Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License

Immigration Justice Campaign Fellow, Pro Bono Coordinator

The Organization

The American Friends Service Committee promotes a longstanding Quaker concern for the causes and impact of human migration.  Since 1988, the Immigrant Rights Program based in New Jersey has worked to increase the protection of the rights of immigrants and refugees through legal representation, community education, community organizing, monitoring of rights, advocacy, and training.

Since 1996, the AFSC has provided legal counseling and representation to thousands of immigrants, including people in detention, youth, and survivors of domestic violence and other crimes.  AFSC has also conducted training sessions and education to immigrant communities, social service providers and attorneys in New Jersey.

The Position

In collaboration with the Immigration Justice Campaign, a joint initiative between the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the American Immigration Council (AIC), AFSC will expand pro bono referral efforts and the reach of AFSC’s work. This position will develop and pilot strategies for further engaging and retaining pro bono attorneys to ensure greater access to representation for immigrants detained in New Jersey and facing deportation. The fellowship is funded for one year.

Is this your dream opportunity?  See the full-post on PSJD.

Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License

Emergency Response Staff Attorney

The Organization: 

Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST)  is the first organization in the country dedicated exclusively to serving survivors of human trafficking, the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (www.castla.org) assists persons trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and slavery-like practices and to work toward ending all instances of such human rights violations. CAST was established in 1998 in the wake of the El Monte sweatshop case where 72 Thai garment workers were kept for eight years in slavery and debt bondage. Following a community outcry for an organization to respond to surfacing cases of human trafficking, CAST was and remains one of a handful of providers nationally that provide comprehensive services to survivors of slavery and trafficking. CAST is amongst the few organizations that carry the mission of both serving victims while also conducting advocacy to promote change that will better protect victims and prevent future cases of trafficking.

CAST serves a growing community of trafficking victims who are brought to the United States and suffer unspeakable violence at the hands of traffickers. They have an enormous array of needs, ranging from urgent medical and mental health services to complex legal issues. CAST has served hundreds of victims and their family members through both direct service delivery as well as technical consult to service providers across the country. CAST alone has secured nearly 100 T Visas for survivors of trafficking, constituting almost 1/6 of the total number of T Visas issued nationwide. Our accomplishments are due, in part, because CAST’s Client Services staff works closely together to partner with clients in setting goals, monitoring progress, advocating for access to services, and cooperating with law enforcement agencies to access long-term immigration benefits that keep victims safe from their traffickers.

CAST’s legal department provides innovative direct legal services to survivors of trafficking, and also provides technical assistance to survivors of trafficking, law enforcement agencies, and service providers to inspire creative and appropriate responses to the problem of human trafficking in the United States.

The Position:

The Emergency Response Attorney (ERA) will be responsible for responding to urgent calls from law enforcement, agencies, and survivors themselves for legal assistance and advice. The ER Staff Attorney will also provide ongoing comprehensive legal services to survivors of human trafficking including assisting clients seek immigration, criminal and civil relief, with an emphasis on criminal victim-witnesses advocacy and United States citizen survivors. This is a full- time, exempt position.

Essential Duties:

• Respond to all ER breaking cases during normal business hours, coordinate rotation with staff attorneys for ER on-call during nonbusiness hours
• Assume caseload of trafficked clients
• Develop and implement creative, alternate legal strategies to assist trafficked persons
• Work collaboratively with social services and shelter staff
• Provide outreach and training to legal aid organizations, law firms, and law enforcement to assist trafficked clients
• Participate in LAPD task force for human trafficking victims
• Coordinate ongoing legal emergency response protocol and safety efforts.
• Support CAST’s involvement with DA diversion program and LA county wide protocol
• Participate in legal emergency response efforts; and
• Respond to Emergency Response breaking cases in rotation with legal team in support of CAST’s 24-hour ER services.

Want to make a difference? See the full post on PSJD.

The Event: “In partnership with the UC Office of the President, Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), Berkeley School of Law, UCLA School of Law, UC Davis School of Law, and UC Irvine School of Law, the conference will bring together more than 500 law students, faculty members, lawyers, and nonprofit professionals committed to advancing civil rights and the public good. Panels and speeches will focus on the people, organizations, and systems working on the legal aspects of vital issues like immigration, homelessness, police accountability, water rights, and veterans’ issues during a day-and-a-half long conference.

Keynote Speakers and Panelists Include: Janet Napolitano, President of the University of California; Peter Neufeld, Co-Founder of the Innocence Project; Marielena Hincapie, Executive Director at the National Immigration Law Center; Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean at UC Berkeley School of Law; Jennifer Mnookin, Dean at UCLA School of Law; Kevin Johnson, Dean at UC Davis School of Law; L. Song Richardson, Interim Dean at UC Irvine School of Law; and more.

Registering: Individuals interested in attending the conference may register here. Registration is $150 and includes a lunch and evening reception on the first day with speakers and sponsors, breakfast on the second day, and all CLE costs (if applicable).”

Why We At PSJD Would Go: Due to University of California’s large network of schools and outreach within the state, the speakers at this event are among the best attorneys in the Public Sector and in their respective fields. Each is an expert on the topic they will be lecturing on and could potentially offer a plethora of insights into their specialties. In addition, the conference has particular workshops focused on furthering your own career in public service, including a panel entitled “How to Get a Job: Panel of Experts.” Plus, who doesn’t want a good excuse to soak up some Southern California sunshine?

A new trend known as the “split summer” is gaining popularity among large law firms across the country. Despite the growing popularity of the split summer, a lot of law students and legal professionals have never heard of it. Today at PSJD, we are taking a quick look at what a split summer is and what some of the benefits and drawbacks are.

What a Split Summer Is:

Split summers come in a variety of forms. Most commonly, a split summer allows a law student who has secured a summer associate position for their 2L summer to spend the first half of the summer working at a law firm and the second half of the summer working for a nonprofit organization. Under this basic model, the law firm will then continue to pay the salary of the summer associate during the second half of the summer while they are at a non-profit. Some firms have taken this basic idea and added their own twist. Firms may require that the summer associate remain at the law firm for more than half of the summer and spend less time at the non-profit. Others have specific requirements about the non-profit chosen by the summer associate, while still others will only pay the summer associate for the time spent working at the firm. Each program is unique, but overall there are benefits and drawbacks to consider regarding a summer split.

Benefits to Splitting Your Summer:

Splitting a summer allows for a law student who is torn between the private sector and non-profit world to explore careers in both. The law student still gets to complete a summer associateship and enjoy all the benefits that come along with doing so, such as writing experience, the salary, professional contacts, and a potential offer at the end of the summer. In addition, the student gets to explore the non-profit sector, potentially working more closely with the public and for a cause they feel passionately about. In addition, if the student is someone who likes new experiences, two jobs in a short time span will keep them on their toes. Split summers also allow for a student to make a larger number of professional contacts in both fields. In addition, some split summer programs allow for their summer associates to work in two different cities over the course of the summer.

Drawbacks to Splitting Your Summer:

While eight or ten weeks can sound like a long time, it will fly by. One potential drawback of a split summer could be that the student is spreading themselves too thin. It may be more difficult to gain all the benefits of the experience at a law firm or at a non-profit organization if the student only spends a short time at each. In addition, forming meaningful professional connections with employees at each place may be more difficult due to the shortened length of time. Additionally, some law firms will give summer associates the time off to work at a non-profit, but will not compensate the summer associate for this time. Finally, the non-profit law world is also becoming more competitive in terms of job placement after graduation. If a law student knows that this is the field that they ultimately want to go into, spending a full summer at an organization ultimately may be more beneficial.

The split summer is an interesting new trend definitely worth exploring. To further research specific split summer programs, visit PSJD’s resource guide.

Sources:

https://law.yale.edu/student-life/career-development/students/career-guides-advice/what-are-firm-sponsored-split-public-interest-summers

http://hls.harvard.edu/content/uploads/2008/06/pi-summers.pdf

Seeking Volunteer Attorney/Law Student for Fridays

National Veterans Legal Services Program

Lawyers Serving Warriors® Pro Bono Program

The National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) has worked since 1980 to ensure that our nation’s 25 million veterans and active duty personnel receive the government benefits to which they are entitled. NVLSP’s Lawyers Serving Warriors® (LSW) Pro Bono Program assists veterans with disability claims including challenges to VA denials of service-connection for PTSD due to military sexual trauma, applications for combat related special compensation, requests for medical retirement, discharge upgrades, and claims before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.

NVLSP seeks an attorney or law student volunteer to assist the LSW program in our DC office on Fridays. The volunteer will work closely with LSW attorneys to monitor case developments and ensure client readiness for representation. The position will involve extensive contact with Veteran clients and pro bono lawyers and will provide an introduction to the fundamentals of military disability law.  The position is available immediately and can continue into the fall.

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and 2 references to Rochelle Bobroff, Director of Pro Bono Program at NVLSP, Rochelle@nvlsp.org.