by Ashley Matthews

Did you miss today’s #PSJDChat? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered! Click here to read the recap!

If you’re attending the Equal Justice Works Conference & Career Fair, next week’s #PSJDChat is not to be missed! Here’s a message from our friends at EJW:

Are you attending the Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair (CCF) October 26-27? Do you have questions that haven’t been answered yet? Equal Justice Works is joining PSJD in a tweet chat to answer all your questions about CCF! Use hashtags #PSJDChat and #EJWCCF to send questions to our panelists—Nita Mazumder and Lauren Fuchs of Equal Justice Works. Come join the conversation with @EJW_org and @PSJDTweets on October 17 at 3 p.m. EDT and get all your CCF questions answered!

See you at next week’s #PSJDChat!

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is one of two bodies in the inter-American system for the promotion and protection of human rights.  The other human rights body is the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which is located in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The IACHR is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States (OAS), which has a mandate in the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The IACHR represents all of the member states of the OAS, and has seven independent members who don’t represent any particular country. The IACHR is a permanent body which meets in ordinary and special sessions several times a year.

With the year-long Romulo Gallegos Fellowship, the IACHR has provided an opportunity for young lawyers from OAS Member States to understand and apply the mechanisms of protection of the inter-American system of human rights. Under the supervision of human rights specialists, Fellows will assist with tasks of the Executive Secretariat of the Commission. At the end, the Fellows will present to the Executive Secretariat a detailed report on their activities throughout the fellowship.

Applicants must be fluent in Spanish and English, and the IACHR prefers applicants with knowledge of French and Portugese as well. Applicants must also have received a law degree after January 1, 2006.

For more information on salary, qualifications, and responsibilities, view the full listing at PSJD.org (log-in required). The deadline is October 31, 2012.

Make a public interest impact in the international arena, and use PSJD’s resources to learn about opportunities around the globe!

For advice on how to start an international development career, the Guide on International Development: Public Service Careers and Opportunities is a good place to begin research. This guide provides real-world accounts on working in the international field, and you can search for employers through a comprehensive directory of international organizations.

If you’re interesting in working with the United Nations, there are great tips in PSJD’s Jobs with the UN & International Organizations: A Brief Guide. Created for NALP/PSJD by the New York University Public Interest Law Center, this guide offers advice on how to pursue a broad array of legal careers on the international stage. Also, you can view a webinar on Landing a Job at the United Nations, presented by Akua Akea, the Director of Public Interest Advising at Yale Law, and Sara Rakita, Associate Director of NYU Law School’s Public Interest Law Center.

Last, but certainly not least, you have to figure out a way to fund your work abroad! For help with financing an international public interest position, check out the “Finding and Funding International Public Interest Opportunities” page. This guide proves useful background info and recommendations for students and attorneys embarking on international public interest careers.

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has an international mandate to protect refugees – people who have fled their country of origin due to a well founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or belonging to a particular social group.

The Regional Legal Unit (RLU) for the Americas is located in San Jose, Costa Rica and works in four main areas: Media and Public Affairs, Protection Advice and Support, Policy Development, and Capacity Skills Development and Knowledge Management in the Americas. Within these four areas, some of the main functions include the monitoring and update of the Spanish and Portuguese websites, identification of Good Practices, workshops (both internal and external), support to university professors, monitoring of mixed migration flows, and identification of protection needs.

The RLU for the UNHCR is currently accepting applications for its 6-month legal internship in Costa Rica. The internship position provides an invaluable opportunity to gain first-hand experience in a dynamic and high caliber multicultural team on the region’s most recent trends and developments in refugee studies. It provides experience in the preparation of internal and external documents, as well as a window into the complexities that face asylum seekers in the Americas today.

Applicants must have: a law degree; familiarity with and/or an interest in refugee law, human rights, and international law; excellent communication, drafting, and organizing skills; and fluency in English and Spanish.

The deadline to apply is October 28, 2012. For more information, view the full listing at PSJD.org (log-in required)!

by Ashley Matthews

During last week’s #PSJDChat, we talked about ways to create a cover letter that stands out from the crowd while looking for public interest law jobs. Joined by Brenda Bernstein of The Essay Expert and representatives from Loyola Law School and North Carolina Central University School of Law, the chat was an informative discussion that focused on methods of maintaining brevity while highlighting important aspects of your resume. Click here to read the full recap! This week’s #PSJDChat will focus on drafting a public interest law resume. Tweet your questions to @PSJDTweets with the #PSJDChat hashtag on Wednesday, 10/10/2012, to join the conversation!

Also, don’t forget to mark your calendars for our special edition Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair chat next week at 3 pm EDT! Here’s a message from our chat buddies at EJW:

Are you attending the Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair (CCF) October 26-27? Do you have questions that haven’t been answered yet? Equal Justice Works is joining PSJD in a tweet chat to answer all your questions about CCF! Use hashtags #PSJDChat and #EJWCCF to send questions to our panelists—Nita Mazumder and Lauren Fuchs of Equal Justice Works. Come join the conversation with @EJW_org and @PSJDTweets on October 17 at 3 p.m. EDT and get all your CCF questions answered!

See you at the next #PSJDChat, this Wednesday at 3pm EDT!

Below are some of the best opportunities posted on PSJD.org this week. Today’s weekly jobs round-up includes academic, criminal, electoral/voting rights, employment, environmental, family law/domestic violence, health, human rights, immigration, LGBT rights, and reproductive rights positions. The deadlines are next to the job, internship, or fellowship title. To view more, visit PSJD.org and search our database! Log-in is required to view the listings posted below.

ACADEMIC

Rutgers School of Law – Postgraduate Fellow, Special Education Clinic, 10/31/2012

UC Berkeley – Executive Director, Human Rights Center, 10/12/2012

University of District of Columbia, David Clarke School of Law – Director, Low Income Taxpayers Clinic, 10/31/2012

CRIMINAL LAW

ACLU NY – Summer 2013 Legal Internship, Criminal Law Reform Project, 12/15/2012

Michigan State Appellate Defender Office – DNA Project Attorney, 10/26/2012

Vera Institute of Justice – Entry Level Staff Attorney, Rolling

ELECTORAL/VOTING RIGHTS

ACLU NY – Staff Attorney, Voting Rights Project, Rolling

EMPLOYMENT LAW

AFL-CIO – Fellowship Program, Rolling

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

EarthJustice San Francisco – Associate Attorney, Rolling

Earthjustice San Francisco – Foreign Environmental Attorney, Rolling

Environmental Defense Fund – Director, Mississippi River Delta Project, Rolling

FAMILY LAW/DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Break the Cycle DC – Staff Attorney, 10/30/2012

D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence – Spring 2013 Policy Law Clerk, 11/01/2012

Lawyers for Children, Inc. – Attorney for Children, Rolling

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services – Family Law Lead Attorney, 10/13/2012

HEALTH

American Diabetes Association – PT Legal Advocate, Rolling

Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program – Staff Attorney, TX Medical-Legal Partnership, 10/05/2012

North Carolina General Assembly – Medicaid/Mental Health Staff Attorney, 10/23/2012

Urban Justice Center – 2013 Summer Law Internship, Mental Health Project, Rolling

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services – Attorney, Office of General Counsel, 11/01/2012

HUMAN RIGHTS

American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative – Human Rights & Gender Specialist (Jordan), 07/01/2013

Iran Human Rights Documentation Center – Human Rights Lawyer, Rolling

Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict – Partnerships and Global Advocacy Intern, 10/05/2012

IMMIGRATION

ACLU California – Staff Attorney, Immigrant Rights Project, Rolling

Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project – 2013 Summer Internships, Rolling

U.S. Department of Justice – Legal Internship, Office of Immigration Litigation, Rolling

LAW RELATED POSITIONS

New York Attorney General – Economic Research Analyst, Rolling

Rockefeller Family Fund – Program Officer, Rolling

LGBT RIGHTS

ACLU NY – Spring 2013 Legal Internship, LGBT & AIDS Project, 12/01/2012

WOMEN/REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Center for Reproductive Rights – 2013 Global Legal Program Summer Internship, 11/26/2012

Center for Reproductive Rights – Mid-to-Senior Level Staff Attorney, 10/31/2012

by Ashley Matthews

Recently, the ABA Commission on Women in the Law released statistics showing that women comprise only 33% of the legal profession. In addition, while weekly salaries for women lawyers are increasing, male attorneys still receive a higher weekly salary. Diversity in the legal profession includes women lawyers, so statistics like these point to a continued need for open dialogue.

For this reason, PSJD is excited to be in attendance at the 5th Annual She Leads Conference on Women & the Law today at the Washington College of Law at American University! Ms. JD, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the experiences of women in the legal profession, is co-sponsoring the conference with the Women and the Law program at American University, Washington College of Law.

The She Leads conference will help attendees develop core leadership skills that can be applied at law school, legal practice, the government, or at non-profits. Breakout sessions are designed to empower women attorneys in every way – from leading a large organization such as a law firm or nonprofit, to running for political office.

For more information about the She Leads conference, visit the Ms. JD website. Also, check out this NALP Bulletin article on women and minority representation at law firms for more information on diversity within the legal profession.

By: Steve Grumm

Bipartisan Bird. Big Bird kickin’ it with former first lady Pat Nixon.

Happy Friday, folks.   I hope your week is closing out well.  From my perch here in Washington, DC I’m looking out at a beautiful October morning.  Well, truth be told I’m looking out at an office building alleyway, a dumpster, a frozen yogurt place, and the guy in the office across the alley with whom I have a sort of awkward, and very quiet, relationship.  Nevertheless it is a nice day. 

What’s happened this week in the world of access to justice?  The Legal Services Corporation released a report from its pro bono task force.  There are two birthdays, one for a law school clinic and one for a legal aid organization.  Indigent defense caseloads continue making headlines throughout the country.  And more…

The news in very, very brief:

• show me new public defender caseload limits in Missouri;
• happy b-day, LANC;
• short on capital defenders in the bayou;
• a call for more legal-aid funding from the NY gov’t.;
• LSC’s Pro Bono Task Force report;
• LSC board meeting and an op-ed from its chair;
• former law school dean to administer NY’s new pro bono requirement;
• the importance of legal aid in serving domestic violence victims;
• happy b-day to a UC Davis clinic;
• new WA public-defender caseload limits cause stir among one county’s contract defenders;
• what is BABSEA CLE?;
• super music bonus!

The summaries:

• 10.4.12 – here is a trio of stories about how the criminal justice community is reacting to newly effective caseload limits in some Missouri public defenders’ offices:
  • from St. Louis Public Radio: “Several public defender offices around the state have notified courts they will not be taking cases beyond their maximum caseload this month.  The 18 offices around Missouri include ones in St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson City and Springfield.  In St. Louis instead of turning away all cases public defenders met with the 22ndCircuit Court and the Circuit Attorney’s office to craft a different solution. Director Mary Fox says the circuit’s presiding judge then issued an administrative order that the public defender’s St. Louis office will no longer take cases involving certain non-violent crimes.”
  • a Columbia Daily-Tribune piece looks at what’s happening in Boone County, where overwhelming caseloads several months ago led to supreme court action to take action: “The 13th Judicial Circuit has agreed on a protocol for assigning private attorneys to overflow public defender cases, and those attorneys will be assigned cases at the end of the month.  Public defenders in the circuit, which includes Boone and Callaway counties, today began transferring to an assignment docket misdemeanor cases as well as misdemeanor and felony probation cases of qualified clients not incarcerated….  The enactment of today’s protocol, however, is not a long-term solution. The Missouri Bar and the Missouri State Public Defender will be seeking additional funding for more attorneys and resources when the Missouri General Assembly gathers later this year.” 
  • same thing from this password-protected Columbia Missourian piece: “Monday marked the first day the Boone County Public Defender’s office operated under a monthly 1,727-hour caseload restriction.” 
  • 10.4.12 – Legal Aid of North Carolina has hit the big 5-0.  Here’s some coverage from the Winston-Salem Chronicle.

• 10.3.12 – short on capital defenders in Louisiana.  “East Baton Rouge Public Defender Mike Mitchell says his office is in ‘crisis.’ He says the office cannot accept any new death penalty cases…  In Louisiana, death penalty cases must be tried by lawyers who are certified to try those type of cases. Mitchell says he cannot accept any new cases because he has 7 current and 15 pending.”  (Story from WAFB.)

• 10.3.12 – an Albany Times-Union editorial calls on the state government to find more legal aid funding: “A major mechanism for funding legal aid in New York is the Interest on Lawyer Account Fund, which draws revenue from interest on some bank accounts set up by lawyers on behalf of clients. As interest rates on those accounts have plunged, from 2.25 percent in 2007 to just .25 percent, so has its annual revenue, from $31.7 million to just $6.5 million.  Indeed, when all government and private sources are added up, funding for civil legal aid has plummeted from $261 million three years ago to $223 million this past year.  Meanwhile, the need has soared, as more and more people struggle to keep their homes, obtain public assistance to feed their families, or get what’s due them from unemployment insurance.”

• 10.2.12 – the Legal Services Corporation’s blue-ribbon Pro Bono Task Force has issued a much anticipated report, laying out the need for increased pro bono work, and calling for specific actions from various actors in the legal community.  Here’s a summary of the reports recommendations, here’s the full report, and here’s a list of the task force members.

• 10.1.12 – with the LSC board meeting in North Carolina, board chair John Levy penned this op-ed in the Charlotte News Observer: “LSC’s programs throughout North Carolina and the rest of the country are increasingly overwhelmed with requests for help. As a result of the recession, nearly one in five Americans – 61 million people – now qualify for LSC-funded civil legal assistance because they live at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty guideline. That is an all-time high.   As demand has been rising, the combined funding for LSC programs from federal, state, local and all other sources has dropped from $960 million in 2010 to $878 million in 2012…. The circumstances in North Carolina mirror the national trend. More than 21 percent of North Carolinians now qualify for help from Legal Aid of North Carolina, but LANC is facing a 14 percent drop in funding from all sources this year.   Last fall, budget cuts forced LANC to shutter three field offices in largely rural areas and eliminate nearly 30 staff positions, impacting services in 11 counties. The budget crunch has also forced LANC to impose a salary and hiring freeze since 2008 and to narrow the kinds of cases it will accept.”

• 10.1.12 – – in the Empire State, Touro Law’s former dean is tapped to oversee implementation of the new rule that will require 50 hours of pro bono service in order to become licensed to practice.  “Lawrence Raful, the former dean of Touro Law Center on Long Island, has been appointed by Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman to oversee implementation of a new rule that all applicants to the New York bar first prove they have completed at least 50 hours of pro bono activities (NYLJ, Sept. 20).  Raful will be the Unified Court System’s “point person” in dealing with law schools, law firms, legal services providers and others who have questions about the new requirement, said Paul Lewis, chief of staff to first deputy state administrative judge Lawrence Marks.” (Story from the New York Law Journal.)

• 9.30.12 – October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  In Tennessee, a Legal Aid Society attorney emphasizes the importance of legal aid in supporting DV victims.  “Studies show that the most effective way to end the cycle of abuse is to help victims become independent of their abusers. Low-income victims often remain in abusive marriages or relationships because they can’t afford the legal assistance needed to get a divorce or an order of protection. A victim who understands that she can get an order of protection, divorce, job training, affordable housing and child care will have the confidence and courage to leave an abuser and become a stable, independent member of the community.”  (Full op-ed in The Tennessean.)

• 9.29.12 – happy 30^th to the Immigration Law Clinic at UC Davis Law: “Founded in 1982, the clinic was the first in the nation to train law students to represent non-citizens in immigration court, said Dean Kevin Johnson.  Guided by supervising attorneys, about 30 law students per semester have represented clients from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Jamaica, Romania, Fiji, Laos, Cambodia, India, China and the Philippines.”  (Here’s a brief profile in the Sacramento Bee.)

• 9.29.12 – there’s all sorts of confusion in one Washington State county in the wake of a state high court order which will place caseload limits on public defenders.  In Benton County, a handful of contracted defenders handed in resignations – which may have been a form of protest –but then reconsidered.  “A Benton County public defense attorney who tried to rescind his resignation during a contract dispute has filed for an injunction to keep his job. Six of the county’s nine public defenders recently submitted letters of resignation following a stalemate in negotiations about new caseload restrictions mandated by the state Supreme Court. Four of the attorneys later rescinded their resignations, but it’s not clear if Benton County commissioners knew that when they voted this week to accept the resignations of Dan Arnold, Kevin Holt, Scott Johnson, Sal Mendoza Jr., Gary Metro and Larry Zeigler.”  (Story from the Tri-City Herald.)

• 9.29.12 – here’s an interesting piece on an American lawyer who runs a nonprofit training Southeast Asian lawyers on representing impoverished clients in countries where relatively weak rule-of-law protections can leave those on the economic margins on the justice system’s margins as well.  “Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia Community Legal Education Initiative (BABSEA CLE), a nonprofit Lasky cofounded about a decade ago, trains young lawyers across the Asia-Pacific region to defend the powerless, even though law schools here typically place little emphasis on helping vulnerable groups.  Lasky’s organization has worked with more than 40 universities in nine Asia-Pacific countries to develop programs that teach lawyers to understand the need to provide legal services to at-risk communities.”  (Story from the Alaska Dispatch.)

Music! Last Sunday I attended a Unitarian Universalist service which included a “dedication” ceremony for my little cousin, Matthew Patrick Clowry.  (My roots are in Catholicism, so I’d liken a dedication ceremony to a christening.)  It was a lovely experience, the only downside for me being that Matthew, who is a year old, fidgeted less than I did during the service.  Some habits we do not lose.  In any event the service closed with an inspiring and pretty song that was new to me.  So here’s Nina Simone’s take on “I Wish I Could Know What It Means to Be Me”, which is a nice way to start a day.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & AIDS Project in the Center for Liberty at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded to create a society in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and people with HIV enjoy the basic rights of equality, privacy and personal autonomy, and freedom of belief, expression and association. Housed at the ACLU’s National Headquarters in New York City, the LGBT & Aids Project strives to protect the rights of their clients, so they can live open and honest lives without fear of discrimination or abuse. The LGBT & AIDS Project also ensures there is equal and fair treatment in employment, schools, health care, housing and public places and programs through impact litigation in state and federal courts throughout the county, focusing on cases that are designed to have a significant effect on the lives of LGBT people and those with HIV/AIDS.

The ACLU’s LGBT & AIDS Project is currently accepting applications for its Summer 2013 Legal Internship. From the PSJD job listing:

The Summer 2013 Legal Internship offers Legal Interns the opportunity to work on all aspects of litigation.  The Internship requires a 10-12 week commitment and is full-time. Legal Interns will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience by working alongside the LGBT and AIDS Project team.  Interns will gain experience by:

• Conducting factual and legal research.

• Assisting in the drafting of pleadings, briefs and other litigation documents.

• Researching and drafting materials for public education.

• Researching prospects for new litigation, including both factual and legal claims.

The deadline to apply is December 1, 2012. For more information, view the full listing at PSJD.org (log-in required)!

PSJD is pleased to announce the winner, runner-up, and honorable mentions for the 2012 PSJD Pro Bono Publico Award!

Winner: Elizabeth Gutierrez, St. Mary’s University School of Law

Runner-Up: Kathleen Norland, University of Pennsylvania Law School

Honorable Mentions:

• Charles Ryan Dalton, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
• Elizabeth Leonard, Seattle University School of Law
• Angela McCray, Stanford Law School

Please learn more about the accomplishments of Ms. Gutierrez and our slate of winners here. As always, we are delighted and heartened to receive nominations from throughout the country which attest to the great work done by law students. It is difficult to choose winners in a nominee pool with such breadth and depth. Nevertheless, the accomplishments of our winners stood them apart, and we are proud to shine a spotlight on their work. We will present the Pro Bono Publico Award to Ms. Gutierrez during the upcoming Public Service Mini-Conference.