Based in Washington D.C., the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) advances the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for people accused of crimes. With a direct membership of over 11,000 and an additional 35,000 international affiliates, the professional bar association works to promote the proper and fair administration of criminal justice.

NACDL is currently hiring a 6-month Project Attorney. From the PSJD job listing:

The Project Attorney is a limited-term grant funded position that will commence in March and conclude on September 30, 2013. One of the Project Attorney’s major responsibilities will be determining and notifying parties, including defendants and defense counsel, in a national project to identify cases of possible wrongful conviction based on unreliable forensic evidence. The Project Attorney will also assist NACDL’s Resource Counsel in developing and administering support services for criminal practitioners in a variety of practice settings throughout the United States, with an emphasis on post-conviction innocence claims. The Project Attorney will gather resources and further develop and update NACDL’s existing resources to provide technical and substantive assistance on all aspects of post-conviction criminal defense practice. The Project Attorney will provide resources on challenging the reliability of non-DNA forensic evidence to enable post-conviction lawyers to effectively identify and provide high quality representation in cases of wrongful conviction.

The Project Attorney will also conduct, community education and online resource development. For more information, view the full job listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is one of two bodies in the inter-American legal system designed to promote and protect human rights. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Commission represents all the member states of the Organization of American States. The other human rights body is the Inter-American Court of Human Rights located in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The IACHR is currently seeking a Human Rights Specialist to work in their D.C. office for 6 months. Here are the job’s responsibilities, as listed on PSJD:

1. Case processing and reporting

• Coordinate the preparation and presentation of contentious cases and requests for advisory opinions before the Inter-American Court: conduct legal research and analysis, draft briefs, manage case correspondence, identify and collect evidence, coordinate the presentation of witnesses, and may participate or help prepare arguments and witness testimony to be presented before the Court
• Manage a portfolio of cases according to procedural stage and complexity.
• Draft reports on cases for Commission review based on consultation with the Executive Secretariat and the IACHR.
• Issue pertinent drafts of documents in relation to evaluations of petitions and urgent measures concerning the Member States comprised in the Section’s portfolio.
• Provide policy advice and recommendations to the Supervisor and/or Section Chief on key issues relating to the processing of petitions and cases, the preparation of admissibility and merits reports, systemic issues and patters arising from the petitions and cases.
• Ensure that the Section’s electronic files (including the Section’s database records) are accurate, up to date, and in compliance with quality standards set by the Secretariat.

2. Researching and monitoring the situation (political, legal, human rights) in the Member States comprised in the Section’s mandate

• Provide advice to IACHR Country Rapporteurs for the Member States.
• Contribute to the deliveries of the Section to on-site visits, and country and special reports concerning the Member States. This requires gathering and evaluating data from a wide range of sources, legal research and analysis, editing and translating documents, and the drafting of reports for publication, pursuant to Commission approval.
• Prepare and deliver the materials necessary for the planning of public hearings during IACHR sessions.
• Maintain communications with representatives of the Member States comprised in the Section’s portfolio, as well as petitioners, organizations of civil society and other stakeholders; and warning the Section Coordinator of any communications requiring top management attention.

3. Other duties and responsibilities

• Carry out legal research and legal analyses requested by the Supervisor/Section Chief.
• Provide advice to the Supervisor/Section Chief in relation to the design and implementation of working methodologies common to all IACHR Sections.
• Issue drafts for the Section’s input to internal and external reports, among them, the IACHR’s Annual Report, the Executive Secretary’s reports, the inputs to General Secretariat reports, summit reports and reports to donor agencies.
• Participate in meetings, conferences and other academic or promotion activities.
• Perform other related duties as assigned, including replacing and backstopping for others.

The salary is $56,091.00, and the application deadline is March 1, 2013. For more information, view the full job listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).

Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ), based in Newark, New Jersey, provides comprehensive legal services to economically-disadvantaged adults, children, and families in New Jersey through volunteer attorneys recruited and trained by VLJ.  Programs include free legal counsel and advice, educational seminars on various legal matters, and direct representation for at-risk individuals facing critical civil legal issues.

VLJ currently has a vacancy for a 6-month Disaster Legal Response Program Fellowship. From the PSJD job listing:

The Disaster Legal Response Program Fellow position is funded for six months, with the possibility of extension with additional funding. The Fellow will work with a lead attorney for this program and together, both will coordinate all phases of the direct referral pro bono program. Duties will include conducting intake with clients, recruiting, training and supporting pro bono attorneys, placing cases with volunteer attorneys, managing attorney and client data and files and conducting outreach in the community. The Fellow may also work with the lead attorney on developing a coordinated legal response to future disasters. The legal issues that are currently being addressed by this program include FEMA appeals, storm-related unemployment compensation, insurance issues, and landlord/tenant issues and may change due to client needs. While the Fellow will work primarily on the Disaster Response/ Preparedness Program, the staff attorney will also be expected to assist on other VLJ programming when necessary. Those programs serve clients in the areas of family law, consumer law, bankruptcy, criminal re-entry and education law.

Successful applicants will have a commitment to public interest law and 1-5 years of experience, among other qualifications. For more information, view the full job listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).

By: Steve Grumm

Happy Friday, folks.  As many of you know I’m leaving NALP to take a position directing the ABA’s Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives.  I’m excited to join the ABA and to focus squarely on ATJ work, but there is much I will miss about NALP, PSJD, and the community I’ve worked in for the past seven-plus years.

I joke sometimes that this weekly blog post’s readership consists of four people.  I’m just being modest, of course.  The readership is nearly double that.  Well, in fact it’s a little larger, but I’m not setting any Web-traffic records either.  Numbers aside, what I see when I look at my email distribution list for this weekly post is a group of people who operate in every corner of the public interest legal world: law school administrators and clinicians, law students, nonprofit and government lawyers, legal-aid executive directors, law firm pro bono counsel, bar association officials, and so on and forth.  I’ve worked with a remarkably diverse, talented group of individuals.  I’m grateful for that.

What will become of the Public Interest News Bulletin? It will enter into a brief, late-winter hibernation.  But a few weeks from now NALP will return to publishing the bulletin here on the PSJD Blog.  Keep any eye out for it.  In the meantime, if you want to read a newsletter focused on the larger legal industry then check out my boss’s weekly offering here (updated every Friday).  I’ve learned a lot from Jim’s observations on the business of law and his aggregation of the week’s important stories – despite the inexplicable lack of a Super Music Bonus.

Separate from that, in early March I will begin publishing a weekly access-to-justice news digest on a new platform.  If you would like to receive this digest, please email me at sgrumm[at]hotmail.com.  I’ll add you to the distribution.

I don’t think of myself as a sappy person.  But my NALP departure has me thinking all the way back to my arrival in the public interest world.  It came when I served for a year, just after college, as a Jesuit Volunteer in the Northwest Justice Project’s Yakima office.  One of my enduring memories is of reading a quote which was framed and nestled in the bookcase of the first legal aid lawyer I met – Don Kinney.  Here’s the quote, penned by Bonaro Overstreet:

You say the little efforts that I make
will do no good: they never will prevail
to tip the hovering scale
where justice hangs in balance.

I don’t think I ever thought they would.
But I am prejudiced beyond debate
in favor of my right to choose which side
shall feel the stubborn ounces of my weight.

That quote’s appeared in some form or fashion in every office I’ve occupied since that experience in 1999.  It’s pegged to a corkboard next to me right now.  And it will follow me to Chicago, where I look forward to placing my stubborn ounces on the scales of (access to) justice.   Thanks for reading this blog post for the past few years.  Let’s stay in touch.

Okay, the week’s news in very, very short:

• $800K in class action residuals going to Legal Aid of W. Missouri;
• a new social justice center at Temple Law (hey, I went to school there!);
• debate continues on how to fix the Show Me State’s public defense system;
• New York Law School offers scholarships to government employees;
• recap of recently passed ABA resolutions impacting ATJ;
• pay Montana public defenders more;
• California county bows to pressure and starts assigning defenders at felony arraignments;
• corporate pro bono in Canada;
• find more funding for Wisconsin’s public defense program;
• a Georgia county’s public defense program closes;
• the “business case for pro bono” is made outside the legal arena;
• some changes in providing legal aid to low-income seniors in N. California;
• Super Music Bonus!

The summaries:

• 2.14.13 – from a press release: “Legal Aid of Western Missouri has received nearly $800,000 in additional funding to help provide services to low-income families in the state.  The funds are residual proceeds from a class action lawsuit settled in 2011 titled Allen & Lande v. UMB Bank. The court-approved settlement was secured by plaintiffs’ attorneys from the law firms of Tycko & Zavareei LLP, Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP and Gray, Ritter & Graham, P.C. The Court’s order approving the settlement provided that settlement checks not presented by individual class members for payment within one year would be distributed to Legal Aid to carry out its charitable mission.”
  
• 2.14.13 – good things from my alma mater.  “The Temple University Beasley School of Law will use a $1.5 million donation to launch a center for social justice.The gift is from plaintiffs attorney Stephen Sheller and his wife, Sandra Sheller, an art and family therapist.  The Stephen and Sandra Sheller Center for Social Justice is slated to open in the spring. It will work with city agencies and nonprofit organizations that focus on social justice throughout the Philadelphia region in areas including civil liberties, consumer protection, the environment and disability rights.” (Short article from the National Law Journal.)

• 2.13.13 – this story’s password-protected, but FYI: “A bill that would transfer the majority of cases from the Missouri State Public Defender system to private attorneys was greeted with both support and skepticism at a House committee hearing Wednesday.”  (Story from the Columbia Missourian.)  And here are dueling op-eds re the state public defense system’s problems (both from St. Louis Public Radio):
  • 1.30.13 – law professor Michael Wolf says the system’s woes stem from a lack of resources;
  • 2.13.13 – prosecutor Jennifer Joyce lays blame at the feet of the system’s management.

• 2.12.13 – “Police, firefighters and other public workers in New York City now have the chance to land a free ride at New York Law School.
  Administrators have announced the Public Service Scholarship Program, which will pay full tuition to three public servants next fall and half-tuition scholarship to 12 more…  The scholarships are open to public workers at the city, state, or federal levels, and recipients may attend either full time or part time. Recipients will be selected based on their [LSAT] scores, their undergraduate grade-point averages and a ‘dedicated commitment to community service’.”  (Story from the National Law Journal.)

• 2.11.13 – recently passed ABA House of Delegates resolutions pertaining to indigent defense and civil legal aid issues:
  • from the ABA Journal: “Resolution 104A urges Congress to create and fund an independent, federally funded Center for Indigent Defense Services to help governments carry out their constitutional obligation to provide effective assistance to indigent defendants…. ”  Resolution 104C urges state lawmakers to pass laws that would prohibit firing a chief public defender or other indigent-services leader who limits acceptance of new clients in a good-faith effort to ensure competent representation.”
  • again, from the ABA Journal: “Resolution 10A approved by the ABA House of Delegates on Monday urges federal lawmakers to assure adequate funding for federal courts and the Legal Services Corp.”
• 2.11.13 – from the Treasure State: “[P]ublic defenders are paid far less than other state-employed attorney and county attorneys. The office has high turnover and high caseloads.  Turnover in the public defenders’ office has been more than 40 percent annually. According to testimony last week at a legislative hearing, public defenders routinely get 600 cases in their first year out of law school….  The appropriations subcommittee got the full picture of the importance of public defenders. We call on all lawmakers, especially those from Yellowstone County, the busiest defenders’ office in the state, to study this problem and help remedy it in the upcoming budget.”  (Editorial from the Billings Gazette.)

• 2.11.13 – “Public defense attorneys are now staffing felony arraignment courtrooms in Contra Costa County, where the prior absence of such attorneys spurred a federal class action lawsuit.  Contra Costa County’s former practice — not uncommon in cash-strapped and rural counties in the nation — was to assign defense attorneys to indigent criminal defendants after their initial court appearance. That meant that people who couldn’t afford bail would sit in jail for up to two weeks before a public attorney would appear at their side in court. Public Defender Robin Lipetzky said that the office had been fighting for money to have deputy public defenders appear at arraignments long before a local attorney in December filed suit in U.S. District Court in Oakland to force the issue. The lawsuit seeks damages for allegedly violating defendants’ Sixth Amendment right to counsel.”  (Full story from the Mercury News.)

• 2.11.13 –  corporate pro bono in Great White North.  The executive director of Pro Bono Law Alberta offers insight as to how and why corporate counsel to get involved in pro bono work.   (Full piece in Canadian Lawyer.)

• 2.10.13 – bolstering Badger State support for indigent defense: “The budget for the state public defender’s office is $83.4 million for fiscal 2013.  And that isn’t enough to keep up with demand.  For instance, the state has fallen behind in its payments to private attorneys who are hired to help handle cases at $40 per hour for in-court work. That rate doesn’t meet industry standard and doesn’t come close to the cost of running a law firm…  In addition, assistant state public defenders have been passed over for a system of pay raises that has been implemented for assistant district attorneys in our state.  The investments required to pay the bills on time and to treat staff equitably are relatively modest. But those moves are the right approach to support a system that is crucial to a fair trial and vital to living up to our constitutional requirements.”  (Full editorial in the Lacrosse Tribune.)

• 2.10.13 – “In a few months the Dougherty County Public Defenders’ Office will close as a cost saving measure.  Starting July 1st Dougherty County will no longer have public defenders on their payroll. It’s been decided that two already vacated public defender positions and two administrative jobs will go away….  Dougherty County’s Public Defenders’ Office has already begun the transition by hiring several contract workers. Officials say the next step is to talk with county leaders to find out how much money will be allotted for more contract positions.”  (Story from FOX 31 in Southwest Georgia.)

• 2.8.13 – this Q&A piece in the Huffington Post explores how Capitol One has incorporated pro bono into its culture, and highlights this accomplishment in the legal arena: “[L]ast year, a pro bono team of 15 volunteers from across Capital One’s IT, Legal, Communications, Supply Chain Management, Business Systems Analysis, and Brand teams partnered with the Virginia Legal community to create a technology solution, called JusticeServer, which matches low-income clients to volunteer attorneys offering pro bono legal services. The new tool came at a critical team for Legal Aid in Central Virginia, which had lost half their staff attorneys, while demand for their services increased by nearly 60 percent.”

• 2.8.13 – “A North Coast nonprofit is expanding its legal offerings to focus on seniors in Lake and Mendocino counties.  Legal Services of Northern California began offering the new services at the start of the year in order to fill the void left by the closure of the Lakeport-based Senior Law Project.The Senior Law Project, which had provided free legal services to seniors in Lake and Mendocino counties, closed after 30 years….”  (Story from the Lake County News.)

Super Music Bonus!  Long-distance drives are one of my true loves, and I’ve logged thousands of miles throughout the country.  I’m about to hop in a moving van and drive to Chicago.  (Driving a U-haul truck through Ohio and Indiana may not prove the most relaxing excursion, but you get my larger point.)  In a country of such size and geographic diversity, an American does herself a huge disservice by not taking the ground-level tour.

In 1995 the band Son Volt released the album “Trace.”  The band’s songwriter, Jay Farrar, was living in St. Louis.  Two bandmates were living in Minneapolis.  Farrar’s girlfriend was living New Orleans.   As a result the album’s writing and recording took place up and down the Mississippi River.  Trace has been referred to as a love poem to America’s mighty river.  And the lyrics reflect that.  The album’s opener is “Windfall.”  It’s a song about healthy restlessness, and the feeling of liberation that comes with movement.  (It’s also the song that taught me that Country & Western music can be cool.)  So here’s “Windfall.”  Cheers.

The mission of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence is based on the belief that it is too easy for dangerous people to access dangerous weapons in America. To fight against this, the Brady Center works on exposing corrupt gun dealers who participate in the illegal job market and hols them accountable in court. They also help strengthen law enforcement’s efforts to stop the illegal gun market, and educate the public about gun violence through grassroots mobilization and outreach to affected communities.

They are currently hiring a Staff Attorney for their Washington, D.C. office:

The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence’s Legal Action Project seeks an attorney to fill a Staff Attorney position with the organization. This is a rare opening in one of the nation’s most effective, cutting-edge public interest law practices.

The Brady Center is the nation’s leading non-profit public interest organization dedicated to preventing gun violence, and its Legal Action Project is the nation’s only public interest law group dedicated to fighting in the courts to reduce gun deaths and injuries. The Legal Action Project reforms the gun industry through high-impact, cutting-edge liability actions; defends gun laws and develops a body of Second Amendment law that respects the rights of Americans to protect their communities from gun violence; challenges laws that restrict sound gun violence prevent efforts; and advocates for strong, effective gun policies in reports, media, and other communications.

The Staff Attorney will serve as a member of the Brady Center’s Legal Action Project staff. S/he can expect a variety of direct, hands-on experiences and challenging, exciting opportunities to affect the law and public policy in the courts, legislatures, and media, while sharpening and using legal skills.
Responsibilities Include:

• Participating in litigation in suits representing gun violence victims and defending gun laws, including discovery, depositions, motions practice, briefs, trials, and appeals in courts throughout the country;

• Drafting amicus briefs in Second Amendment and other gun-related cases;

• Writing policy reports on gun laws, the gun industry, and other gun violence issues;

• Analyzing federal, state, and local gun legislation;

• Coordinating national program of pro bono lawyers;

• Preparing position papers and internet content;

• Working with coalitions of law enforcement, public health, and other groups seeking to prevent gun violence;

• Speaking with media, the public, victims, and lawmakers on Capitol Hill and in state and local governments;

• Performing other legal and factual research and writing and administrative support as needed.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. For more information, view the full job listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).

Empire State Fellowship is a full-time leadership training program created under the umbrella of the New New York Leaders Initiative, which is designed to prepare the next generation of professionals for careers as New York State policy-makers. Created under the leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo, Fellows will fully engage in the work of New York State government, and depending on a performance review, successful Fellows may have the opportunity to serve as state government leaders after completing the program.

From the PSJD job posting:

The incoming class of Empire State Fellows will serve from September 2013 to September 2015, and receive an annual salary commensurate with experience, not to exceed $72,765, plus a generous benefits package. At the end of the fellowship, a performance review process will identify fellows that will be given the opportunity to continue to serve as leaders in New York State government after completing the program.

Governor Cuomo will appoint each Empire Fellow to work directly with a Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, or other high-level policy maker. Work assignments will offer Fellows unparalleled experience collaborating with senior officials and participating in the policy-making process. While taking part in the work of government, Empire Fellows will participate in educational and professional development programs that will help them to serve as effective and ethical government leaders.

The deadline to apply is April 12, 2013. For more information on qualifications and application instructions, view the full job listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).

OneJustice was founded in 1979 by law students in response to the growing need to support those interested in using their legal skills in the nonprofit and government sectors. Previously called the Public Interest Clearinghouse until 2010, OneJustice has grown to resolve legal problems for millions of low-income Californians by removing barriers to justice.

OneJustice is currently hiring a staff attorney for their office in San Francisco. From the PSJD job posting:

OneJustice is hiring a Staff Attorney to develop and coordinate an exciting new pro bono collaboration in the San Francisco Bay Area aimed at providing vital legal help to communities that currently struggle to access such assistance. OneJustice is a statewide legal services nonprofit that expands legal help for underserved Californians. The Staff Attorney will join OneJustice’s Pro Bono Support Program, which develops, manages, and supports innovative projects that expand legal services available for Californians through the use of volunteers.

The Staff Attorney will be responsible for developing and managing an innovative new pro bono collaboration that will bring housing and immigration assistance to currently-underserved pockets of the Bay Area. Aiming to increase pro bono participation in the region, a community of law firms and legal services nonprofits have committed themselves to participating in the new project. OneJustice has been chosen as the coordinating entity for this program, and the Staff Attorney will be responsible for leading OneJustice’s efforts in mobilizing and preparing pro bono lawyers to help these underserved communities.

This Staff Attorney will work with partner legal services nonprofits and law firms to develop and manage pro bono attorney-staffed clinics delivering free legal assistance to targeted rural or isolated communities in the Bay Area. The clinics will assist low-income clients with housing law issues, applications for the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) program, and possibly other legal issues (as determined by collaboration partners). This is a full-time, exempt position. The Staff Attorney will report to the Senior Staff Attorney leading OneJustice’s statewide Pro Bono Support Program. The position is located in OneJustice’s San Francisco office. Significant travel by car within the Bay Area is required.

OneJustice is inviting applicants with a passion for using pro bono delivery to expand legal help and a minimum of 3 years experience (or equivalent). Click here to view the full job posting at PSJD.org (log-in required).

Riverkeeper is a member-supported watchdog organization dedicated to defending the Hudson River and its tributaries and protecting the drinking water supply of New York City and Hudson Valley residents. Housed 30 minutes from New York City at the Pace Law School Environmental Litigation Clinic in White Plains, NY, Riverkeeper’s Watershed Program focuses on protecting the Croton, Catskill, and Delaware Watersheds that supply clean, unfiltered drinking water to nine million New Yorkers.

From the PSJD job posting:

Riverkeeper’s Watershed Team is seeking legal interns to work directly with the Watershed Program in our office at the Pace Law School Environmental Litigation Clinic in White Plains, New York. Our legal interns are involved in every aspect of our program and gain hands-on experience enforcing environmental laws, investigating pollution complaints, reviewing proposed development projects, and drafting legal documents. Legal interns will participate in weekly staff meetings and case review sessions and may also attend meetings and public hearings with government agencies, elected officials, and local community groups. We are seeking legal interns for summer 2013; specific beginning and end dates are flexible.

Riverkeeper prefers applicants who have completed at least two years of law school, although we will consider applications from exceptional first year students. We seek independent and motivated students with a commitment to environmental protection and an ability to handle a diverse caseload. Applicants should have a working knowledge of environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act and the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act. A background in planning or science is a plus. Strong research and writing skills, organized work habits, and a sense of humor are a must.

The internship has a rolling deadline. For more information on funding summer public interest opportunities, check out our Summer Funding Resources list. To view the full job posting, click here (log-in required).

Georgetown Law’s Office of Public Interest & Community Service posted info about what prospective NY bar applicants need to know regarding the new 50-hour pro bono requirement.  The post includes links to FAQs and other resources.  (While a little bit of the content is directed specifically at G’town students, most content is of use to everybody.)

While we’re on the topic, here’s an oldie-but-goodie, “How Pro Bono Can Help You as  a Law Student,” which we came across on the Twitters.

Life is good in the Emerald City and Columbia Legal Services is hiring!

Columbia Legal Services seeks an attorney with experience in child welfare, education, or juvenile justice cases.
The position is full-time and will be located in Seattle or time can be split between Seattle and Olympia if residence is in between.
The CYP attorney will help with the Project’s cases and other advocacy, splitting time between litigation and other policy advocacy. The attorney will:

1. Work with a team of attorneys on complex litigation or appeals and policy advocacy;
2. Be available to travel occasionally around the state as well as spend some time in Olympia during the legislative session.

…

Applicants must be members of the Washington State Bar or seek admission as soon as possible after employment.

Read the full posting on PSJD (login required).