Archive for June, 2011

Job o' the Day: Part-time Immigrants' Rights Attorney in NJ

By Lauren Forbes

Centro Comunitario CEUS is looking for a passionate, capable and energetic attorney with a demonstrated commitment to immigrants’ rights and social justice to work two days a week with the Hispanic community.

The Staff Attorney will provide legal immigration counseling and services to low-income immigrants and refugees. The attorney is responsible for accepting cases and representing individuals in immigration applications and proceedings, including: NACARA, TPS, family petitions, naturalization, political asylum, work authorization request, Freedom of Information Act request, advanced parole and VAWA domestic violence cases.

The Staff Attorney will prepare cases and represent clients before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service and the Immigration Court, including filing necessary documents. The Staff Attorney will be responsible for representing clients in immigration court for asylum or other forms of relief in removal/deportation cases, appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals, or other administrative appeals where appropriate.

Qualifications:

  1. JD and bar admission (New Jersey or New York preferred).
  2. Minimum one to three years experience with immigration law and procedures, especially family immigration, litigation and political asylum.
  3. Fluency in English and Spanish.
  4. Strong written and oral communication skills
  5. Ability to conduct group presentations in Spanish.
  6. Ability to communicate effectively and build mutually respectful relationships with co-workers, clients, and the public.
  7. Self-motivated, detail oriented, well-organized, able to prioritize assignments and work load.

To view the full job listing, go to PSLawNet (login required).

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Public Interest News Bulletin – June 3, 2011

By: Steve Grumm

Happy Friday, dear readers.  After some dreadful midweek humidity – and equally dreadful play by the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, who wasted my time by getting shellacked when I saw them play the Nationals on Tuesday but-I-digress-where-was-I? – oh, it’s a beautiful, late spring morning here in the nation’s capital.  As for public interest news…

This week: does a loosening of pro bono-related practice rules in two jurisdictions portend a trend?; two Texas high court justices implore the Lone Star legislature to appropriate much-needed funding for legal services; Florida gov. vetoes legal services funding; financial woes befall the New Jersey legal services community, and legislative help is needed; a look at hiring trends in the DOJ’s Office of Civil Rights; in Sonoma County, CA, prosecutors and defenders may see substantial budget cuts; a bittersweet birthday (60th) for Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas; Cooley Law School lends a hand to local servicemembers; 3 UNLV law students win a federal appellate victory in an immigration case; and, change in the Massachusetts indigent defense system?

  • 5.31.11 – an editorial in The Record laments the terrible state of civil legal services funding in the Garden State: “Funding cuts at Legal Services of New Jersey — which offers legal aid to those who cannot afford to pay — have resulted in fewer lawyers. So now 50 percent fewer cases are accepted for full legal representation. Lawyers turn down two of every three eligible people who need help. It is a civil justice catastrophe.”  While there is some movement in the legislature to generate funding for legal services via a court filing fee increase, it won’t be enough.  “We urge the Legislature and those in state government to find a steady funding source. Living in homeless shelters, triggering child protective services and ending up in the hospital with no health insurance costs more in time and resources than a legal aid lawyer.”
  • 5.28.11 – the Las Vegas Sun reports on a remarkable federal appellate victory achieved by UNLV law students representing a Honduran native in immigration proceedings.  “The students emerged from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals with an unexpected landmark immigration victory that means tens of thousands of people, maybe more, who are fighting deportation stand a greater chance of proving their U.S. citizenship…. The appeals court heard the case last year and set a precedent by ruling all individuals facing deportation should have access to their “alien files,” or A-files that the Homeland Security Department keeps on them. The ruling means they will be allowed to see documents such as adoption papers, applications for naturalization and correspondence with immigration authorities.  The ruling will stand if the government doesn’t appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court by May 31. Before, the government had only given A-files to those who tried to prove they are lawful permanent residents, also known as green-card holders or permanent resident aliens.”
  • 5.27.11 – big things brewing in the Massachusetts indigent defense system.  An AP story reports that the Massachusetts “Senate passed measures designed to overhaul the state’s public defender program…yesterday as it debated its $30.5 billion state spending plan for the next fiscal year.  The public defender amendment approved by the Senate calls for public defenders to handle 30 percent of criminal cases involving indigent defendants.  [At present, about 90% of the Bay State’s indigent defense cases are assigned to private counsel.]  Supporters say shifting more cases to public defenders would save the state money, though opponents say those savings could be offset by the need to hire additional lawyers.”

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Free Program in DC on Closing the Civil Justice Gap: June 22, 1-2:30pm

By: Steve Grumm

The Center for American Progress, including our friend and PSLawNet Blog contributor Joy Moses, is hosting a program called “Closing the Justice Gap – Bridging the Divide Between People Who Need Legal Services and Those Who Have Access to Them” at 1pm on June 22.  Some background info from CAP (and click the foregoing link for registration info):

There’s a huge gap today between the legal needs of low-income people and the capacity of the civil legal assistance system to meet those needs. Less than 20 percent of poor Americans’ legal needs are being met, requiring unrepresented litigants to navigate complex and often unfriendly court systems. There’s also severe inequality among states in legal aid funding.

Our country’s “pro se crisis” comes at a time when the need for civil legal assistance—to help people facing foreclosures, evictions, wrongful terminations, child custody, and other challenges—has never been higher.

Please join us at this special program co-sponsored by the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy and Center for American Progress for a conversation with law scholars and legal aid experts about how we can overcome the access-to-justice gap at a time of rising need—and how policymakers should decide where to most effectively direct scarce resources.

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Job o' the Day: Specialize in Equal Opportunity in PDX

By Lauren Forbes

Begin a challenging career with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), and you will help shape the workforce of tomorrow.  DOL offers rewarding opportunities to contribute to a noble mission; to serve and protect American workers, prepare them for new and better jobs, and to ensure the safety and fairness of American workplaces.

The Supervisory Equal Opportunity Specialist position is located in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), Portland Area Office, in Portland, OR. He or she:

  • Plans and directs reviews of Federal contractor programs for compliance with applicable equal employment opportunity law, executive orders, policies, procedures and regulations.
  • Directs and supervises a team (module) of at least seven (7) Equal Opportunity Specialists (GS-360-05 and above), plus support clerical(s) as required.
  • Oversees and may personally negotiate adjustment of contractor employment policies and practices that are not responsive to the EEO provisions of Federal contracts including drafting conciliation agreements. Oversees and may personally negotiate and develop conciliation agreements with contractors found not to be in compliance.
  • Recommends enforcement action to District Director and ensures that enforcement packages are properly prepared for issuance and/or transmission by the District Director.
  • Establishes and maintains contacts with minority and women’s interest groups, disabled groups, veterans group, community organizations, trade and business associations within assigned geographical area to obtain information on employment trends and equal opportunity problems and to keep them apprised of relevant developments in OFCCP’s program.
  • Directs and participates in surveys of employment trends with respect to equal employment opportunity in the geographical area served.
  • Prepares periodic and special reports on operational performance for higher authority (District Director, Regional Director, National Office) as appropriate.

To view the full job listing, go to PSLawNet (login required).

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Thursday Blog Roundup: Our Favorites from the Public Interest Blogosphere

By Lauren Forbes and Steve Grumm

Howdy, folks! Every Thursday, the PSLawNet Blog will post a compilation of some of our fave posts from the public interest blogosphere.  Here’s the first edition:

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Careers in Prosecution and Public Defense

For the next generation’s Jack McCoys and Atticus Finches…the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law’s professional development staff just published a blog post with information about pursuing careers in prosecution and public defense.  The information was drawn from a  recent NALP Conference program on these career paths; the program featured remarks from seasoned practitioners in the criminal justice arena.

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Job o' the Day: Golden Ticket to Golden Gate Law?

Golden Gate University School of Law is seeking applications for its Assistant Director for Professional Development position. The Assistant Director will be part of the Law Career Services team and will report to the Associate Dean for Law Career Services and Alumni Relations.

Among other things, the Assistant Director will:

  • Provide individual and group advising to students and alumni in the JD, LLM and SJD programs, with particular emphasis on working with graduating students and recent JD graduates. Coach graduates through the job search process, including self-assessment, identifying target employers, developing a professional network and creating effective materials. Critique resumes and cover letters and prepare for job interviews.
  • Develop new initiatives to engage recent graduates in the job search process. Conduct outreach to students and graduates to provide ongoing support with job searches.
  • Collect data on graduate employment and collaborate with LCS senior recruiting coordinator to manage annual survey/data collection process.
  • Provide advice on job search strategies and exploring career options. Organize and present workshops and presentations designed to educate students and graduates about legal career options and job search techniques.
  • Write handouts, blog articles, and promotional materials. Write weekly enewsletter for recent graduates. Supervise LCS Graduate Fellow.
  • Cultivate and promote job and networking opportunities for students and graduates. Conduct outreach to law firms and other legal employers via in-person visits to generate new employment opportunities for recent graduates. Serve as a liaison between Golden Gate students/alumni and members of the professional community.

To view the full job listing, go to PSLawNet (login required).

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Pro Bono Institute Webinar on 6/7: Pro Bono and the Evolving Law Firm Business Model

By: Steve Grumm

Our neighbors at the Pro Bono Institute are putting on a webinar that focuses on a timely question: as law firm business models evolve in the recession’s wake, how will pro bono programs be affected?  This issue greatly interests me because I used to work at a pro bono clearinghouse in the World’s Most Glorious City.  And here at NALP, many of our law-firm members focus on attorney professional development.  The intersection

The Intersection of Pro Bono and Professional Development

between professional development and pro bono will likely be a very busy place in the coming years.  Increasingly, firms wish to provide hands-on, practical training opportunities for junior associates.  One obvious way to do this is through pro bono; by handling pro bono cases, even junior associates can develop case management/strategy skills, gain courtroom experience, and learn how to build trusting relationships with clients – all opportunities that may not be available to them immediately via fee-paying practice.  So I look forward to focusing more on this issue in the coming months.  And I’m looking forward to the PBI webinar next week. Here’s some detail about the webinar:

Coming up on June 7 at 12:30 p.m. EDT is the webinar, “The Evolving Law Firm Business Model and Its Impact on Pro Bono,” which will examine the changes faced by large law firms and the effect they will have on pro bono. 

Large law firms are changing the way they do business, including major shifts in attorney headcount, recruitment, and compensation; new approaches to professional and skill development and advancement; and shifts in billing arrangements and relationships with corporate clients. More profound changes are likely to come. This timely webinar will review these and other developments and reflect on what the changing economic landscape may mean for pro bono supporters at law firms, legal departments, and public interest organizations. This webinar is the first in the Pro Bono Institute’s Best of the 2011 Seminar/Forum Series.

Speakers include our friends Jim Jones, senior vice president and chief legal officer, Hildebrandt Baker Robbins, chairman, The Hildebrandt Institute (whom we’ve spoken with before, here); and Ron Flagg, chair, Pro Bono and Public Interest Law Committee, Sidley Austin LLP*.

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A Bittersweet 60th Birthday for Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

By: Steve Grumm 

The good news for Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas is that, this year, it can look back on 60 years of service to low-income Texans.  From the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram:

The group started in 1951 with $500 and an idea that access to justice was not just for those with deep pockets. At that time, 11 attorneys created the Fort Worth Legal Foundation to give free legal advice and aid to people who could not afford legal services.

The Foundation later evolved into Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, which has become the fifth-largest provider of legal services in the U.S. It covers 114 counties, with 100 lawyers in 16 offices in North and West Texas. About 2,000 private attorneys also donate their time, providing over 40,000 hours of legal assistance.

The bad news: the organization has recently lost $700K in funding, and it’s working to pay off expenses related to the opening of a new headquarters building in Ft. Worth.

…[T]he timing of the fundraiser could not be better. Last week, Legal Aid officials learned they had lost $350,000 in funding from United Way of Dallas. That news came on top of a loss of $350,000 in the recently approved federal appropriations bill.

Errol A. Summerlin, Legal Aid’s CEO, said the nonprofit has received funding from the United Way since 1957, and losing all of it came as a “total shock.”

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