Need a job or internship? During the past week PSLawNet has posted:   69 new attorney positions,   55  new internships, and  27 new law related opportunities.  Additionally, there are currently 1,263 active opportunities in our job database.  To search the database visit PSLawNet.

Featured New Positions:

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) is looking for an International Program Specialist to assist with the development and implementation of plans for technical assistance in developing countries in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, but may be called upon to work in Sub-Saharan Africa and other regions as well.  Deadline:  December 16.  Visit PSLawNet for full details.

The Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project (PAILP) is currently seeking a 2011 Summer Intern.  The PAILP was created and designed to meet the needs of low income residents of PA’s prisons, jails, state hospitals, and state centers with the goal of ensuring equal access to justice for indigent institutionalized persons.  The intern will be responsible for legal research and writing, case development and investigation and other related duties under the supervision of a staff attorney.  Additionally, the intern will be taken to client meetings and court whenever appropriate.  Deadline:  Feb. 1, 2011.  Check PSLawNet for additional details and application instructions.

Featured Public Service Career Resource:

Attention 2Ls and 1Ls:  Are you interested in a postgraduate fellowship? Get a jump start by visiting our Fellowship Info and Resources page and Application Deadline Calendar.  Postgraduate public interest fellowships enable recent graduates to secure entry level positions with nonprofit organizations, government entities, and educational institutions.  Applications for project-based fellowships are typically due either late in your 2L summer or early in your 3L year.  The work you do during your second summer may be an essential component in a strong fellowship application.  Indeed, while not necessary, it’s ideal if your second summer placement is your would-be fellowship host.

Learn more about getting a PSLawNet job seeker or employer account . . .

This week: a controversial testing method for an NYC homelessness prevention program; TARP funds to prop up corporate interests, but not legal services for low-income homeowners?; the Skadden Fellowship Class of 2011 contains 29 budding public interest attorneys; funding calamity averted for D.C. legal services programs; will we lose more local/state government jobs in the recession’s wake?; significant changes in how NYC indigent defense cases are assigned to counsel; an Innocence Project report sees widespread prosecutorial misconduct in California; the Cleveland Plain Dealer looks at inefficiencies in the local criminal courts.

• 12.9.10 – in the New York Times, we look at a controversial social welfare program evaluation tool.  Borrowing an idea from the medical research arena, the City is essentially denying a homelessness prevention program’s assistance to half of a group of “test subjects” (who are actual people on the verge of homelessness), while giving assistance to the other half.  By doing so, the City will learn how effective the program – called Homebase – really is.  Given what’s at stake though – the welfare of families in crisis – many local public interest advocates have voiced concerns.  On the other hand, the piece notes that “randomized controlled trials” are increasingly used by philanthropies and governments because of their value in answering fundamental questions about social programs’ effectiveness.  And, due to funding shortages the program at issue in NYC is not able to serve all applicants anyway, so the net number of applicants denied is not actually rising as a result of the study.

• 12.9.10 – writing in The Nation, liberal commentator Katrina Vanden Heuvel laments that the Department of the Treasury, relying on an interpretation of current statutory authority, opposes the future use of some TARP funds by states to support civil legal aid for homeowners in distress.  There are pieces of legislation in the House and Senate, respectively, which would explicitly authorize states to channel TARP funding toward legal aid.

• 12.7.10 – The new class of Skadden Fellows has been announced.  Twenty-nine fellowships were awarded to students hailing from 21 law schools.  Four schools have multiple awards: Harvard (5), Michigan (2), Penn (2), and Stanford (3).  The 18 schools which have one Class-of-2011 fellow are a fairly varied bunch, including: Arkansas, Boston College, CUNY, Texas, UVA, and Widener.  Based upon our analysis of the past four annual classes, there has been increasing breadth and diversity with respect to the schools producing Skadden Fellows.  See our recent blog post containing comparative numbers for the classes of 2010, 2009, and 2008.

Keep reading . . .

The new class of Skadden Fellows has been announced.  Twenty-nine fellowships were awarded to students hailing from 21 law schools.  Four schools have multiple awards: Harvard (5), Michigan (2), Penn (2), and Stanford (3).  The 18 schools which have one Class-of-2011 fellow are a fairly varied bunch, including: Arkansas, Boston College, CUNY, Texas, UVA, and Widener.

For a little bit of context, the Class of 2010 (last year’s class) consisted of 27 fellows from 20 law schools.  The 2009 class conisted of 28 fellows from 14 schools.  And 36 fellows from 16 schools comprised the Class of 2008.  We don’t have time to look back further – although info on past classes is available via the above link – but based upon the past 4 years we’re seeing more diversity and breadth with respect to the schools from which fellows graduate.

Congrats Class-of-2011 Skadden Fellows!!!  Good luck!!!  

This will remain an open question for some time . . . we began our coverage of the debate over the adoption of mandatory pro bono in Mississippi back in September.  The Clarion Ledger reported this week that the state’s Supreme Court Rule’s Committee is still considering the proposal that would require lawyers to complete 20 pro bono hours annually or in lieu of that service contribute $500 to the state bar for legal services programs. 

The need for increased access to legal services is clear – “one in five Mississippians lives in poverty” and “many of [the state’s] poorest residents lack knowledge of the legal system and/or the financial resources to secure legal help.”

The majority of lawyers in the state (that have voiced their opinion) are opposed to the adoption of such a requirement.   The former chief-of-staff to Governor Kirk Fordice, attorney Mark Garriga, categorized the adoption as a separation of powers issue:

“[i]t’s nothing more than a tax on 6,000 people (lawyers)” and the judicial branch does not have authority to impose a tax.

Sandy Middleton, the Executive Director of the Center for Violence Prevention in Pearl, Mississippi, while acknowledging the need for more lawyers to assist victims of domestic violence is still opposed to mandatory pro bono because she fears “if [lawyers] are forced to do it, they may not give their all in cases.”

While the Rules Committee continues to deliberate, the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP) has established Advancing Justice, Restoring Hope.  This annual campaign aims to raise $50,000 to:

Increase the number of volunteer lawyers statewide, Boost the number of legal clinics to match volunteer lawyers with pro bono clients, Ensure small fees do not impede legal actions, Provide outreach, and Support operations.

What do you think?  Should Mississippi (and other states for that matter) adopt mandatory pro bono requirements?

Yesterday we shared how to utilize Westlaw to search for jobs with federal agencies.  Today we wanted to highlight another job searching suggestion from the AvidCareerist Blog:  set up Google Alerts to search for jobs as part of your on-line strategy.

My job search clients and I use Google Alerts, in addition to job boards, to find job openings on-line. Alerts pull more openings than the major boards, they pick up openings from Craigslist, and they help my clients find niche job boards for additional feeds.

“What’s a Google Alert and how do I set one up?” you ask.  See here.

The AvidCareerist in her blog uses the job title example of a “contract recruiter” — how can you translate this to looking for public interest legal positions?

Let’s say you are looking for a staff attorney position at a nonprofit, you could set up the following alert:  {“staff attorney”} {litigate AND research} {“staff attorney” AND apply}.   What if you want to restrict this to search for ONLY jobs in California, then:  {“staff attorney”} {litigate AND research} {“staff attorney” AND apply AND california}.

If you are interested in a particular practice area, for example civil rights, you could set up an alert tailored to that preference:  {“attorney”} AND {“attorney” and apply or submit} AND {“civil rights”}.  You can also set up alerts to search for new opportunities at specific organizations, for example:  {“attorney”} AND {“attorney” and apply or submit} AND {“U.S. Department of Education”}.  To set up your personalized google job alerts go here.

A note of caution from the AvidCareerist:

However, put a strict limit on the amount of time you spend using alerts and feeds to find and respond to job openings. Why? First, as mentioned above, you will only find a tiny portion of the available openings using these tactics. Second, these are the easiest openings to find. Thus, you will have a lot of competition from other job seekers. I suggest that you spend no more than 30 minutes a day building feeds and alerts and responding to postings. How do you that? Only respond to postings that you are well qualified for.

Want more job search resources? Visit PSLawNet’s Career Central.

From some rebellious types at Yale Law School, here’s information on a terrific, upcoming event that brings together public-interest minded law students, attorneys, activists, academics, and rodeo clowns (last one’s not true) from parts hither and yon. It’s a great way to make new contacts and explore career options, as well as to gain invaluable knowledge about the challenges and opportunities facing public interest lawyers these days. With no further ado…. it’s RebLaw!!!

Hello Rebel!

You are invited to the 17th Annual Rebellious Lawyering Conference, which will take place on the weekend of February 18-20, 2011. Last year, we brought over 700 practitioners, law students, and community activists to New Haven to discuss progressive strategies for social change within and without the law, and we’re excited to do it again! We will be posting descriptions of panels and workshops on our website and will continue to update with speakers and schedule information as it becomes available. Please visit: http://www.yale.edu/reblaw/

We also invite you to check out our blog, where we’ll be posting information and updates about the conference: http://blogs.law.yale.edu/blogs/reblaw/

Registration is now open on the website. When you register, you’ll be able to sign up receive FREE HOUSING for the weekend in New Haven on the spare beds, couches and floors of local friendly, rebellious law students. Questions? Please contact rebellious.law.questions@gmail.com

Good stuff.  We now conclude this post with some theme-appropriate sonic rebellion, courtesy of Social Distortion.

Elizabeth Peck, Director of Public Service at Cornell Law School brought this great job searching tip to our attention after coming across this resource suggestion in Finding and Funding International Public Service Opportunities (an online guide updated annually by NALP members at the Universities of Arizona and Georgia, and at the William & Mary School of Law).

Westlaw maintains a database of federal agencies’ regional offices across the U.S. and the world.  The database gives you the ability to search by more than 100 practice areas to locate the agencies which need lawyers with particular practice specializations.

To search the database:  login to Westlaw and then go to Home –> Career Focus –> Law Student Jobs Online –> Federal Careers for Attorneys.

Also, don’t forget to utilize the federal career resources available to you for FREE on PSLawNet, including the 2010-2011 NALP Federal Legal Opportunities Guide and more.

Need a job or internship? During the past week PSLawNet has posted:   86 new attorney positions,   22 new internships, and  72 new law related opportunities.  Additionally, there are currently 1,222 active opportunities in our job database.  To search the database visit PSLawNet. 

Featured New Positions:

Catholic Charities Legal Assistance (CCLA) is currently hiring for three positions:  Program Director, Staff Attorney, and Senior Attorney.  CCLA’s mission is to provide access to compassionate and competent legal assistance to the economically disadvantaged in the Chicago area.  Visit the organization’s website to learn more.

The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland is looking for 12-15 dedicated, hard-working, and public interest minded students to work in four Northeast Ohio offices for their 2011 Summer Associate Program.  Summer associates work in different areas of the law but all receive the opportunity to learn how to be excellent poverty lawyers.  Generally, summer associates will interview clients, draft court pleadings, research relevant legal issues, attend and assist with court hearings and trials, and gather and analyze evidence.  In addition, all summer associates will participate in weekly trainings on substantive areas of poverty law and observe oral arguments in the 8th District Court of Appeals, meeting afterward with the judges involved.  Brown bag lunches with current Legal Aid lawyers and community members including judges, politicians, and leaders of local non-profit agencies are also held each week.   Check PSLawNet for additional details and application instructions.

Featured Public Service Career Resource:

Are you a law student searching for funding opportunities to support your public interest summer experience?  Visit our Summer Funding Resources page for an updated list of funding sources across the country.  We have categorized the summer funding resources into three categories:  (1) funding sources which may be available in various geographic work locations; (2) funding sources available in specific regions; and (3) law firm split summer programs.  Check it out.

Learn more about getting a PSLawNet job seeker or employer account . . .

We took a break for Turkey Day last week (and hope you did too!), but we are back with your weekly public interest news blast.  This week:  New York’s top jurist continues his crusade to bolster support for legal services; Yale Law students put their skills to use creating opportunities for New Haven public school students; UDC’s law school launches initiatives to serve at-risk youth; SCOTUS looks at California’s prisons, which are bursting at their seams; a rise in domestic violence against immigrant women is troubling to West Virginia DV prevention advocates; new public defender positions in Wisconsin – you did not misread that: NEW PUBLIC DEFENDER POSITIONS in Wisconsin; the fight about subjecting a state law school’s clinic to open public records provisions continues in NJ; Kids in Need of Defense is making an impact in Houston; 32 candidates want to be the head public defender in Cincinnati – maybe some of them should move to Wisconsin; speaking of defenders, caseload woes in Missouri persist; praise for the Georgia Supreme Court; pro bono efforts of Wal-mart’s in-house counsel in Arkansas; EJW’s growth and pursuing a public interest career; Dade County Bar Association thinking outside the box to fundraise for local Legal Aid Society; Millennial law students vs. Gen-X predecessors:  who is more public-service oriented;  does Indiana need to define “law enforcement costs” for county prosecutors?; and sentencing for the former Maryland Legal Aid Bureau Chief of Finance and his partner for stealing more than $1 million from the nonprofit.

• 12.1.10 – exciting news for legal services in the Empire State this week with Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman calling for the state legislature to increase civil legal services’ spending by $100 million.  This increase for civil legal services funding in the judicial branch’s budget proposal is a result of recommendations by the Task Force to Expand Access to Civil Legal Services in New York.  According to WNYC News the Chief Judge explained that while the state is experiencing tough economic times, it still makes sense to increase civil legal services spending “[b]ecause the ones hit hardest by this economic collapse in the state is the poor and the most vulnerable among us and if you let these people fall off the cliff, the consequences in every way are damaging.”  Under this proposal, the spending increase would be phased in over a four year period and by 2015 result in a 50% increase in civil legal services spending in NY.  The New York State Bar Association and the Urban Justice Center are both applauding the recommended funding increase.

• 11.30.10 – student members of Yale Law School’s Community and Development Clinic have helped draft a multi-million dollar agreement between Yale University and the city of New Haven to establish the New Haven Promise Program.  This program “will pay the full college or university tuition of New Haven public school students who meet its requirements for achievement, starting with current freshman,” for at least four New Haven public school classes.   Contract negotiations began in September and resulted in a formal announcement of the program on November 9.

• 11.30.10 – the Washington Post reports on new initiatives at the University of the District of Columbia’s (UDC) law schoo to protect at-risk youth.  The momentum – and funding – for these projects comes from the law firm of Crowell & Moring, which granted UDC over $600K to create the Took Crowell Institute for At-risk Youth.  One of the Institute’s projects will aim to provide lawyers for students who challenge school suspensions so that they can return to the classroom.  According to the Post:  “In an effort to keep serious school misbehavior from spiraling into even more serious juvenile delinquency, the law school at the University of the District of Columbia is taking up cases of public school students who have been suspended for weeks or months.  Critics of [long-term suspensions] say that far from encouraging better behavior, the suspensions often open the door to more trouble.”  Here’s a fact sheet on the the Institute, a press release about its launch, and past coverage from the Blog of the Legal Times.

• 11.29.2010 – Tuesday the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding overcrowding in California’s prisons and access to health care for prisoners.  This past January, a federal district court held that “overcrowding in the state’s prison system, the nation’s largest, is the main cause of substandard medical and mental health care that violates the prisoners’ Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment . . . The state houses 164,000 inmates in a system designed to hold about 80,000, and the prisons have been beyond capacity for two decades.  The judges ordered the state to cap the inmate population at 137.5% of their capacity within two years, which would be about 110,000 inmates this year.” Inmates, together with prison guards, support the lower court’s decision while the state of California contends that the court “overstepped” its authority and should be overturned.     How did the overcrowding get so bad?  During the 90’s the state legislature adopted tougher sentencing laws, including 3-strikes-and-your-out and parole crackdowns.  What is California’s plan to address the overcrowding?  “[R]eleasing low level offenders, sending fewer nonviolent criminals to prison by changing sentencing laws and building new prisons.”  Stay tuned, a decision from the Court is expected in Summer 2011.

• 11.29.10 – the News and Sentinel reports that domestic violence advocates in West Virginia are seeing a rise in cases involving immigrant women.  In addition to the obstacles faced by every victim of domestic violence, immigrants face additional challenges:  “they speak little or no English, they are isolated, have no support system, can’t work because they don’t have the proper paperwork and have no financial support” (and are not eligible for public benefits).  Further this is not an issue isolated to West Virginia, in an earlier national study, domestic violence was estimated to be three times more prevalent in marriages between immigrant women and U.S. citizens than in the general population. “An estimated 70% of abusive U.S. citizen spouses, including those who consummate relationships through [International Marriage Brokers], withhold the filing of the proper paperwork necessary to validate the legal status of their immigrant female partners to cause them to fall out of legal status and to hold the threat of jail or deportation over the woman.” . . . Further underscoring the depth of this problem is the National Justice Institute’s estimate that more than 73% of domestic violence cases are unreported.

Keep reading after the jump . . .

This UK alternative rock band has received 117 award nominations worldwide, of which they won 43 (we here at the PSLawNet blog decided to trust Wikipedia on this one) and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 since the band got together “sometime in 1997.”  But, MORE exciting (to us anyway in all our public interest legal geekiness) is the band’s recent decision to become patrons of Client Earth.

Client Earth is “an organization of activist lawyers committed to securing a healthy planet” who “work in Europe and beyond, bringing together law, science and policy to create pragmatic solutions to key environmental challenges.”

From ecorazzi: the latest in green gossip,

The band learned of the organization thanks to Coldplay’s creative director and fifth member Phil Harvey — one of ClientEarth’s trustees. What’s more, the producer of their last album Brian Eno, as well as the MP and former editor of the Ecologist Zac Goldsmith, are also patrons of the organization.

“Client Earth is at the forefront of changing the way the planet’s resources are governed,” said the band. “They have a positive and pragmatic approach to environmental issues, improving and enforcing environmental law. Coldplay are proud to support them.”

Now we know there are a lot of jokes out there about lawyers, but lawyers who help save the planet are no joke to us!

Check out the video:  Coldplay support ClientEarth from ClientEarth on Vimeo.