Our buddy, and student debt expert, Heather Jarvis thinks so.  There’s no doubt the House will soon move forward on plans to trim cut the dickens out of federal spending.  But Heather thinks the College Cost Reduction & Access Acts’s loan forgiveness provision is safe.  Check out her blog post to find out why…

By Lauren Forbes

Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) is an innovative partnership among the Microsoft Corporation, Angelina Jolie and other interested philanthropists, law firms and corporate supporters. KIND is dedicated to providing both pro bono representation and positive systemic changes in law and policy to benefit unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children. Launched in fall 2008, KIND is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Responsibilities: KIND seeks a in Washington, DC to help develop, maintain, and oversee the provision of pro bono legal representation to unaccompanied children through KIND’s network of major law firms and corporate partners.  This includes helping children to understand the immigration process and training volunteer attorneys to effectively represent individual child clients before immigration authorities.  The Pro Bono Coordinator’s role does not include direct legal representation. The Pro Bono Coordinator will have the following responsibilities:

1) Interview and screen individual child clients and help them prepare for their immigration hearings;

2) Match child clients with pro bono attorneys;

3) Recruit, train, and provide hands-on mentorship to volunteer attorneys representing unaccompanied children in immigration matters; and

4)  Assist in developing and managing KIND relationships with law firms and corporate counsel.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions (login required).

Hey 2Ls and  3Ls: are you on the postgraduate fellowship hunt?  We’ve just updated PSLawNet’s database; there are over 300 new listings.  Go to www.pslawnet.org, log in, and run an opportunity search by selecting any or all of the four “fellowship…” options in the “Job Type” field. 

To help you keep track of application deadlines, we’ve put together a master calendar listing all the deadlines we could find.  

Good luck!  Let us know if there is other information you’d like us to provide by emailing pslawnet@nalp.org.

The deadline for the DOJ’s prestigious Attorney General’s Honors Program is approaching.  Apps are due on Sept. 6.  As for eligibility, here are some of the basics:

I WANT YOU to apply on time. Do I look like I'm kidding?

Eligibility is generally limited to graduating law students and recent law school graduates who entered judicial clerkships, graduate law programs, or qualifying legal fellowships within 9 months of law school graduation and who meet additional eligibility requirements.

More eligibility info and further details about the application process are available on the DOJ’s Legal Careers pages. 

Good luck to applicants!

The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) is currently accepting applications from third-year law students, judicial law clerks, or recent law school graduates who are seeking a sponsoring organization for a post-graduate fellowship starting in September 2012. 

CRL was created in 2002 to protect homeownership and family wealth by working to eliminate predatory lending and other abusive financial practices. CRL is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and policy organization that promotes responsible lending practices and access to fair terms of credit for low-wealth families.  CRL’s litigation team co-counsels a wide variety of consumer protection cases in state and federal courts.

CRL is an affiliate of Self-Help, a community development lender founded in 1980 that creates and protects ownership opportunities for low-wealth families through home and small business ownership. It has provided over $6 billion dollars in financing to help over 50,000 low-wealth borrowers buy homes, build businesses and strengthen community resources.

Applicants may propose their own project or work with CRL’s litigation team to jointly craft a project.  CRL is particularly interested in sponsoring projects relating to any of the following issues:  (1) abusive auto lending and/or repossession practices; (2) monitoring and challenging attempts by national banks or state housing creditors to preempt state laws in the wake of Dodd-Frank; (3) projects that focus on abusive lending practices within particular communities (e.g., military households, elderly, minority communities, or particular geographic areas); (4) abusive practices in connection with reverse mortgages.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions (login required).

Harrisburg, the capital City of Pennsylvania, is accepting applications for the position of City Solicitor.  This position performs professional legal services for the City of Harrisburg and does related work as required.  This is a diverse practice involving legal advice, trial case work and legislation drafting in all phases of municipal government. This position must exercise considerable independent judgment in preparation of cases, legal research and interaction with the public as well as government officials.  The City Solicitor works under the general supervision of the Mayor.  This is a management, FLSA-exempt position.

Qualified applicants must have a minimum four (4) years experience in the private or public sector practicing law in the following areas: litigation, bankruptcy, municipal law, land use and administrative law.   Must possess a Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school and be admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar.  Eligibility to practice law in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals is preferred or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required skills and abilities. Must have administrative and supervisory experience.  The successful candidate must establish residency within the corporate limits of the City of Harrisburg within one year from date of hire.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions (login required).

By Lauren Forbes

Hurricane is about to fall on the East Coast, so what better time to head west?

The ACLU of Colorado is seeking to fill the position of Public Policy Director with an experienced legislative and policy advocate. The Public Policy Director is a member of the ACLU of Colorado’s senior leadership team and is responsible for advancing the civil liberties agenda of the ACLU before the Colorado legislature, executive branch, as well as city, county, or state governmental bodies. The position will advocate for the policies of the ACLU through one-on-one lobbying of legislators, working with staff of key policymakers, coalition building, planning legislative strategies, drafting legislation, developing public education strategies, presenting testimony, and involving ACLU members and leaders in the policy work of the organization. The Public Policy Director works under the supervision of the Executive Director and in close collaboration with the ACLU of Colorado’s legal, development, and communications teams. The Director will manage public policy staff and contract positions.

Responsibilities:

1. Responsible for the development and management of a Public Policy Department, which includes a Campaign Director and contract lobbyist, and will expand to include two Public Policy Associate positions. Develop and oversee the implementation of broad strategies to promote policy changes at the city, county, and state levels around ACLU of Colorado’s key issues, which include mass incarceration, racial profiling, religious liberties, prisoner treatment, police practices, immigrants’ rights, criminal justice reform, and free speech, among others;
2. Collaborate with the Legal Director and staff attorneys to analyze legislation before the Colorado legislature, to manage proactive legislation and work to defeat bills that jeopardize civil liberties, by lobbying committee members, educating the Governor’s staff on civil liberties implications of legislation, providing committee testimony on behalf of the ACLU, and securing strong bipartisan sponsors of ACLU initiatives;
3. Research, write, and edit policy and advocacy materials, including public policy reports, issue briefs, letters, press statements, opinion editorials, action alerts, and talking points related to ACLU’s policy work;
4. Lead ACLU efforts to enhance our statewide presence by mobilizing members, local chapters, volunteers, and activists to participate in coalitions around policy initiatives, attend strategy meetings and events in legislators’ districts, and work with local media to promote ACLU’s public policy priorities;
5. Develop strategic campaigns integrating legislative and public education efforts;
6. Participate in development activities to fund the Public Policy Department;
7. Build volunteer and intern programs to develop the potential of ACLU’s diverse constituencies;
8. Work with the national ACLU and other affiliates regarding public policy matters; and prepare reports to key funders on ACLU public policy activities.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions  (login required).

The 2011-12 Federal Legal Employment Opportunities Guide is available for free download on PSLawNet.  Please distribute far and wide!

This guide is a distilled version of the much more robust content offerings on PSLawNet’s Federal Government Resources page.  It is very useful as a handout and general reference, please also view the web page for even more info.

By Lauren Forbes

ChildLaw Services, Inc. seeks a staff attorney for its Princeton, WV office. The staff attorney is responsible for all aspects of managing her client’s case, including, but not limited to:

• Opening and maintaining case files;
• Interviewing clients and witnesses;
• Filing motions, responsive pleadings and other pleadings;
• Researching the law of the case;
• Appearing at all scheduled hearings, trials or other court proceedings on behalf of the client;
• Preparing reports for the Court and other parties;
• Filing and arguing appeals, as necessary.

The staff attorney represents children who have been abused and/or neglected, who are the victims of crime, who are the subjects of custody disputes and have been charged with delinquency or status offenses.  The staff attorney will demonstrate the following characteristics:

·         The ability to establish rapport with his/her clients;

·         The ability to handle conflict and stress;

·         The ability to work with a variety of individuals and situations;

·         Resourcefulness in developing ways to meet the client’s needs;

·         Good skills of written and oral expression.

The staff attorney will be responsible for conducting such legal and other research as needed to stay abreast of developments in the law and child welfare, including attending seminars and continuing legal education programs.

The staff attorney will be assigned special products from time to time as determined by the Executive Director and Legal Director to further the mission of ChildLaw Services, Inc. and may initiate such special projects with prior approval from the Executive Director and Legal Director.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions  (login required).

By Lauren Forbes

We may be a little shaken up on the East Coast, so safety is exactly what the doctor ordered…

Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) seeks a program director for PSR’s Safe Energy Program to educate Congress, media and the public about the economic, health and proliferation risks associated with nuclear reactors and to promote safe, clean renewable energy and efficiency as the lasting solution to climate change.

Policy

• Develop and promote proactive policies that advance program goals.
• Collaborate with allies and expert consultants to create and implement national and state strategies for achieving program goals.
• Create educational materials on nuclear energy issues for policymakers and the public, including fact sheets, policy analyses, and articles.
• Stay abreast of nuclear energy issues.
• Present at educational programs and conferences.

Legislative

• Develop national legislative strategy with allies and coordinate implementation of campaign to limit construction of new nuclear reactors in the U.S.
• Educate decision-makers, including members of Congress and the Administration, about nuclear energy issues and advocate for constructive policies.
• Monitor legislation related to nuclear energy and develop policy positions.

Media

• Develop and implement effective media strategies and messages related to nuclear energy.
• Serve as media spokesperson and respond to press inquiries on nuclear energy issues.
• Prepare media statements, advisories, and op-ed pieces.

Coalition Building

• Engage and coordinate new constituencies in advocacy for Safe Energy policies.
• Initiate and manage the development of educational events and tours for energy experts.
• Develop social media strategies to educate and mobilize concerned citizens.

Grassroots

• Collaborate with grassroots groups and integrate them into national and state strategies.
• Provide policy and technical expertise to grassroots on federal legislation and developments at the state level related to nuclear energy.
• Mobilize concerned citizens on nuclear energy issues via social media and other outreach strategies.

Management

• Serve on Executive Management Team.
• Supervise program staff and consultants.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of the Safe Energy section of PSR’s website.
• Serve as the primary contact with PSR’s Board of Directors on Safe Energy program work.
• Work with PSR’s Executive Director and Associate Director to develop and manage the Safe Energy program budget.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions  (login required).