By: Steve Grumm

The ABA’s Young Lawyer reecently ran a piece from a former Assistant United States Attorney on how to get AUSA jobs:

Assistant U.S. Attorneys (i.e., those attorneys managed by the U.S. Attorney for that district) are experienced trial attorneys who come from a variety of backgrounds, including both the public and private sectors, as well as the military. Generally, the attorneys have five to seven years of litigation experience before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office. While many aspects of a particular applicant are considered, trial experience is the most significant requirement. A strong working knowledge of the Federal Rules of Evidence and Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure is important. An ability to master the Federal Sentencing Guidelines is a must. If your current practice area does not allow you much time in court, seeking out criminal pro bono appointments is a great way to supplement your skill set.

In addition to trial work, being well versed at the appellate level is also an asset. Many AUSAs handle their own appeals to the various U.S. Courts of Appeals. This requires experience with both written and oral advocacy, which is often very different from trial work.

By Lauren Forbes

Apologies for the alliteration here, but the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center (MFHC) is seeking a full-time Staff Attorney.  MFHC is a private non-profit fair housing organization that serves Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester Counties. Established in 1989, MFHC is the oldest fair housing agency in Massachusetts. Its mission is to enforce civil rights laws in housing, provide education and community outreach on fair housing issues, and work toward equal housing opportunities for all people.

Responsibilities:

• Represent victims of housing discrimination by investigating, developing and litigating fair housing cases before administrative agencies and in federal and state court;
• Represent victims of unfair home lending practices by analyzing, investigating and advocating for distressed homeowners facing foreclosure;
• Supervise fair housing testing activities;
• Supervise law students, interns and volunteers;
• Conduct fair housing/fair lending educational workshops and seminars in a variety of settings;
• Maintain full and accurate case files and assist in maintaining data base for grant reporting;
• Assist with other projects as assigned.

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

[Editor’s Note: we’re reviving our Expert Opinion series this summer, so that we can bring you advice and wisdom from a broad cross section of today’s and tomorrow’s public service advocates.  Look for an Expert Opinion post every Tuesday. Our first such post sets the bar pretty high, coming from our friend and colleague Deb Ellis at NYU Law.  Thanks, Deb!]

By: Deb Ellis*, Assistant Dean for Public Service, NYU School of Law

Summer in NYC on the Cheap!

Are you a student interning in New York City this summer on a public interest stipend? There are many articles out there to help you maximize the educational value of your internship.  Today we want to give you tips on how to flourish while being frugal!

While New York City has a reputation for being expensive, it also boasts numerous cheap outdoor eats, entertaining inexpensive or even free activities, and great outdoor events. NYU School of Law has compiled a “Guide to Living in New York on a Public Interest Salary” that has lots of great advice. Below are ten tips from the Guide on how to enjoy NYC while saving your cash (selected especially for folks who are here on summer internships.)

1) Ride the Staten Island Ferry

Perhaps the best-kept secret in NYC, the Staten Island Ferry is the cheapest option for that breathtaking glimpse of major sights like the Statue of Liberty, Governor’s Island, and the downtown skyline. It is FREE. It has a coffee shop on board. It also sells inexpensive beer: one NYU student calls it “the best bar in the city.” And if you’re a baseball fan, tickets are cheap to watch the “Staten Island Yankees” play in the stadium next to the ferry terminal on the Staten Island side.

2) Eat at Roving Restaurants and Farmer’s Markets

Need a great bite on the go? While you should definitely sample from NYC’s ubiquitous hot dog and pretzel carts, a gourmet food truck is a fun way to partake of great cuisine on a budget. While many trucks have semi-permanent locations, most trucks post where they’ll be on their twitter or webpage. Some great ones include Wafels & Dinges, Rickshaw Dumpling Truck, and Moshe’s Falafel.

You may be surprised to learn that NYC now hosts dozens of Farmers Markets in all 5 boroughs, http://www.grownyc.org/ourmarkets, where you can buy super fresh and delicious produce!

3) Enjoy some Gelato or Other Frozen Treats

From Grom to Il Laboratorio del Gelato there is no summer treat New Yorkers have become fonder of. Another favorite local summertime dessert is tart frozen yogurt available from the original yogurt outpost Pinkberry or one of many followers.

4) See a Play at a Discount…

Manhattan: it's not Philly, but it's not too shabby

TKTS – the Theater Development Fund’s project to help make theater more accessible – offers same day, half priced tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. The line might be long, but it is worth it. There are two locations: one in Times Square and the other in the South Street Seaport. Don’t forget about Student Rush offers (each theater has its own policy so check their website) which provide students tickets for $20-$30 or the Public Theater’s free summer Shakespeare in the Park.

4) …Or a Movie or Museum for Free!

Many public parks offer a free outdoor movie series. RiverFlicks at Hudson River Park, HBO Bryan Park Film Series, and Outdoor Cinema at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens are among local favorites. Also, the MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, the Guggenheim, and many more museums all have at least one free night a month, if not once a week.

5) Don’t Just Sit There … Bike, Skate, or Swing!

Renting a bike is a great way to enjoy the City; you can rent from Tribeca’s Frank’s Bike Shop to Midtown’s Central Park Bike Rental and everywhere in between. You can bike up nearly the entire Hudson River on the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway or find your own favorite path at http://www.nycbikemaps.com.

Visit Union Square Park on Wednesday nights for a free group skate or head up to Lincoln Center for a swing lesson and open dance at A Midsummer’s Night Swing for $17 – or sit and listen for free!

6) Explore NYC’s layered history

Amidst tall skyscrapers and modern plazas, layers of history wait to be discovered in all 5 boroughs. There’s no better way to get to know your neighborhood, or someone else’s, then by taking a walking tour or guiding yourself on your own. To complement your public service work, visit some of the City’s radical history sites such as:

• African Burial Ground, where free and enslaved African Americans were buried during the 17th and 18th centuries
• Cooper Union, where in 1860 Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Cooper Union Address
• Site of Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911, which spurred the labor movement
• Stonewall Inn, 1969 birthplace of the modern gay rights movement

7) Visit a Public Park or Public Beach

Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pelham Bay Park, and The High Line are just a few of the city’s expansive, beautiful parks. Some have great summer music festivals with many free events, like Central Park’s SummerStage. You can take a free ferry to Governor’s Island and rent a bike or enjoy a homemade picnic. Rockaway Beach is a free way to beat the heat while Long Beach and Jones Beach will cost you from $ 8 – $14 per visit. For more information, visit www.nycgovparks.org.

8) De- Stress In The Great Outdoors

After long days in an office or court room, relax beside the Hudson River at one of the summer’s many outdoor yoga sessions. Additionally, Bryant Park offers free Tuesday morning and Thursday evening yoga and Open Air Yoga offers classes in Battery Park City in the morning and Central Park in the evening for $12.

9) Buy At a Discount

These days Kmart, JCPenny, Target, Marshalls, Ikea, and Costco can be found in multiple boroughs. Go with a friend and stock up for savings or hit their clothing departments for low cost professional wear. Trader Joe’s has also opened up several outposts in Manhattan and Brooklyn.  Finally, do your research and sign up for group coupon sites; there are great deals to be had all summer long.

I hope that these tips help you have a fun, relaxing, and memorable summer in New York City!

*Thanks to Dana Wax and Vesna Petrin for assistance with this article.

By: Steve Grumm

I find this to be some pretty solid advice about how attorneys should handle mistakes that affect clients’ interests.  It was posted over on Above the Law, a popular legal tabloid blog, by a fellow named Jay Shepard, who works  – or worked, I’m not sure – in a small law firm practice for several years…

A teaser…tips 1 and 2…

1. Own the mistake.

When you realize you’ve made a mistake — or worse, when your client tells you that you’ve messed up — the first thing you need to do is get in front of it. You start by accepting the mistake, and accepting responsibility for it. (I’m not talking about a situation when your client thinks you’ve made a mistake but is wrong.) It’s not fun to do (none of this mistake stuff is), but you need to tell your client that you understand that you made the mistake, and that it’s your responsibility. Even if it’s not your fault.

When something happens that adversely affects your client, he or she isn’t going to feel better that it wasn’t really your fault. That sort of buck-passing usually makes the client more frustrated. If the print shop was late getting the copies of the closing documents to the other side, that may not have been your fault, but it was your responsibility. The client already knows this. It’s important that you show that you know it. “You’re right,” you say. “That should not have happened. That was my responsibility.”

2. Say “I’m sorry.”

Words matter. I’ve seen lawsuits filed and settlements unraveled because of a failure to apologize, even though the mere words don’t really change the situation. You need to say the words “I’m sorry.”

And not “I apologize.” No one talks like that in real life. “I apologize” is stilted and formal, and harder for someone to take seriously. “I’m sorry” is far more effective. Personally, I prefer “I’m so sorry.”

By Lauren Forbes

The Legal Services Corporation seeks to fill a Program Counsel position in its Office of Program Performance. The position will be filled at either the Program Counsel II (PCII) level or at the Program Counsel III (PCIII) level, depending on the experience and qualifications of the successful candidate. (Only one position will be filled.)

Basic Function: Under the general direction of the Director and the Deputy Director, works with grantee programs to provide oversight and improve the delivery of legal services to the eligible population and performs any combination of the listed duties and responsibilities in the Office of Program Performance. Travel is required.

• Conducts oversight of grantees’ ability to provide high quality, effective and efficient legal services.
• Evaluates grantee performance by reviewing proposals for funding and related documents and makes recommendations for funding.
• Participates in on-site reviews of grantees, drafts reports of findings and makes recommendations for program improvement in service delivery, quality of legal work, legal work management, board governance, program leadership, management and administration.
• Engages in other grants management activities, in addition to those listed above, related to the design and implementation of the application process and the oversight of extant grants.
• Works with the Office of Compliance and Enforcement (OCE) on grantee oversight and on other matters of mutual interest and concern.
• Works on preparing training materials and on providing training and technical assistance to grantees on a variety of legal services delivery areas.
• Promotes improvement of the grantees’ capacity to provide high quality, effective and efficient legal services.
• Assesses approaches to the delivery of legal services and develops models that improve delivery.
• Conducts research and helps develop policy relating to the delivery of legal services to eligible clients.
• Drafts regulatory, program letter and policy language to implement and interpret requirements of the LSC Act and to implement LSC policy. Conducts research and analysis of new and emerging issues affecting the operation of LSC.
• Works with the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) regarding interpretation, review and revision of current regulations and development of new regulations, as appropriate.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

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

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).

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).

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:

• Depaul Law Career Services posted some alternative career jobs it came across from the past week.
• The Pro Bono Institute’s “PBEye” blog (clever!) carries word of a June 7 webinar called, “The Evolving Law Firm Business Model and Its Impact on Pro Bono.”
• Michael Pratt, Chair of the ABA’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service chimed in with some reflections on the recent Equal Justice Conference.  Here’s Pratt’s post on the ABA Center for Pro Bono’s blog.
• Happy 50th Birthday to Amnesty International!
• Phew (for now at least), as the housing crisis in DC is averted.  Check out Washington’s Legal Clinic blog for the story.
• On the Equal Justice Works Blog, our statistically inclined buddy Bill Penn provides a valuable primer for aspiring poverty law advocates: how to define ‘poverty.’

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.

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).