the gaps?

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Job o' the Day: Housing Unit Deputy Director at Manhattan Legal Services

Manhattan Legal Services is looking for a dynamic and experienced attorney to serve as the Deputy Director of the Housing Unit for its borough-wide program. This office is part of Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), the largest provider of free civil legal services for low-income people in the country.

The Manhattan office is dedicated to providing high quality legal services in the areas of housing, family law, public benefits, employment, immigration, consumer, and disability rights. The Manhattan program also has special units serving particular vulnerable populations including domestic violence victims, people with HIV, and SRO tenants.

The Deputy Director of the Housing Unit will work under the direct supervision of the Housing Unit Director. The responsibilities of the Deputy Director of the Housing Unit will include assisting with the supervision of the housing and benefits unit (currently 8 staff members). In addition, the Deputy Director will carry a reduced caseload and will co-counsel complex cases, develop and file affirmative litigation and work on furthering collaboration with community-based organizations.

The Deputy Director will also assist with grants management and management of the intake process of the unit. The exact division of the duties will be determined by the Housing Unit Director in consultation with Project Director. This is a four day per week job which includes all benefits (pro-rated).

Interested? Check out the listing at PSLawNet!

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UK is Searching for Solutions to the Consequences of Deep Legal Aid Funding Cuts

by Kristen Pavón

The Guardian reported yesterday that the legal profession is bracing itself for an increase in pro se litigants as a result of the legal aid budget cuts, which are set for 2013.

. . . [W]ith £350m set to be lopped off the legal aid budget in 2013, removing funding for areas such as divorce and housing cases, turning up to court without a brief is about to become a lot more common.

A report on litigants-in-person to be published on Friday acknowledges this, setting out measures for minimising the chaos that will be caused by the coming surge of “DIY lawyers”.

Here are a few of the solutions lawyers are considering to address this surge:

  • Prevention of legal battles through public legal education
  • Increased reliance on and use of experienced volunteers, including law students, unemployed lawyers and retired lawyers
  • Creating a more formalized pro bono structure in law firms (rely on peer pressure rather than a pro bono mandate)

Pretty general suggestions if you ask me… Read more here.

Thoughts?

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Job o’ the Day: Summer Internship at Brooklyn Defender Services!

Brooklyn Defender Services is looking for full-time summer law interns with a commitment to public defense! The internship program is a ten-week program and duties include legal research and writing, representation of clients in arraignments (under supervision), court appearances, client and witness interviews, trial preparation and investigation assistance.

Brooklyn Defender Services protects the legal rights of poor Brooklyn residents who are charged with crimes and have nowhere else to turn for help. They believe all people—regardless of economic means—deserve respect, individualized care and the fullest extent of legal protections when accused of a crime. They are one of the largest NYC legal service providers, serving 18,000 people each year!

If interested, check out the listing at PSLawNet!

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