Jerry Lane served as the Executive Director of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (otherwise known as Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis or MMLA) from 1981 until 2011. MMLA established the Jerry Lane Fellowship to recognize that the opportunity to provide direct service to low-income individuals, families, seniors, and people with disabilities makes a difference not only in the lives of the individuals served, but in the life of the lawyer providing the service.

From the PSJD job posting:

POSITION:

This is a one-year Fellowship. The Fellow must be an attorney who has been out of law school for less than two years, or who has just completed a judicial clerkship. The Fellowship will begin between July and September 2013 and will be located in our Minneapolis office.The Fellow will practice in the Minnesota Disability Law Center; specific work areas will be developed in conjunction with the Deputy Director.

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:

MMLA is a 60-attorney program providing the full range of civil legal services free to low-income Minnesotans and to elderly person and persons with disabilities in 20 counties in Central Minnesota, and statewide through its Disability Law Center. MMLA receives federal funding as the designated Protection and Advocacy System for persons with disabilities, and performs this function through the Minnesota Disability Law Center. In addition, MMLA runs a support center which provides CLE training for legal services programs and manages two websites – one for clients and one for pro bono attorneys. It also runs the Legal Services Advocacy Project which does policy advocacy for low-income Minnesotans.

Successful applicants will have a demonstrated interest in the needs and rights of individuals with disabilities and low-income populations, with diverse economic, social or cultural experiences. The deadline to apply is April 8, 2013. For more information, view the full job listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).

For more information on other post-graduate fellowships, be sure to check out our Postgraduate Fellowship Application Deadline Calendar!

Colloquial urban slang aside, we can’t stress enough how important it is to find funding for your summer public interest work. Receiving a stipend or fellowship can be a huge financial burden off of your unpaid-intern shoulders, while allowing you the freedom to de-stress after those long hours providing legal assistance to communities in need.

If you haven’t found funding just yet, no worries! PSJD is always updating our Summer Funding lists, which contain links and deadline information on organizations that fund summer public interest work in any geographic location or specific geographical locations. Many deadlines are approaching fast (mid-March/early April), so check this list out ASAP!

With or without funding, all interns are interested in stretching their paycheck over the summer. PSJD is here to help –  check out our guides to Having Fun on the Cheap in Washington DC, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. If you’re interning at a city that’s not on this list and you want to see a guide, just shoot us an email at psjd@nalp.org letting us know!

From the PSJD job posting:

The Housing Practice Group at LAF is seeking 1-2 full-time attorneys to help low-income tenants by:

• Defending tenants – mostly subsidized housing residents — against unwarranted evictions.
• Representing individuals and families who are facing the termination of their tenant-based rental assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
• Preventing landlords from evicting tenants without authority of law.
• Ensuring that tenants who reside in buildings that are facing foreclosure have enough time and resources to locate new and suitable housing.
• Educating tenants about their rights.
• Negotiating with public housing agencies to improve policies that affect thousands of subsidized housing residents.
• Representing tenant groups.
• Collaborating with other tenants’ rights advocates.
• Identifying potential “impact cases.

Successful applicants will be members of the Illinois bar and have a strong interest in housing law, in addition to being fluent in Spanish and able to effectively communicate with people from all levels of society. The application deadline is March 29, 2013. For more information, view the full job listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).

Grab your flannel shirts! The Northwest Justice Project, a public interest law firm in Seattle, Washington, is hiring a 2-year staff attorney:

The Northwest Justice Project (NJP) is a not-for-profit law firm whose mission is to secure justice through high quality legal advocacy that promotes the long-term well-being of low-income individuals, families and communities through legal representation, community partnerships, education and other advocacy. NJP seeks applications from qualified attorneys to work within our Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) project to address the legal needs of low-income families with children affected by the impacts of diabetes. This is a two year grant based position.

JOB DUTIES: The attorney will undertake a range of duties including, but not limited to:

• Conduct outreach and provide training to health care providers and client families on a broad range of legal issues, including identification of legal needs.
• Work collaboratively with health care providers to identify the most important problems that impact families affected by unmanaged diabetes;
• Engage with the low-income patient communities to devise and seek systemic solutions to health care access, education, housing, kinship care and other legal needs presented by the target client population;
• Develop collaborative working relationships with a network of advocates addressing similar and related issues through advocacy task forces or work groups to address systemic issues that arise for diabetes affected families and communities;
• Produce legal brochures and materials to assist target families to address day-to-day legal needs;
• Utilize NJP’s case management and timekeeping systems and comply with all applicable regulatory requirements and reporting needs;
• Support the work of NJP partners including the volunteer lawyers, private attorneys, other legal aid providers and interested parties and organizations addressing the legal needs of low-income persons on matters related to the health care needs of children with diabetes;
• Participate in meetings with MLP partners and advisory committee, and prepare reports of activities as needed to meet grant reporting requirements.

The application deadline is March 15, 2013, so apply now! Successful applicants will have experience with community based outreach and advocacy and will have worked with low-income communities in the past. For more information, view the full job listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).

Law school debt affects many elements of an attorney’s professional career, from the selection of a post-graduate employer to stressing about repayment options. Lack of proper debt management can have a wide range of consequences, not only on law graduates but on the public service organizations that employ them. As legal aid groups and non-profits face a dearth of available positions and the threat of funding cuts, it’s becoming more and more important to stay financially literate so your employees can afford to be advocates for marginalized communities.

For this reason, NALP has engaged Heather Jarvis to serve as our student debt expert to provide members with information, best practices and professional insight related to educational debt and repayment options for law students and graduates. Tomorrow on March 12 at 2:00 pm, she’ll be leading the webinar Recruit and Retain the Best and Brightest in Spite of Their Student Loan Debt: NALP’s Step-by-Step Guide for Public Service Employers.

If you are a public interest employer, please respond to this brief survey to help Heather Jarvis tailor her efforts to your needs! See you at the webinar tomorrow!

The Transgender Law Center (TLC) is a civil rights organization advocating for transgendered communities by connecting people and their families to technically sound and culturally competent legal services. While fighting for a future where gender self-determination and expression are seen as basic rights, TLC increases acceptance and enforcement of laws and policies that support California’s transgender communities. They also work to change laws and systems that fail to incorporate the needs and experiences of transgender people.

TLC is currently looking for a staff attorney to join its’ office in Golden State. From the PSJD job posting:

We are looking for a second Staff Attorney to join our legal team to help protect and promote the rights of transgender and gender non-conforming people.
The Staff Attorney will be primarily responsible for assisting transgender clients who face discrimination or denial of essential services or benefits in a wide range of areas including health care, identity documents, employment, public accommodations, education, and family law. Our work focuses on issues that have a significant impact on low-income trans people and trans people of color. The Staff Attorney’s work will include both litigation of high-impact cases as well as less formal advocacy on behalf of individuals facing discrimination. The Staff Attorney will also assist in responding to requests for legal information through TLC’s Legal Helpline, and will help supervise law clerks and volunteer attorneys. In addition, the Staff Attorney will also help advance the organization’s mission through legislative and policy advocacy work and public education, including drafting legislation, creating and updating know-your-rights publications, and training attorneys, service providers, and community members about transgender issues.
The position will include some travel and work at nights and on weekends. The Staff Attorney could be based at our headquarters in San Francisco or another strategically located region in the United States.

Successful applicants will have bar membership in one or more states (preferably California) with a demonstrated commitment to racial justice and transgender rights. The deadline is rolling and TLC will fill the position as soon as an appropriate candidate is found, so apply now! For more information, view the full job listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).

The Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern University School of Law invites nominations for its 2013 Global Jurist of the Year Award. The deadline is March 15, 2013.

The Award is granted annually to a judge in recognition of that judge’s contribution to the advancement of international human rights law or international criminal law. Special account is taken of those who have shown outstanding dedication to the rule of law and courage in the face of adversity, including personal risk. Jurists from all nations and tribunals are eligible for consideration.Nominations can be submitted electronically to j-sorensen@law.northwestern.edu or by mail to Professor Juliet Sorensen, Center for International Human Rights, Northwestern University School of Law, 375 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.

The present value of the annual award is $5,000. The awards ceremony will be hosted by Northwestern University School of Law in Fall 2013.

For more info:

eben.saling@law.northwestern.edu

312-503-8579

http://www.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/humanrights/

From the PSJD job posting:

The City of Chicago Department of Law is seeking entry-level attorneys for the position of Assistant Corporation Counsel in its Litigation, Transactional or Prosecutions Divisions. Attorneys placed in one of the Litigation Divisions will handle litigation in state and/or federal court, and/or proceedings before administrative bodies. Attorneys placed in one of the Transactional Divisions will analyze transactions for compliance with the law, advise City departments on legal compliance, review, draft and negotiate contracts and other agreements. Attorneys placed in one of the Prosecutions Divisions will prosecute violations of Chicago’s Municipal or Buildings Codes or Illinois Vehicle Code in Circuit Court or at the Department of Administrative Hearings.

Successful applicants will be admitted to the Illinois Bar by December 2013, but the hiring will take place in the fall. The salary is $57,192.00 annually. Deadline to apply is April 22, 2013. For more information, view the full job listing at PSJD.org (log-in required)!

Here’s a message from our friends over at Equal Justice Works:

Has your student debt become a financial burden you are struggling to deal with? Are you worried about the amount you are borrowing to pay for college or graduate school and wondering if you will be able to repay it all? If so, Equal Justice Works is here to help.

We provide in depth information on loan repayment assistance programs and relief programs like Income-Based Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness to help everyone pursue the career of their dreams. Our eBook, Take Control of Your Future, details the steps you need to take to manage your student debt now and in the future.

Every month, our free, live webinars also provide a comprehensive overview of the federal debt relief options available for students and graduates and provide viewers with the opportunity to ask questions. Click here to view a schedule of our webinars and to register for an upcoming session.

Our March sessions include:

Drowning in Debt? Learn How Government and Nonprofit Workers Can Earn Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Thursday, March 14, 3-4 p.m. EST

Thursday, March 28, 3-4 p.m. EST

A must attend for anyone with educational debt planning to work or currently working for the government or a nonprofit, this webinar explains how you can benefit from income driven repayment plans, including President Obama’s new Pay As You Earn program, and exactly how Public Service Loan Forgiveness works.

Finally, make sure you keep up with what’s shaping the student debt world by following our weekly U.S. News blog, the Student Loan Ranger. Last month let you know how to evaluate Loan Repayment Assistance Programs; looked at a report analyzing how the financial aid system can be revamped to support college access, affordability, and completion; and asked if the increased credit risk posed by student loans will affect borrowers’ credit scores in the future.

See you at the webinars!