If you are a lawyer or law student interested in learning from world-renowned experts of mental health and law, this one’s for you!

For four years, the Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC) in Budapest, Hungary in collaboration with Ortiz Law Firm has hosted the Mental Disability Law in Practice summer school, a two-week program organized to broaden knowledge on legal advocacy and connect an international network of disability-focused human rights leaders. Participants include attorneys, non-practicing lawyers, NGO staff and board members, legislators, activists, policy experts, PhD candidates and law students. Those with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply, with a focus on those with experience of intellectual or psycho-social disabilities.

The program will focus extensively on mental disability law in Central and Eastern Europe, Africa and India, and applicants from all over the world are welcome to apply. Participating faculty in human rights advocacy, teaching and programming specific to these regions.

Deadline to apply is February 15, 2013. Click here to visit the MDAC website for more information!

If you are committed to human rights law, why not reinforce that dedication by participating in a program built to nurture and develop your leadership skills in that specific field? The 9th Annual International Leadership Training Programme, a one week program to be held this fall at the University of Connecticut, promotes networking, sharing experiences, and empowering young leaders to enable them to play a crucial and constructive role in the development of human rights in their communities and in the world at large.

Co-sponsored by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the forum will take place from August 9 -18, 2013. Here’s a little bit more information about the program:

The International Leadership Training Programme, organized as a forum, is premised on a three-fold understanding of the vital role leaders play in society. The first is that every new generation of human rights leaders builds on the work of those who came before it. The second is that in today’s increasingly interdependent global world, where actions or events in any part of the global system have impact on people in other regions of the world, there is a need to build a network of solidarity and to nurture a new cadre of human rights leaders who can educate others and provide enlightened leadership to meet the complex and multifaceted challenges of the new millennium. And the third is that young people are a force to be reckoned with and that the future belongs to them. In order, to ensure that they are effective leaders for a better future, today’s leaders have a duty to impart their knowledge to the younger generation of leaders and to alert it of the pitfalls of the past. This is because, although the circumstances under which the new generation of leaders operates/will operate are different, the issues that confront them are not fundamentally new to humanity and the types of strategies that would help them tackle the various issues need not be completely reinvented but innovatively adapted to new circumstances.

…

In appreciation of the dynamics of an interdependent world, the UNESCO Chair will host an annual intergenerational forum that brings together young leaders from all regions of the world in the field of human rights once annually.  The forum will be held in August of each year to coincide with the International Youth Day, taking place on August 12, commemorated at the United Nations Headquarters in the USA. This will provide opportunities for participants to participate in Youth Day activities and meet with UN leaders. To complement the annual forum, regional fora will also be held in various continents.

Program participants will come from all parts of the world, and will be between the ages of 18 and 30. The application deadline is March 8, 2013. Click here for more information!

Next week, we’ll be participating in the first of two webinars aimed at giving job-seekers the best advice on the process of looking for a summer job. Check out the message below for links to register!

Want insight from nonprofit and government employers about what they look for in cover letters, resumes, and interviews? We’re thrilled to partner with our friends at Equal Justice Works to present two webinars offering tips and best practices on the public-interest summer job hunt.

Attorneys with years of application review experience will highlight do’s and don’ts; explain how and why public interest application materials may substantively differ from law firm materials; and explore the dynamics of personal interactions in interviews and networking situations. While the webinars will focus on the summer public interest job search, the information is applicable to postgraduate positions.

• Webinar Uno: Cover Letters and Resumes on Tuesday, January 15, noon Eastern. Register here.  Presenters:
  • Paul Chavez, Senior Attorney, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights on the San Francisco Bay Area
  • Steve Grumm, Director of Public Service Initiatives, NALP
  • Ashley Matthews, PSJD Fellow, NALP
  • Jennifer Thomas, Legal Recruiting Director, Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
• Webinar Dos: Interviewing and Networking on Tuesday, January 22, noon Eastern. Register here.  Presenters:
  • Nita Mazumder, Equal Justice Works
  • Kate Devlin Joyce, Associate Director of Public Interest Programs, Boston College Law School
  • Daniel Goldman – Assistant Capital Defender, Northern Virginia Capital Defender’s Office

We’ll be taking Q&A during the webinars.  So while we’ll record and archive them, we encourage you to join us for the live webcasts.  Contact Steven Grumm at sgrumm@nalp.org if you have questions.

By: Steve Grumm

Want insight from nonprofit and government employers about what they look for in cover letters, resumes, and interviews? We’re thrilled to partner with our friends at Equal Justice Works to present two webinars offering tips and best practices on the public-interest summer job hunt. 

 Attorneys with years of application review experience will highlight do’s and don’ts; explain how and why public interest application materials may substantively differ from law firm materials; and explore the dynamics of personal interactions in interviews and networking situations. While the webinars will focus on the summer public interest job search, the information is applicable to postgraduate positions.

• Webinar Uno: Cover Letters and Resumes on Tuesday, January 15, noon Eastern. Register here.  Presenters:
  • Paul Chavez, Senior Attorney, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights on the San Francisco Bay Area
  • Steve Grumm, Director of Public Service Initiatives, NALP
  • Ashley Matthews, PSJD Fellow, NALP
  • Jennifer Thomas, Legal Recruiting Director, Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
• Webinar Dos: Interviewing and Networking on Tuesday, January 22, noon Eastern. Register here.  Presenters:
  • Nita Mazumder, Equal Justice Works
  • Kate Devlin Joyce, Associate Director of Public Interest Programs, Boston College Law School
  • Daniel Goldman – Assistant Capital Defender, Northern Virginia Capital Defender’s Office

We’ll be taking Q&A during the webinars.  So while we’ll record and archive them, we encourage you to join us for the live webcasts.  Contact me at sgrumm@nalp.org if you have questions.

Did you miss last month’s educational debt webinars? If so, no worries – EJW is hosting one more webinar on managing student loan debt before the start of the new year! Check out more information below and register here.

Educational debt has become a crippling burden for far too many, and especially for those who want to pursue careers in public service. Equal Justice Works provides 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 new student debt eBook Take Control of Your Future received its first review in the Kindle Store and it got five stars! Please help us spread the word about this comprehensive guide to borrowing student loans, repayment and eligibility for relief programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness. We go into the details borrowers need to understand and the exact steps they need to take to manage their educational debt and take control of their future.

We were also busy last month writing our U.S. News blog the Student Loan Ranger. We examined the effect of the fiscal cliff on student debt, looked at some new initiatives colleges are using to help students avoid debt  and, of course, examined President Obama’s new Pay As You Earn plan.

Eligible student loans borrowers will be able to enroll in Pay As You Earn starting December 21. The plan caps borrowers’ monthly student loan payments at 10 percent of their discretionary income and provides forgiveness for borrowers still repaying their loans after 20 years. Only borrowers who took out their first federal loan after Sept. 30, 2007 and received a loan after Sept. 30, 2011 are eligible. The Department expects the program to initially help 1.6 million borrowers when it takes effect.

Every month, our free, live webinars also provide a comprehensive overview of the debt relief options available for students and graduates – including Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Income-Based Repayment – 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 current sessions include:

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

Tuesday, December 18, 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 the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, the most significant law affecting public service in a generation.

This webinar will teach you how to:

    – Understand your federal loans

    – Manage your monthly payments using income-driven repayment plans like Income-Based Repayment plan

    – How to qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness

The American Constitution Society (ACS) and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) have partnered up to help match public defenders with qualified law students, providing an efficient way for offices to increase their chances of finding an ideal candidate.

ACS is using its national student network to collect a roster of law students who are committed to indigent defense and seeking internships at Public Defender offices across the country. NLADA is inviting any office or agency looking for interns to fill out a form with basic information about their office or program. The matching tool will then send offices information on applicants that meet the specified criteria.

Public defender offices do not have to commit to accepting any applicants they receive through the PD intern Matching Program, and offered internships can be paid, unpaid, or offered for academic credit. Students can fill out this form to be included in the applicant pool.

It pays to be smart about student loan debt, especially for public interest advocates! Take a look at this message from our friends at Equal Justice Works:

Educational debt has become a crippling burden for far too many, and especially for those who want to pursue careers in public service. Equal Justice Works provides 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.

The big news this month is that our new student debt eBook is available in the Kindle Store! Take Control of Your Future is a comprehensive guide that offers information and guidance from a student’s initial borrowing through repayment and eligibility for relief programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness. We go into the details borrowers need to understand and the exact steps they need to take to manage their educational debt and take control of their future.

 We were also busy last month writing our U.S. News blog the Student Loan Ranger. We examined the competition traditional colleges and universities might face from Silicon Valley in the near future, looked at a new report from The Institute for College Access and Success on the continued rise in student debt and discussed how student debt is increasingly affecting generations of Americans.

Every month, our free, live webinars also provide a comprehensive overview of the debt relief options available for students and graduates – including Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Income-Based Repayment – 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 current sessions include:

How to Pay Your Bills AND Your Student Loans: Utilizing Income-Based Repayment

Thursday, November 15, 3-4 p.m. EST

Saddled with high student debt? This webinar reviews Income-Based Repayment, a powerful provision of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act that allows anyone with high debt relative to their income to reduce their federal student loan payments.

This interactive webinar will teach you:

– How to understand your federal loans

– How Income-Based Repayment works and if it is right for you

– How to sign up for Income-Based Repayment

 

Get Your Educational Loans Forgiven: Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Thursday, November 29, 3-4 p.m. EST

For recent graduates with jobs in government or at a nonprofit, this webinar explains how to make sure you immediately begin fulfilling requirements to qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness so that your educational debt will be forgiven as soon as possible.

You will learn about:

– The importance of having the right kind of Federal Loans

– What you need to do to qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness

– How long it will take to have your educational debt forgiven

It’s crunch time! Over 600 public interest law students from all over the country are preparing to attend the 2012 Equal Justice Works Conference & Career Fair this weekend in Washington, D.C.

If you’re headed to the conference this weekend, take a look at these tips from Equal Justice Works to help you prepare and make the most out of your career fair experience:

• EJW Resume Do’s and Dont’s
• Tips for a Successful Table Talk
• How to Get the Most Out of the Conference & Career Fair
• Preparing for the Interview: Dressing for Success

Also, be sure to check out PSJD’s Resource Center for other helpful guides on professional career development. Specifically, Interviewing Tips for Postgraduate Public Interest Jobs may be especially helpful for 3Ls and recent graduates.

Don’t forget to stop by our table during Table Talk for career development resources and more information on PSJD.org. The full Equal Justice Works Conference & Career Fair schedule can be found here. Happy job hunting!

In this harsh economy, lawyers and law students have had to meet an unprecedented demand for free or low-cost legal services by volunteering, interning, and/or providing pro bono legal services. Every year, the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service dedicates National Pro Bono Week to showcasing the impact of such important legal work across the country.

This year’s National Pro Bono Week celebration is happening until October 27, 2012, with events like pop-up legal clinics, panel discussions, and community service opportunities nationally coordinated in an effort to raise awareness about the need to continue expanding the delivery of pro bono services.

The ABA is also celebrating with JUST Stories, a digital video collection of legal advocacy stories highlighting the impact of pro bono work on lawyers and the clients they serve. The “video quilt” is housed on the home page of the National Pro Bono Celebration site, along with instructions on how to send in your own JUST Story.

For planning tips and guides, the ABA has a page full of resources to help participants come up with event ideas, fundraising materials, promotional materials, and more. For more information on the 2012 National Pro Bono Week celebration, visit the ABA’s Celebrate Pro Bono site!

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 tomorrow on October 17 at 3 p.m. EDT and get all your CCF questions answered!

Also, Equal Justice Works recently sent out this exciting press release:

Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor to share her public service experiences at Equal Justice Works annual Conference and Career Fair

What:  Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will share the public service experiences that led to her appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States at the annual Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair, Oct. 26 and 27 in Arlington, VA.  Judge David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will join Justice Sotomayor in a conversation designed to inspire the audience of current and future public interest lawyers. 

 Appointed as the 111^th justice by President Barack Obama in 2009, Justice Sotomayor is the first Hispanic and third woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Sotomayor and Judge Tatel will take questions from the audience during the session.  Please note that this event is only open to registered attendees of the Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair.

 The Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair is the largest national conference and career fair specifically designed for law students interested in public interest careers.  Attracting more than 1200 law students from nearly 200 law schools around the country, the event offers two days of interview opportunities with more than 120 public interest employers; career development and skill-building sessions; mock interviews and resume revision; and networking opportunities.

 When:             Friday, Oct. 26, 7:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. & Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012 8 a.m. – 3:20 p.m.

 *Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will speak Friday, Oct. 26 at 4:15 PM*

 Where:            Crystal Gateway Marriott – 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202

For more information on the 2012 Conference & Career Fair, visit the EJW website. Tomorrow’s #PSJDChat is not to be missed if you’re attending the conference this year, so come prepared to ask any questions you’ve had about anything career fair related. See you tomorrow!