By Lauren Forbes

The Southern Poverty Law Center is seeking a managing attorney for its Miami office to litigate cases related to education and juvenile justice reform throughout the state.  The Southern Poverty Law Center works to reduce the imprisonment of children by advocating for juvenile justice and educational reforms.  SPLC works to end school disciplinary practices that exclude students from public schools and to reduce the over-incarceration of children.  The Miami office has a leadership team which includes the Managing Attorney, Director of Advocacy, and the Policy Director.

Responsibilities of the position include:

• Directing and developing litigation from the Miami office to achieve systemic reform of Florida’s juvenile justice and education systems;
• Along with the Director of Advocacy, managing the day-to-day operations of an office of approximately 10 people;
• Coordinating litigation with advocacy campaigns developed jointly with the Directors of Advocacy and Policy;
• Providing supervision and mentorship to staff attorneys and advocates;
• Communicating regularly with SPLC staff across the southern region about the litigation docket;
• Representing SPLC in various forums, including before community groups, legislators and state agencies.

To view full listing, visit PSLawNet (login required).

By Jamie Bence

The National Law Journal reports today on the House of Representatives’ proposed 26% cut to Legal Services Corporation funding, following a 4% reduction in April. As we had previously reported, LSC definitely seems to be on the discretionary-spending chopping block in the House:

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), the chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the LSC, describes himself as a supporter of its work. At a July 13 hearing, Wolf didn’t directly address the LSC, instead speaking generally about the need to reduce the federal budget deficit. “In this austere budget climate, we have had to make some tough choices in order to preserve at a freeze level the funding for core federal law enforcement functions,” Wolf said.

Still, the proposed 26% cut to LSC is much deeper than the 6% cut to all programs that fall within Wolf’s subcommittee. Those programs include such popular initiatives as the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Commerce Department trade promotion.

The impact of such cuts on the ground will likely be drastic. Providers have already seen cutbacks in staffing, resources and the types of services they are able to provide:

“How do you choose between, for example, somebody who’s being evicted and someone who’s the victim of domestic violence? And yet those are the kinds of choices we have,” said Melville “De” Miller Jr., president of Legal Services of New Jersey. “None of them are satisfactory. They all deny equal access to justice.”

Miller said his state had 720 legal services workers at the beginning of 2008, but the number has since dropped to 490 and will likely continue to fall. An array of other cuts are under consideration, he said: closing offices, restricting the types of cases handled and lowering the income ceiling to be eligible for services.

While this proposal would likely pass in the House, there are several other players yet to weigh in. While LSC requested $516.5 million, the Obama administration has requested the same appropriations made in 2010. The Senate appropriations will likely be higher than the House numbers, but in these early stages, it remains unclear how deep the cuts will run.  One certainty is that access-to-justice advocates are going to be gearing up for a fight to ensure that LSC doesn’t suffer too large a cut.

By Lauren Forbes

Oregon Consensus (OC) is seeking an experienced professional to fill a full-time Project Manager position. The position is in Oregon, but the region is flexible depending on the successful applicant. Starting date for the position is August 2, 2011.

Oregon Consensus (OC) is a national leader in collaborative governance and is Oregon’s official program for public policy collaboration. OC provides conflict assessment, consensus building, facilitation, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution services to public entities and their stakeholders throughout Oregon. OC is a program of the National Policy Consensus Center in Portland State University’s Hatfield School of Government. For additional information about OC, visit www.orconsensus.pdx.edu

This position is responsible for the following:

• Provide neutral assessment and mediation/facilitation of public policy collaboration projects
• Manage assigned projects and budgets, including supervision of multiple staff and contractors
• As needed, work on projects for other programs in the National Policy Consensus Center
• Incorporate student interns into assigned projects and mentor these interns
• Provide technical assistance and consultation to public bodies and their constituents in regard to the potential for collaboration
• Engage in entrepreneurial activities aimed at attracting potential projects
• Actively participate in staff meetings with the aim of contributing to a collaborative and supportive work environment
• Conduct (as part of a team) public policy collaboration training programs
• Develop agreements with funding sources for projects
• Support the ongoing development of project evaluation, data gathering and research
• Participate in academic scholarship related to the field of public policy collaboration

To view full listing, visit PSLawNet (login required).

By: Steve Grumm

Happy Friday, dear readers!  This week’s edition is fairly short, but includes a great deal of content related to legal services funding (or, rather, lack of).  Featured: the LSC’er-in-chief on the legal services resources crunch and the value of pro bono; the Pro Bono Institute’s Esther Lardent puts recently reported pro bono figures in context; MoJo looks at the House proposal to slash LSC funding; better job protections for law school clinicians?; the controversy surrounding cuts in state funding to New Jersey legal services programs; two Massachusetts legal services programs tie the knot.

• 7.14.11 – Legal Services Corporation president Jim Sandman did an interview with the Pro Bono Institute about the widening justice gap that results from more and more poor people seeking help from LSC grantees at a time when funding is so strained, and the “essential” part that pro bono plays in stopping the justice gap from further widening.  Quotable Sandman: “The biggest challenge facing legal services today is lack of funding.”  Pro bono, Sandman went on to note, is a “critical supplement” to the work that legal aid lawyers do, even if it cannot be a substitute for it.

• 7.12.11 – the Pro Bono Institute’s Esther Lardent reacts to AmLaw numbers showing a marked drop in Biglaw pro bono hours in 2010, taking issue with the “melodramatic headlines” used in reporting those numbers.  From her Nat’l. Law Journal piece: “The “doom and gloom” headlines overlook some important facts and figures….  Although it is true that major firms contributed significantly fewer hours of pro bono service in 2010 than in the previous two years, it must be noted that 2010’s law firm pro bono hours were still the third highest in history. That — after the worst recession in living memory and profound, destabilizing and continuing changes in virtually every aspect of the finances and operations of major law firms — is, in context, an accomplishment.”  Esther is right.  The pro bono number changes are largely a function of fluctuations in staffing and fee-paying business at law firms.  The real story about delivering legal services to poor people has to do w/ the threatened underfunding of Legal Services Corporation grantee organizations – which, importantly, need funding to help pro bono volunteers efficiently handle cases – as well as the continued slumping of non-LSC sources (chiefly IOLTA). 

• 7.12.11 – commy-pinko-tree-hugging-liberal outlet Mother Jones breaks down the House Appropriations Committee’s proposed 26% cut to LSC’s budget, noting that a cut couldn’t come at a worse time for legal services providers and their low-income clients.  The article highlights the fact that non-federal funding streams, including IOLTA and state appropriations, have already tapered off.  (To MoJo’s mention of Florida as a state that’s cut funding, we’d add NH, NJ, PA, and WI, among others.)  The article also hits on an important point that was tucked into the end of an LSC press release about the proposed cuts: while a record 63 million people qualified for legal services last year, LSC grantees have been forced to shed staff; 200 more lawyers could vanish from LSC programs by the end of 2011.
• And while we’re over on the left side of the political spectrum, the Daily Kos issues a rallying cry to preserve LSC funding.

• 7.11.11 – Better job protections for law school clinicians?  The ABA is pondering a step towards solidifying the employment relationships between nontraditional faculty and their schools, stopping just short of tenure.  From the National Law Journal: “The Standards Review Committee on July 10 voiced initial support for a proposal to require that schools at least provide full-time faculty members with a ‘program of presumptively renewable long-term contracts that are at least five years in duration after a probationary period reasonably similar to that for tenure-track faculty members’.”  Huzzah!  Clinicians have long felt like second-class citizens in the Ivory Tower.  And their role will arguably – hopefully, in my view – become more important as schools incorporate more experience-based learning programs into their curricula.

• 7.8.11 – in the Garden State, the Star-Ledger’s editorial board sounds a truculent note in opposing Gov. Chris Christie’s surprise $5 million legal services budget cut:  “[T]hanks to Gov. Chris Christie’s recent budget slashes on services for the poor, no matter how compelling your case is, you may be forced to argue it alone.  If you’re being beaten by your spouse, it may be much more difficult to get a divorce or restraining order. If you’re seeking custody of your kids or visitation rights, your case might be too time-consuming for a pro bono lawyer to take on. You may have no way to force a delinquent boyfriend to pay child support, or fight your unjustified eviction…. A loss of $5 million means Legal Services must cut at least 50 staffers and serve at least 5,500 fewer clients. This, at a time when so many more people have lost their jobs and fallen into poverty. Our democracy promises access to equal justice. But without the funding to back that up, it’s justice based on your bank account.”  UPDATE: the cuts are final, as the Senate failed to muster enough votes to legislatively override the budget plan (according to a 7.13.11 piece in Bloomberg Businessweek).

• 7.8.11 – Two Massachusetts legal services programs have merged.  A short blurb in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports:  Legal Assistance Corp. of Central Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts Legal Services have combined to become Community Legal Aid, providing free legal help to low-income and elderly people in Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire Counties.  Legal Assistance Corp. of Central Massachusetts has traditionally operated in the central part of the state, with Western Massachusetts Legal Services operating in the state’s four western counties, the organizations reported in a news release. Together they will have more than 50 staff members and multiple locations.”   And here’s a similar blurb in the Worcester Business Journal.  (Community Legal Aid is not an LSC grantee, as neither of its two parent programs were.)

By Lauren Forbes

It is about time we head back down south! The Mississippi Center for Justice seeks to hire a Managing Attorney for our soon to be opened Delta office in Indianola. The Managing Attorney will lead the launch of the new office and will supervise an initial staff of four. The Center seeks an experienced leader, manager and attorney whose substantive law focus will be educational opportunity.

The Center is a nonprofit, public interest law firm committed to advancing racial and economic justice statewide. Our lawyers work with community leaders to support their social justice campaigns and to channel the energies of the legal community to combat discrimination and poverty. With offices in Jackson and Biloxi and a third office soon to open in Indianola, we seek systemic solutions that promote educational opportunity, protect the rights of consumers, secure access to health care and child care, and put affordable housing within the reach of all Mississippians.

Job Responsibilities:
As a full-time employee, based in Indianola and reporting to the Advocacy Director, the Managing Attorney will lead and oversee the operations of the Delta office and will supervise an initial staff of four. The Managing Attorney will lead the office’s work in all of the Center’s program areas, with a particular focus at the outset on the Center’s work in the areas of educational opportunity and access to health care. The Managing Attorney’s substantive law concentration will be on improving public education statewide, with goals and activities that include:

• Narrowing the achievement gap and racial and economic class disparities in Mississippi’s public education system;
• Increasing parental and community engagement in the public school system;
• Using legal, policy and media advocacy to combat inequitable practices regarding special education and school discipline;
• Tracking school closings around the state and targeting high performing, predominantly African-American schools for organizing and advocacy strategies; and
• Providing legal and policy support to statewide coalitions advocating for adequate and equitable school funding.

To view full listing, visit PSLawNet (login required).

From a UVA press release:

A federal judge on Monday threw out the conviction and death sentence of Justin Wolfe of Chantilly, through the efforts of the University of Virginia School of Law‘s Innocence Project Clinic and partnering organizations. 

The clinic worked closely with Wolfe’s pro bono attorneys at the Washington, D.C., law firm King & Spalding and the Virginia Capital Representation Resource Center to demonstrate that the prosecutors in Wolfe’s trial had suppressed evidence that would have exonerated Wolfe. In his ruling, U.S. Judge Raymond A. Jackson agreed that the prosecutors’ conduct resulted in an unfair trial.

“We’re elated and gratified,” said Deirdre Enright, director of investigation for the Innocence Project Clinic. “It’s rare to get relief in death penalty cases and rarer still to lay it at the feet of prosecutors.”

Wolfe, who has been on death row since 2002, was convicted of murder for hire and sentenced to die in a case that received national attention and involved an extensive drug ring run by suburban middle-class youths in Northern Virginia.

…

Congrats, UVA Innocence Project Clinic!

By Lauren Forbes

Howdy, folks! Every Thursday, the PSLawNet Blog posts a compilation of some of our favorite posts from the public interest blogosphere. Here’s what looks good this week:

• The ABA Center for Pro Bono Reform Blog discusses the great need has existed for years for patent lawyers to be able to help low-income inventors seek their American dreams.  The LegalCORPS Inventor Assistance Program has been created to meet that need.
• Advancement Project’s Just Democracy Blog has a piece about how racial justice is officially a matter of life and death.
• Amnesty International’s Human Rights Now Blog points out that while a new nation was born: the Republic of South Sudan, there are still growing problems of violence and discrimination against women in the South.
• The Poverty Law Blog picked up Mother Jones‘ latest coverage of  legal aid hysteria, a  new proposal would take away $104 million from legal aid at a time when demand is soaring.
• The Equal Justice Work Blog urges you to consider the benefits of federal student loans!

By Jamie Bence

Many public interest minded students (and students in general) are concerned with keeping their loans to a minimum. Law school is expensive, but there are things you can do to minimize the amount of money you lay out each month, with a little thought and effort. This list is by no means comprehensive, but here are a few thoughts about back to school shopping (geared towards new students).

Things You Really Need

A Good Computer: I say this first because it was the hardest thing for me to come to terms with. But a good computer is worth spending money on. While you probably already spend a lot of time on your computer, it will grow exponentially in law school. With any luck, you will also be able to take your exams (and ultimately the bar) on your laptop. One of the most stressful things that can happen is that you get a virus, experience a hard drive failure, or in some way physically damage your computer while you’re in the midst of the semester. While it might seem tempting to go with a lower end machine, this is one area where spending a bit more could pay off in the long run, financially and psychologically. On that note, you might also want a protection plan- no one likes to get an unexpected, high bill from tech support in the middle of the semester!

Decent Gear: Casebooks do not lend themselves to travelling in a chic shoulder bag, especially if you are facing a considerable commute. Especially during 1L year, your days will be long. You will probably want to bring at least a snack if not your lunch with you, along with any books or study aids that you will be taking back and forth. Your mp3 player, a good water bottle and decent headphones will also go a long way to making your more comfortable at school. No one looks cool while they are trying to figure out offensive non-mutual collateral estoppel, so I’d recommend setting aside your expectations and choosing something functional.

Comfortable, but nice, clothing: It varies among schools, but for the most part, people look put together in law school classes, more so than most undergrads. It’s not fun to endure a cold call in front of 75 people while you’re wearing your pajama pants and a college sweatshirt (trust me, this happened once). However, you don’t want to wear dress or work clothes every day either, because it’s simply not conducive to long hours in the library. If you don’t have much between the suits you wear to interviews and the grungy t-shirts you only wear to the grocery store, it might be wise to get a few things when they’re on sale.

Study Aids: Yes, they are expensive. Yes, you just spent a fortune on textbooks. But you will want these (not as many as some people buy, but you will need some commercial outlines). However, you can get them for cheaper than you think. Consider how much the newer editions have really changed (you can usually find information about this in the reviews of online booksellers’ websites, and from upperclassmen). Also, figure out what your library has available. I really enjoyed audio lectures, which were available to check out on reserve at my library, load onto my iPod, and listen to. Libraries also often keep practice exams (truly the best preparation you can get) available on file or online, available to you for free. Balance how much time you will be willing to spend using the study aids for free in the library with the extra cost of having your own copy at home. I’ll do a  separate post on this in a few weeks.

Things You Might Get By Without

Word Processing Software: Often students purchase this after they have already dropped quite a hefty sum on a new computer. A lot of people are just as well off using OpenOffice. It has quirks, so I would recommend downloading and installing it early so that you can get the hang of it long before your first memo is due, and make sure it works for your program. The only major problem with this software is that there is no compatible track changes function- so if you are going back and forth on drafts, it might prove insufficient. However, I’ve used it since college and have never had a problem.

Netbook or Tablet: Many people in law school have both a primary computer and a tablet. I do, and it is helpful. However, my netbook was around for a long time before school started (and my income disappeared). It’s certainly nice to have a light, small computer in my bag instead of my large lap top, but it’s not essential. Since tablets are often geared towards web browsing and apps, they can be a distraction. Moreover, when I work on major assignments and outlines, I feel that I need to bring my full size computer anyway (towards the end of the semester, the larger computer comes with me every day). So consider how much you will use a smaller computer before you buy.

Lots of Office Supplies: Many people buy a wealth of post its, flashcards and large notebooks before they start school, only to find that they do everything on their computers, or prefer to take notes in the margins of their case briefs. Ideally, you will go to class with a lot of notes already sketched out on the pre-assigned topic. I took 90% of my notes during 1L year on paper that I had already printed on. This helped me keep everything in one place, and probably saved a few trees. Moreover, you might find that making flashcards online is easier for you (and free- paper flashcards are surprisingly expensive). There’s nothing wrong with using a lot of office supplies if you are willing to pay for them, but think about how you will actually study and be open to trying something new before you buy.

Printer: This cuts both ways. At some schools, printing is expensive and can be a nightmare when all 1L’s have their assignments due. The last thing you want is to be down to the last minute with your law review write-on submission, only to be thwarted because there was a jam in the machine and all the other printers were busy. However, you might also find that there are other places (work, another site on campus, a local library) that work well for printing. I’d check out the options at your school before dropping money on a printer (and remember that ink isn’t cheap!).

Overall, I would recommend waiting a few weeks before you buy too much “law school stuff.” You will get into a groove quickly and realize what you need. And all-in-all, shopping will probably be one of the less stressful things this semester.

By Lauren Forbes

Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT) is seeking a talented and experienced professional to join the team as the Women’s Program Coordinator. Reporting to the Chief Program Officer, the Women’s Program Coordinator will be a key member of LIFT’s team with the following responsibilities: (1) coordinate legal and social services for women participants; (2) systematize infrastructure and operations for women’s programming; (3) facilitate curriculum-based evening support group sessions, workshops, and classes; (4) conduct participant screenings; (5) identify and build organizational relationships with social service providers to ensure high impact referrals for LIFT’s participants and families; (6) serve as an ambassador for all LIFT programs; and (7) facilitate trainings for LIFT team members. The LIFT Team is collaborative, fast-paced, and maintains a sense of humor.

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree, including LCSW/MSW;
• Self-starter, motivated, and committed to empowering women and improving the lives of children and families;
• Demonstrated successful program operations experience;
• Knowledge of organizations serving women citywide and public benefits mosaic;
• Proven success working with women, especially single mothers and grandmothers;
• Excellent communication skills, energy, and enthusiasm;
• Ability to handle multiple tasks, work independently and in a team environment;
• Interest and experience in Family Court, family law, child welfare and/or providing services to families;
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; and
• Fluency in Spanish a plus – multilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

To view full listing, visit PSLawNet (login required).