Archive for Public Interest Jobs
January 4, 2018 at 2:30 pm
· Filed under Career Resources, Job Hunting, Legal Education, Public Interest Jobs

Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License
Staff Attorney
The Organization:
Tahirih Justice Center
By providing holistic legal services and engaging in national public policy advocacy, the Tahirih Justice Center (Tahirih), a national, non-profit organization, protects courageous immigrant women and girls who refuse to be victims of violence. Tahirih elevates the voices of our clients in communities, courts, and Congress to create a world where women and girls enjoy equality and live in safety and with dignity. Tahirih is a Baha’i-inspired nonprofit organization that offers pro bono representation to women and girls seeking protection from such gender-based human rights abuses as domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, female genital cutting, honor crimes, and forced marriage. Winner of the 2007 Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, Tahirih has offices in Falls Church, VA; Houston, TX; and Baltimore, MD.
The Position:
Tahirih is recruiting for the full-time position of Immigration Staff Attorney to represent immigrant women residing in the Greater Houston area who have suffered sexual assault. This position will be based in the Houston, Texas office. This position is a one-year grant funded position with the possibility of renewal.
Want to make a difference? See the full post on PSJD.
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December 28, 2017 at 2:30 pm
· Filed under Attorney Pro Bono, Career Resources, Job Hunting, Legal Education, Public Interest Jobs

Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License
Public Interest Law Fellow
The Organization
The history of the Marquette University Law School dates to the fall of 1892 when students seeking legal education in Milwaukee founded what was to be known as the Milwaukee Law Class. The Law School, which became a part of Marquette University in 1908, is the only law school in the City of Milwaukee. The Law School became a member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1912 and received American Bar Association approval in 1925, shortly after the American Bar Association program of accreditation began. Marquette University enjoys the highest form of accreditation available from the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools: accreditation as a mature doctoral granting institution.
The Position
- Train, supervise, and schedule all volunteer law students and lawyers engaged in work with the estate planning clinic.
- Maintain all client files as required.
- Respond to all client requests for estate planning clinic services.
- Schedule estate planning clinic appointments for clients and communicate relevant details to clients and volunteers.
- Attend all estate planning clinics to ensure support and required technology are properly provided for all volunteers and clients.
- Attend community meetings and gatherings for legal aid providers or prospective clients, including but not limited to the Coalition for Access to Legal Resources (CALR) quarterly meeting and the Wisconsin Department of Human Services Office on Aging work group focused on the legal needs of the elderly.
- Assess and recommend for consideration additional estate planning clinic locations and services.
- Participate in the more general but relevant work of the Law School’s Office of Public Service
- Perform other duties and responsibilities as required, assigned, or requested.
Is this your dream opportunity? See the full-post on PSJD.
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December 7, 2017 at 2:30 pm
· Filed under Career Resources, Faculty/Staff Pro Bono, Job Hunting, Legal Education, Public Interest Jobs

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.
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November 30, 2017 at 2:30 pm
· Filed under Career Resources, Job Hunting, Legal Education, Public Interest Jobs

Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License
Anti-Corruption Fellowship
The Organization
The Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity (CAPI) aims to improve the capacity of public offices and practitioners to deter, identify, and combat corruption. We work to:
Build and support a vibrant community of leaders in the public integrity field.
Develop tools and resources to help governments and practitioners fight corruption.
Promote research and scholarship on important public integrity issues.
The Position
The Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity at Columbia Law School invites talented law school students from the Class of 2018 to apply for a post-graduate one-year fellowship at CAPI.
We are looking for a fellow for a one-year posting, starting in August 2018. Those interested in the substantive areas of political corruption, public ethics, criminal justice, and related fields who have strong legal research and writing skills, are welcome to apply.
The CAPI fellow will primarily work on CAPI’s research projects and written publications. He or she will spearhead various projects, working with anti-corruption scholars and practitioners, law students, and others to conceive appropriate topics, conduct necessary research, and draft and/or edit original CAPI work products such as reports, best practices issue briefs, longer form articles from community members, practitioner toolkits, and material for our website.
Is this your dream opportunity? See the full-post on PSJD.
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November 22, 2017 at 2:24 pm
· Filed under Career Resources, Legal Education, Public Interest Jobs

Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License
Internship
Legal Services of Southern Piedmont
The Organization
Legal Services of Southern Piedmont (LSSP) is a non-profit agency that provides legal assistance in civil matters to low-income persons in Charlotte and mid-western North Carolina.
LSSP provides an intense, practical, and worthwhile internship for students interested in providing legal services to low-income people. LSSP has a long tradition of aggressive and effective advocacy, including individual cases, complex litigation and other advocacy projects. Our interns work with staff attorneys on routine cases, handle administrative cases as the primary advocate under the supervision of an attorney, and participate in significant client advocacy projects, as described in the job description below. You can find more information about our organization and our work on our website at www.lssp.org.
The Position
Help LSSP Attorneys Represent Clients
Assist attorneys as directed on specific cases, including interviewing clients and witnesses; collecting, evaluating and preparing evidence for presentation; performing legal research; drafting pleadings, briefs and other legal documents; consistent with LSSP standards for representation. Interns are generally assigned to one attorney supervisor for each half of the summer, and work primarily with that attorney on routine cases such as eviction defense, public assistance and social insurance eligibility, protection from domestic violence and predatory lending. Interns have the opportunity for extensive client contact, participate in all stages of case development, and accompany the staff attorneys to court hearings.
Handle Administrative Cases
As primary advocate under attorney supervision, handle limited number of administrative cases such as Unemployment Insurance appeals, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid disability appeals, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Food Stamp or other administrative cases; attend to cases on a timely basis; keep clients notified of progress on cases; maintain case files in accordance with program policy; maintain tickler system, prepare periodic case reports as required; close cases promptly upon completion of representation. Interns will be primarily responsible for at least one administrative hearing and generally will handle between two and five hearings during the summer. Although opportunities are presented to watch one or two hearings and close attorney supervision is provided, the interns will actually make the presentation of cases.
Participate in Significant Client Advocacy Projects
Under the supervision of a staff attorney, participate in significant client advocacy project such as major litigation, community education, outreach, and other non-case related program activities. Interns will participate in a major advocacy project to permit them to see how broad problems affecting many individuals can be addressed through the legal process.
Ready to make a difference? Check out the full-post on PSJD.
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September 14, 2017 at 2:30 pm
· Filed under Career Resources, Job Hunting, Public Interest Jobs, Uncategorized

Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License
Assistant State Public Defender
The Office
SPD’s mission is to enhance the quality of justice throughout Wisconsin by providing high-quality cost-effective representation to indigent clients, protecting the rights of accused individuals, and by serving as advocates for effective defense services and a rational criminal justice system. The SPD is extremely proud that its system of indigent defense is considered a model for public defender programs around the world. The SPD serves indigent clients in all 72 Wisconsin counties as authorized by the state legislature. Please visit our website at www.wispd.org.
The Position
This position requires experience representing criminal cases or an emphasis on criminal course work in law school. An ASPD must possess a strong sense of commitment and dedication to indigent defense. Requirements include the ability to manage a deadline driven caseload; strong litigation skills; strong writing skills; effective communication skills; and the ability to interact professionally with co-workers, justice officials, clients and others in the office and court system. Fluency in a foreign language is a plus.
Know you have what it takes? Apply here on PSJD.
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August 31, 2017 at 2:30 pm
· Filed under Career Resources, Events and Announcements, Job Hunting, News and Developments, Public Interest Jobs

Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License
Veteran Legal Corps Fellow
The Organization
Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that provides free legal services to eligible clients in civil cases through five regional offices. Land of Lincoln is funded by numerous partners, including the Legal Services Corporation, Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, CNCS AmeriCorps and Equal Justice Works, United Way, Area Agencies on Aging.
The Position
Equal Justice Works and AmeriCorps have partnered together to provide the Veterans Legal Corps Fellowship opportunity to aid the legal needs of veterans and military families across the nation. The Veteran Legal Corps (VLC) Fellow will provide civil legal assistance to veterans and military families.
One Fellowship is available in the Eastern Regional office, in Champaign, Illinois. Based on Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps guidelines, the term of service will begin in September 2017 for one year (with a possible renewal contingent upon continued AmeriCorps funding). Position requires completion of NSOPR, state(s), and FBI Fingerprint criminal background checks and compliance with all CNCS Federal Regulations throughout the fellowship program.
Is this your dream opportunity? See the full-post on PSJD.
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August 22, 2017 at 2:30 pm
· Filed under Attorney Pro Bono, Career Resources, Events and Announcements, Faculty/Staff Pro Bono, Job Hunting, Legal Education, News and Developments, Public Interest Jobs

The Place: On September 23rd and 24th, University of California will again host its inaugural Public Service Law Conference at UCLA’s Luskin Center.
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?
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August 17, 2017 at 2:30 pm
· Filed under Career Resources, Job Hunting, Public Interest Jobs, Uncategorized

Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License
Assistant/Associate Professor of Law
The Organization
The University of Oregon is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), and is a major research university committed to combining high level research with strong undergraduate and graduate teaching. Founded in 1876, UO enrolls almost 24,000 students from all 50 states and more than 95 countries; and offers over 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. There are also 30 research centers, institutes, and core research facilities. Since July 2014, the University has been governed by an independent Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon. One of two AAU institutions in the Pacific Northwest, the University is widely known for a mix of highly ranked departments and innovative interdisciplinary programs; a strong commitment to research and education; and a collaborative, non-hierarchical institutional culture.
The Position
Seeking an individual who has demonstrated academic excellence, demonstrated success or the potential for success in scholarship and teaching, and a JD from an accredited law school or its equivalent. Successful candidates must have strong interpersonal skills sufficient to inspire and work effectively with diverse groups of faculty, students, staff, alumni, and members of the bar. Preference will be given to applicants with scholarship, teaching, or practice expertise in criminal law and related fields.
Is this the position for you? See the full-post on PSJD.
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August 7, 2017 at 1:28 pm
· Filed under Career Resources, Funding, Job Hunting, Public Interest Jobs

The 2017-2018 Comprehensive Fellowship Guide is now available on PSJD. The Guide is your first stop in the search for post-graduate fellowships. An exclusively online Guide allows you to search in real time for the most current information. The Guide provides a portal to the database, which features over 300 fellowship opportunities. The database is continually updated, and we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in the Guide. PSJD also provides tips on applying for fellowships as well as a primer you can pass directly to students, including how to search by fellowship type, geographic location, or deadline. Check it out now; many fellowship application deadlines are quickly approaching.
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