The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has an international mandate to protect refugees – people who have fled their country of origin due to a well founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or belonging to a particular social group.

The Regional Legal Unit (RLU) for the Americas is located in San Jose, Costa Rica and works in four main areas: Media and Public Affairs, Protection Advice and Support, Policy Development, and Capacity Skills Development and Knowledge Management in the Americas. Within these four areas, some of the main functions include the monitoring and update of the Spanish and Portuguese websites, identification of Good Practices, workshops (both internal and external), support to university professors, monitoring of mixed migration flows, and identification of protection needs.

The RLU for the UNHCR is currently accepting applications for its 6-month legal internship in Costa Rica. The internship position provides an invaluable opportunity to gain first-hand experience in a dynamic and high caliber multicultural team on the region’s most recent trends and developments in refugee studies. It provides experience in the preparation of internal and external documents, as well as a window into the complexities that face asylum seekers in the Americas today.

Applicants must have: a law degree; familiarity with and/or an interest in refugee law, human rights, and international law; excellent communication, drafting, and organizing skills; and fluency in English and Spanish.

The deadline to apply is October 28, 2012. For more information, view the full listing at PSJD.org (log-in required)!

Below are some of the best opportunities posted on PSJD.org this week. Today’s weekly jobs round-up includes academic, criminal, electoral/voting rights, employment, environmental, family law/domestic violence, health, human rights, immigration, LGBT rights, and reproductive rights positions. The deadlines are next to the job, internship, or fellowship title. To view more, visit PSJD.org and search our database! Log-in is required to view the listings posted below.

ACADEMIC

Rutgers School of Law – Postgraduate Fellow, Special Education Clinic, 10/31/2012

UC Berkeley – Executive Director, Human Rights Center, 10/12/2012

University of District of Columbia, David Clarke School of Law – Director, Low Income Taxpayers Clinic, 10/31/2012

CRIMINAL LAW

ACLU NY – Summer 2013 Legal Internship, Criminal Law Reform Project, 12/15/2012

Michigan State Appellate Defender Office – DNA Project Attorney, 10/26/2012

Vera Institute of Justice – Entry Level Staff Attorney, Rolling

ELECTORAL/VOTING RIGHTS

ACLU NY – Staff Attorney, Voting Rights Project, Rolling

EMPLOYMENT LAW

AFL-CIO – Fellowship Program, Rolling

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

EarthJustice San Francisco – Associate Attorney, Rolling

Earthjustice San Francisco – Foreign Environmental Attorney, Rolling

Environmental Defense Fund – Director, Mississippi River Delta Project, Rolling

FAMILY LAW/DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Break the Cycle DC – Staff Attorney, 10/30/2012

D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence – Spring 2013 Policy Law Clerk, 11/01/2012

Lawyers for Children, Inc. – Attorney for Children, Rolling

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services – Family Law Lead Attorney, 10/13/2012

HEALTH

American Diabetes Association – PT Legal Advocate, Rolling

Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program – Staff Attorney, TX Medical-Legal Partnership, 10/05/2012

North Carolina General Assembly – Medicaid/Mental Health Staff Attorney, 10/23/2012

Urban Justice Center – 2013 Summer Law Internship, Mental Health Project, Rolling

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services – Attorney, Office of General Counsel, 11/01/2012

HUMAN RIGHTS

American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative – Human Rights & Gender Specialist (Jordan), 07/01/2013

Iran Human Rights Documentation Center – Human Rights Lawyer, Rolling

Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict – Partnerships and Global Advocacy Intern, 10/05/2012

IMMIGRATION

ACLU California – Staff Attorney, Immigrant Rights Project, Rolling

Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project – 2013 Summer Internships, Rolling

U.S. Department of Justice – Legal Internship, Office of Immigration Litigation, Rolling

LAW RELATED POSITIONS

New York Attorney General – Economic Research Analyst, Rolling

Rockefeller Family Fund – Program Officer, Rolling

LGBT RIGHTS

ACLU NY – Spring 2013 Legal Internship, LGBT & AIDS Project, 12/01/2012

WOMEN/REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Center for Reproductive Rights – 2013 Global Legal Program Summer Internship, 11/26/2012

Center for Reproductive Rights – Mid-to-Senior Level Staff Attorney, 10/31/2012

By: Steve Grumm

Bipartisan Bird. Big Bird kickin’ it with former first lady Pat Nixon.

Happy Friday, folks.   I hope your week is closing out well.  From my perch here in Washington, DC I’m looking out at a beautiful October morning.  Well, truth be told I’m looking out at an office building alleyway, a dumpster, a frozen yogurt place, and the guy in the office across the alley with whom I have a sort of awkward, and very quiet, relationship.  Nevertheless it is a nice day. 

What’s happened this week in the world of access to justice?  The Legal Services Corporation released a report from its pro bono task force.  There are two birthdays, one for a law school clinic and one for a legal aid organization.  Indigent defense caseloads continue making headlines throughout the country.  And more…

The news in very, very brief:

• show me new public defender caseload limits in Missouri;
• happy b-day, LANC;
• short on capital defenders in the bayou;
• a call for more legal-aid funding from the NY gov’t.;
• LSC’s Pro Bono Task Force report;
• LSC board meeting and an op-ed from its chair;
• former law school dean to administer NY’s new pro bono requirement;
• the importance of legal aid in serving domestic violence victims;
• happy b-day to a UC Davis clinic;
• new WA public-defender caseload limits cause stir among one county’s contract defenders;
• what is BABSEA CLE?;
• super music bonus!

The summaries:

• 10.4.12 – here is a trio of stories about how the criminal justice community is reacting to newly effective caseload limits in some Missouri public defenders’ offices:
  • from St. Louis Public Radio: “Several public defender offices around the state have notified courts they will not be taking cases beyond their maximum caseload this month.  The 18 offices around Missouri include ones in St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson City and Springfield.  In St. Louis instead of turning away all cases public defenders met with the 22ndCircuit Court and the Circuit Attorney’s office to craft a different solution. Director Mary Fox says the circuit’s presiding judge then issued an administrative order that the public defender’s St. Louis office will no longer take cases involving certain non-violent crimes.”
  • a Columbia Daily-Tribune piece looks at what’s happening in Boone County, where overwhelming caseloads several months ago led to supreme court action to take action: “The 13th Judicial Circuit has agreed on a protocol for assigning private attorneys to overflow public defender cases, and those attorneys will be assigned cases at the end of the month.  Public defenders in the circuit, which includes Boone and Callaway counties, today began transferring to an assignment docket misdemeanor cases as well as misdemeanor and felony probation cases of qualified clients not incarcerated….  The enactment of today’s protocol, however, is not a long-term solution. The Missouri Bar and the Missouri State Public Defender will be seeking additional funding for more attorneys and resources when the Missouri General Assembly gathers later this year.” 
  • same thing from this password-protected Columbia Missourian piece: “Monday marked the first day the Boone County Public Defender’s office operated under a monthly 1,727-hour caseload restriction.” 
  • 10.4.12 – Legal Aid of North Carolina has hit the big 5-0.  Here’s some coverage from the Winston-Salem Chronicle.

• 10.3.12 – short on capital defenders in Louisiana.  “East Baton Rouge Public Defender Mike Mitchell says his office is in ‘crisis.’ He says the office cannot accept any new death penalty cases…  In Louisiana, death penalty cases must be tried by lawyers who are certified to try those type of cases. Mitchell says he cannot accept any new cases because he has 7 current and 15 pending.”  (Story from WAFB.)

• 10.3.12 – an Albany Times-Union editorial calls on the state government to find more legal aid funding: “A major mechanism for funding legal aid in New York is the Interest on Lawyer Account Fund, which draws revenue from interest on some bank accounts set up by lawyers on behalf of clients. As interest rates on those accounts have plunged, from 2.25 percent in 2007 to just .25 percent, so has its annual revenue, from $31.7 million to just $6.5 million.  Indeed, when all government and private sources are added up, funding for civil legal aid has plummeted from $261 million three years ago to $223 million this past year.  Meanwhile, the need has soared, as more and more people struggle to keep their homes, obtain public assistance to feed their families, or get what’s due them from unemployment insurance.”

• 10.2.12 – the Legal Services Corporation’s blue-ribbon Pro Bono Task Force has issued a much anticipated report, laying out the need for increased pro bono work, and calling for specific actions from various actors in the legal community.  Here’s a summary of the reports recommendations, here’s the full report, and here’s a list of the task force members.

• 10.1.12 – with the LSC board meeting in North Carolina, board chair John Levy penned this op-ed in the Charlotte News Observer: “LSC’s programs throughout North Carolina and the rest of the country are increasingly overwhelmed with requests for help. As a result of the recession, nearly one in five Americans – 61 million people – now qualify for LSC-funded civil legal assistance because they live at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty guideline. That is an all-time high.   As demand has been rising, the combined funding for LSC programs from federal, state, local and all other sources has dropped from $960 million in 2010 to $878 million in 2012…. The circumstances in North Carolina mirror the national trend. More than 21 percent of North Carolinians now qualify for help from Legal Aid of North Carolina, but LANC is facing a 14 percent drop in funding from all sources this year.   Last fall, budget cuts forced LANC to shutter three field offices in largely rural areas and eliminate nearly 30 staff positions, impacting services in 11 counties. The budget crunch has also forced LANC to impose a salary and hiring freeze since 2008 and to narrow the kinds of cases it will accept.”

• 10.1.12 – – in the Empire State, Touro Law’s former dean is tapped to oversee implementation of the new rule that will require 50 hours of pro bono service in order to become licensed to practice.  “Lawrence Raful, the former dean of Touro Law Center on Long Island, has been appointed by Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman to oversee implementation of a new rule that all applicants to the New York bar first prove they have completed at least 50 hours of pro bono activities (NYLJ, Sept. 20).  Raful will be the Unified Court System’s “point person” in dealing with law schools, law firms, legal services providers and others who have questions about the new requirement, said Paul Lewis, chief of staff to first deputy state administrative judge Lawrence Marks.” (Story from the New York Law Journal.)

• 9.30.12 – October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  In Tennessee, a Legal Aid Society attorney emphasizes the importance of legal aid in supporting DV victims.  “Studies show that the most effective way to end the cycle of abuse is to help victims become independent of their abusers. Low-income victims often remain in abusive marriages or relationships because they can’t afford the legal assistance needed to get a divorce or an order of protection. A victim who understands that she can get an order of protection, divorce, job training, affordable housing and child care will have the confidence and courage to leave an abuser and become a stable, independent member of the community.”  (Full op-ed in The Tennessean.)

• 9.29.12 – happy 30^th to the Immigration Law Clinic at UC Davis Law: “Founded in 1982, the clinic was the first in the nation to train law students to represent non-citizens in immigration court, said Dean Kevin Johnson.  Guided by supervising attorneys, about 30 law students per semester have represented clients from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Jamaica, Romania, Fiji, Laos, Cambodia, India, China and the Philippines.”  (Here’s a brief profile in the Sacramento Bee.)

• 9.29.12 – there’s all sorts of confusion in one Washington State county in the wake of a state high court order which will place caseload limits on public defenders.  In Benton County, a handful of contracted defenders handed in resignations – which may have been a form of protest –but then reconsidered.  “A Benton County public defense attorney who tried to rescind his resignation during a contract dispute has filed for an injunction to keep his job. Six of the county’s nine public defenders recently submitted letters of resignation following a stalemate in negotiations about new caseload restrictions mandated by the state Supreme Court. Four of the attorneys later rescinded their resignations, but it’s not clear if Benton County commissioners knew that when they voted this week to accept the resignations of Dan Arnold, Kevin Holt, Scott Johnson, Sal Mendoza Jr., Gary Metro and Larry Zeigler.”  (Story from the Tri-City Herald.)

• 9.29.12 – here’s an interesting piece on an American lawyer who runs a nonprofit training Southeast Asian lawyers on representing impoverished clients in countries where relatively weak rule-of-law protections can leave those on the economic margins on the justice system’s margins as well.  “Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia Community Legal Education Initiative (BABSEA CLE), a nonprofit Lasky cofounded about a decade ago, trains young lawyers across the Asia-Pacific region to defend the powerless, even though law schools here typically place little emphasis on helping vulnerable groups.  Lasky’s organization has worked with more than 40 universities in nine Asia-Pacific countries to develop programs that teach lawyers to understand the need to provide legal services to at-risk communities.”  (Story from the Alaska Dispatch.)

Music! Last Sunday I attended a Unitarian Universalist service which included a “dedication” ceremony for my little cousin, Matthew Patrick Clowry.  (My roots are in Catholicism, so I’d liken a dedication ceremony to a christening.)  It was a lovely experience, the only downside for me being that Matthew, who is a year old, fidgeted less than I did during the service.  Some habits we do not lose.  In any event the service closed with an inspiring and pretty song that was new to me.  So here’s Nina Simone’s take on “I Wish I Could Know What It Means to Be Me”, which is a nice way to start a day.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & AIDS Project in the Center for Liberty at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded to create a society in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and people with HIV enjoy the basic rights of equality, privacy and personal autonomy, and freedom of belief, expression and association. Housed at the ACLU’s National Headquarters in New York City, the LGBT & Aids Project strives to protect the rights of their clients, so they can live open and honest lives without fear of discrimination or abuse. The LGBT & AIDS Project also ensures there is equal and fair treatment in employment, schools, health care, housing and public places and programs through impact litigation in state and federal courts throughout the county, focusing on cases that are designed to have a significant effect on the lives of LGBT people and those with HIV/AIDS.

The ACLU’s LGBT & AIDS Project is currently accepting applications for its Summer 2013 Legal Internship. From the PSJD job listing:

The Summer 2013 Legal Internship offers Legal Interns the opportunity to work on all aspects of litigation.  The Internship requires a 10-12 week commitment and is full-time. Legal Interns will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience by working alongside the LGBT and AIDS Project team.  Interns will gain experience by:

• Conducting factual and legal research.

• Assisting in the drafting of pleadings, briefs and other litigation documents.

• Researching and drafting materials for public education.

• Researching prospects for new litigation, including both factual and legal claims.

The deadline to apply is December 1, 2012. For more information, view the full listing at PSJD.org (log-in required)!

Hogar Immigrant Services, a program at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, helps immigrants become self-sufficient and productive members of American society through bilingual outreach programs. Such programs include: naturalization classes; immigration legal services; citizenship classes; English as a Second Language (ESL) classes; and networking opportunities. These services implement the Church’s commitment to social justice, and Hogar’s mission is to offer a wide range of programs at little or no cost to vulnerable immigrant populations without regard to religious or ethnic identity.

Hogar Immigrant Services is currently looking for a full-time staff attorney to join its office in Arlington, VA. From the PSJD listing:

The Staff Attorney will prepare cases for submission to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of State, Immigration Court and Board of Immigration Appeals.  She/he will represent clients before the USCIS Washington District Office, Arlington Asylum Office, ICE Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, Immigration Court and Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), including removal proceedings. The Staff Attorney will coordinate all aspects of a client’s case, including client communication, relevant research, drafting personal statements, preparing immigration forms, writing briefs, drafting court motions and orders, and advocacy with law enforcement and other agencies.

For more information on qualifications, duties, and application instructions, view the full listing at PSJD.org (log-in required)!

The Michigan State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) recently received a two-year grant from the Department of Justice’s Post-Conviction DNA Testing Assistance Program, allowing the Michigan SADO office to evaluate, from a defense perspective, the 11,000 untested sexual assault kits discovered in the Detroit Police Department storage in 2009. The DNA Project will determine whether any of the untested kits could exonerate an actually innocent individual previously convicted without DNA analysis.

The DNA Project attorney will be located in the Detroit office, and will manage and implement the project from December 1, 2012 – December 1, 2014. In addition to working with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to identify which sexual assault kits are connected to previously adjudicated cases, the DNA Project Attorney will:

• Consult with previously adjudicated defendants and investigate their cases to select sexual assault kits for DNA testing;
• Work with DNA experts and independent labs to implement the testing process;
• Negotiate with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and litigate post conviction motions on the testing process and the response to results;
•  Work with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and other stakeholders on the response to the discovery of the sexual assault kits; and,
• Train Wayne County criminal defense attorneys on proper use of DNA evidence at trial.

For more information on qualifications, application instructions, and salary, check out the full listing at PSJD.org (log-in required). The deadline to apply is October 26th.

By: Steve Grumm

I WANT YOU…to contemplate the Presidential Management Fellows Program as a viable postgraduate career option. THANK YOU.

My friend Hillary Exter at Fordham Law passed along a PMF article from Federal Computer Week – because that’s where everybody goes for the latest PMF news.  Nice find, Hillary!

The article, “Management fellowship program strives to demystify application process”, provides a heads-up about a new resource for prospective PMFs:

The application process has “traditionally been one of those things out there no one knew about — a black box,” said Bo Kemper, executive director of the Robertson Foundation for Government, a nonprofit that focuses on identifying, educating, and motivating top U.S. graduate students to pursue federal government careers.

 

The foundation set out to shed some light on the nuts and bolts of the application process and create an online resource for candidates. After teaming up with social networking site GovLoop and working for a few months, the organizations launched PathtoPMF.com as an interactive go-to guide for those in the various stages of the PMF process.

 

The website offers various resources for applicants, and considers the many ways media can be consumed, whether it’s a PDF guide, a video or a blog. The Managing the Application Process Guide provides advice based on video and podcast interviews with more than 60 current and past PMFs, nearly a dozen career advisers, and several federal agency program coordinators.

Based in Austin, TX, Disability Rights Texas (DRT) is a legal services organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities understand and exercise their rights under the law, ensuring their full and equal participation in society. With a mixture of attorneys and advocates, DRT provides direct legal assistance for those facing discrimination because of their disabilities; protects the rights of the disabled through court action; advocates for laws and policies that advance the rights of the disabled; and informs the public about disability rights.

From the PSJD job listing:

The Team Attorney is responsible for receiving rights violations complaints, providing legal services and determining eligibility for Disability Rights Texas client services within agency policies and priorities – as it generally relates to the assigned team. This includes interviewing clients, reviewing records, conducting legal research, negotiating outcomes, and representing clients in administrative hearings and in state and federal judicial proceedings. This position provides legal assistance, direction and supervision of the Advocate’s case work, when appropriate. The Issue Team Attorney also provides education and training sessions about the legal rights of people with disabilities for people with disabilities, parents, advocates, and professionals/service providers and the community.

The position requires a Texas law license or a willingness to obtain a Texas law license, at least three years experience working with people with disabilities and a willingness to travel, among other qualifications. DRT prefers applicants who can speak both Spanish and English.

For more information about this position, view the full listing on PSJD.org (log-in required).

It’s been a busy week in the world of public interest law jobs. Below are just a fraction of the opportunities posted on PSJD.org this week. To view more, visit PSJD.org and search our database! Log-in is required to view the listings posted below.

ACADEMIC

• Chapman University School of Law – Immigration Clinical Professor, Rolling

• City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law – Associate Dean of Clinical Programs, Rolling

• Duke University School of Law – International Human Rights Clinical Professor of Law, 10/29/2012

• University of California, Berkeley – Executive Director, Human Rights Center, 10/12/2012

CIVIL RIGHTS/LEGAL AID

• ACLU NY – Summer 2013 Legal Internship, Racial Justice Program, 12/15/2012

• Brennan Center for Justice – Spring 2013 Legal Internship, 01/15/2013

• Brooklyn Family Defense Project, Legal Service NYC – Staff Attorney, Rolling

• Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation – Staff Attorney, Rolling

• Virginia Legal Aid Society of Suffolk – Attorney, Rolling

CRIMINAL LAW

• ACLU DC – Summer/Spring 2013 Legal Internship, National Prison Project, Rolling

• ACLU NY – Summer 2013 Legal Internship, Criminal Law Reform Project, 12/15/2012

• Bronx Defenders – Summer Legal Internship, 02/01/2913

• U.S. Attorney’s Office – Western District of New York (Buffalo) – Summer 2013 Law Clerk, 12/31/2012

• Vera Institute of Justice (NY) – Entry Level Staff Attorney, Rolling

ELECTORAL/VOTING RIGHTS

• ACLU NY – Staff Attorney, Voting Rights Program, Rolling

ENVIRONMENTAL

• EarthJustice San Francisco – Associate Attorney, Rolling

• EarthJustice San Francisco – Foreign Environmental Attorney Fellowship, Rolling

• Environmental Defense Fund DC – Director, Mississippi River Delta Project, Rolling

HUMAN RIGHTS

• Human Rights Watch Los Angeles – Childrens’ Rights Division Internship, 10/05/12

• Iran Human Rights Documentation Center – Human Rights Lawyer, Rolling

IMMIGRATION

• ACLU NY – Staff Attorney, Immigrants’ Rights Project, Rolling

• ACLU San Francisco – Staff Attorney, Immigrants’ Rights Project, Rolling

• Legal Aid Society’s Employment Law Center – Summer 2013 Law Clerkship, National Origin Program, Rolling

PUBLIC HEALTH

• Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, Inc. – Staff Attorney, TX Children’s Medical-Legal Partnership, 10/05/2012

• Urban Justice Center – 2013 Summer Law Internship, Mental Health Project, Rolling

PUBLIC POLICY

• Lawyers Alliance for New York – Senior Policy Counsel, 10/31/2012

WOMEN/REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

• Center for Reproductive Rights – 2013 Global Legal Program Summer Internship, 11/26/2012

By: Steve Grumm

Happy Friday, ladies and gents.  At the beginning of this month, I preemptively lamented the summer humidity that has stretched into recent Septembers.  The public interest news bulletin gods – and they are fearsome, powerful deities – must have been in a mood to accommodate.  While a bit muggy today, the weather this month has been beautiful.  I have this morning paid tribute to the news bulletin gods through the ritual consumption of an everything bagel.  So we’ve got that working for us.

I’ll begin this week’s bulletin by highlighting new NALP research which looks at the fluctuations in entry-level civil legal aid jobs over the past few years.  The picture is muddied by the increase in law-school-funded postgraduate placements in civil legal aid offices.  The upshot: “Based on…job counts alone, entry-level job prospects in civil legal services would appear to be doing just fine in recent years, with twice as many jobs reported as 12-15 years ago, and a far cry from a low of just over 300 jobs reported in 2000. But these figures do not…square with well-publicized reports of cutbacks in funding in general for legal services….  It turns out that law school funding played a major role in generating legal services jobs taken by the Class of 2011, with 44% of these jobs (or 324 actual jobs) reported as law school funded….  This means that, absent such funding, there would have been only about 400 legal services jobs, or about as many as in the early 2000s – coincidentally years in which the level of LSC funding, in real terms, was about the same as in 2011.”  Here’s the full article.

And while I don’t have time to weigh in on this issue, here’s an interesting blog post positing that the federal Income Based Repayment program could become the norm for how future law graduates manage their educational debt, and wondering whether that’s tenable or prudent policy.

On to the week’s access to justice and public interest news, which is bookended by law school clinical work.  The week in very, very short:

• a UT Law children’s rights clinic involved in a new community initiative to help at-risk youth;
• Yakima, WA officials sort out new public-defender caseload limits;
• DOJ to issue ~$3 million in grants in support of indigent defense;
• pushback on the much-discussed NY State 50-hour pro bono rule;
• MO moves toward implementing public-defender caseloads;
• LSC TIG grants, or “fun with abbreviations!”;
• CLASP’s ED outlines the basics of the civil legal aid funding crisis;
• butting heads over Michigan legislative proposal to bolster indigent defense;
• civil legal aid funding news potpourri, NY State edition;
• reauthorize state funding for legal aid in Florida;
• APBCo hangs out with Vice President Biden;
• lots of chefs stirring the pot in new DC-based pro bono project;
• the funding woes of Community Legal Aid in western MA;
• a PA county favors bigtime changes to state’s indigent defense system;
• the strain on indigent defense resources in ND’s oil-boom territory;
• more on Washington State’s move toward indigent-defense caseload limits;
• the Immigrant Justice Clinic launches at Wisconsin Law;
• Super Music Bonus!

The news in less short:

• 9.27.12 – “The [University of Texas] Law School’s William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law and Children’s Rights Clinic have helped develop a multi-stakeholder pilot education reform project focused on youth entering the child welfare system in Travis County. The Education Advocacy Pilot Project, an initiative of the Travis County Model Court for Children and Families, launched last week and will continue through the 2012–2013 school year.  The Travis County Model Court for Children and Families is a multidisciplinary community initiative [to] facilitate systemic improvement of the court and child welfare systems. The Model Court works to improve outcomes for children and families…who are involved in civil suits filed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services as a result of findings of child abuse and neglect.”  (Press release from the University of Texas.)

• 9.27.12 – in Yakima, Washington – hey, I used to live there! – “…city leaders faced the reality of contracting up to 20 more public defenders and spending a million more of your tax-payer dollars” in order to comply with new defender caseload limits being imposed in the Evergreen State.  “But city leaders have a new plan to cut those costs dramatically.  ‘Having the prosecution unit actually do the charging versus the police officers and looking at a pretrial diversion program,’ said Yakima City Manager Tony O’Rourke.  This would give more discretion to city prosecutors on what cases are taken to court, without limiting the violations prosecuted.
  O’Rourke said as it stands now, Yakima police handle the majority of charging.”  (Story from KIMA’s website.)

• 9.26.12 – the Department of Justice “announced nearly $3 million in grants to improve access to criminal legal aid services….  The announcement of grants from the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) represent part of the Justice Department’s continuing efforts to ensure that all criminal defendants, regardless of ability to pay for an attorney, can be guaranteed their rights.   The grants are administered by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and National Institute of Justice (NIJ).” (Full press release on the Sacramento Bee’s website.)

• 9.26.12 – a commentator takes issue with New York’s new 50-hour pro bono requirement.  On top of the administrative burden that pro bono supervisors may shoulder in trying to facilitate more pro bono work, writes Matt Leichter, the rule constitutes yet another practice restriction added to an already dense set of rules for admitting lawyers.  Further, “pro bono” is defined too broadly, and law schools could have to spend more money (and charge more tuition) to administer new clinical and pro bono programs.  Finally, Leichter sees the rule’s creation as a cynical approach to addressing the plight of the poor.  Hmmm.  While I have some questions about the rule’s breadth and overall effectiveness, I think it’s fairly seen as a sign of the profession acknowledging barriers confronting the poor – not a bad thing since citizens’ access to the justice system can be effectively barred without financial means.  And after all, the judge who conceived of the rule has been one of the most vocal champions of increasing access to justice.  It’s hard for me to ascribe cynical motives to the rule’s adoption.  (Full piece in the American Lawyer.)

• 9.26.12 – more developments as Missouri public defenders move toward implementing caseload limits:
  • “Public Defenders Can Now Refuse Cases – But Seek Long-Term Solution” from Saint Louis Public Radio.
  • Earlier in the week a News Tribune editorial noted that the state high court’s latest intervention to prop up the overloaded public defender system “is systematic postponement, not a solution….  In the absence of tax dollars to hire additional state public defenders, a reasonable remedy is greater pro bono participation by private attorneys.”  The piece goes on to encourage the state bar to figure out play an active role in figuring out how to staff indigent defense matters.  (Here’s the full editorial.)
  • 9.22.12 – the Columbia Daily Tribune’s editor/publisher emeritus has an interesting solution: reduce the need for public defenders by legalizing drugs.

• 9.26.12 – “To improve access to civil legal assistance for low-income Americans, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) has announced new technology grants to increase access to Web-based resources, enhance pro bono, expand websites for veterans and disaster recovery, and – a new category this year – improve data collection and analysis.  Through its Technology Initiative Grants (TIG) program, LSC plans to award 43 grants in 2012, totaling more than $3.4 million. The grants will fund LSC grantee programs in 25 states and the territory of Guam.”  (Here’s the LSC announcement, and here are specifics on the how awardees will use the grants.  Good to see Guam on the list.  Rock on, Guam.)

• 9.25.12 – Alan Houseman of the Center for Law & Social Policy (CLASP) looks at the crisis in civil legal aid funding.  Houseman’s blog post presents a broad look at how legal aid funding originates from various sources, and how LSC funding in particular has recently stagnated.  (Here’s the post on the American Constitution Society’s blog.)

• 9.25.12 – in Michigan, a proposal in the state house to bring some uniformity to the county-by-county, patchwork indigent defense system has some state and local officials at odds. (Story from the Iron Mountain Daily News.)

• 9.24.12 – civil legal aid news potpourri out of New York:
  • “Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the grantees of the Homeowner Protection Program, his office’s commitment of $60 million over three years to fund housing counseling and legal services for struggling New York homeowners. Today’s announcement covers the first year of program funding at $20 million to aid struggling homeowners across the state who are fighting to avoid foreclosure and remain in their homes. Throughout New York State, 35 legal services organizations and 59 housing counseling agencies will receive over $16.1 million to provide free foreclosure prevention services. An additional $3.9 million has been allocated for training, technical assistance, and other support services to assist homeowners in foreclosure.”  (Full post from Albany Times Union blog. And here’s a related piece from the Buffalo News looking at how the funding will be administered in Western New York.)
  • “The State Department of Aging, the State Office of Court Administration and the New York State Bar Association are teaming up to help senior citizens and state residents with disabilities afford legal services…. The collaboration will develop a strategy using existing resources, including pro bono programs, to target the needs of older adults and individuals with disabilities. The plan also calls for a “think group” of attorneys, judges, health care professionals and experts on aging and disabilities. An interactive Web site is expected to be launched to help raise awareness, provide education, and increase accessibility to low-cost legal services.” (Story from the Legislative Gazette.)
  • “Neighborhood Legal Services of Buffalo, working with Haven House and the Bar Association of Erie County’s Volunteer Lawyers Project, has been awarded a $497,847 grant through the U.S. Justice Department’s Legal Assistance to Victims Grant Program to continue in its work to aid Buffalo-area victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking, Sen. Charles E. Schumer announced….  [T]he grant will help Neighborhood Legal Services in supporting four attorneys to provide direct legal services for victims….”  (Story from the the Buffalo News.)

• 9.24.12 – an editorial from Panama City, Florida’s News Herald laments the state of legal aid funding in FLA, and calls on the governor to pony up: “Funding for legal assistance for the poor and financially troubled has hit rock-bottom all across Florida.  In April, Gov. Rick Scott vetoed about $2 million in state funding for legal assistance centers. It was money that would have helped fund a lot of attorney hours for the poor. It was a relatively small budget item that could have had a significant impact on legal services for people who can’t afford to hire a lawyer.  Scott should rethink the state contribution to legal aid centers, either through next year’s budget recommendations or as a request to a legislative commission with the authority to make mid-year budget changes.”

• 9.24.12 – “On Wednesday, September 19, 2012, the Board of Directors of the Association of Pro Bono Counsel (“APBCo”) and senior management from board members’ firms met with Vice President Biden and White House staff…in Washington D.C.  The Vice President convened the meeting to focus on access to justice issues and the role that pro bono counsel at law firms play in the delivery of legal services to the poor….  The participants committed to a long-term project to improve law firm efforts to expand access to justice, and the Vice President commended their commitment to increasing pro bono services.”  Here’s the full press release.  Shout out(!) to David Lash and my other APBCo friends.  Hobnobbing with the Veep, who is, I suppose, the Phillies Fan-in-Chief.  Pretty cool.

• 9.23.12 – Skadden Arps is at the center of a new, Washington, DC pro bono project that engages three legal aid offices – the Legal Aid Society, the Children’s Law Center, and Bread for the City – as well as corporate counsel from Living Social, Northrop Grumman, and Cisco Systems.  The Impact Project ”is structured so that lawyers from the firm and the companies can join one of three teams — domestic violence, guardianship (guardians are court-appointed lawyers who look out for the interest of children in divorce, child abuse and other proceedings) or housing — and be trained by staff attorneys from legal aid organizations in those areas of the law. Skadden’s technology specialists are also building an intranet that will have training materials, relevant laws and sample documents that can be accessed at any time.” (Story from the Washington Post.)

• 9.23.12 – a Worcester Telegram article looks at the funding woes of Community Legal Aid, which serves clients in Western Massachusetts.

• 9.23.12 – “The Northampton County Bar Association last week joined colleagues throughout the state by endorsing a series of changes that would drastically alter the way criminal cases are defended in Pennsylvania.  By unanimous vote Thursday night, the bar recommended 10 principles that should be required of public defenders.  The standards, which were already approved by the American, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia bar associations, include requiring public defenders to continue to receive training after law school and to be reviewed by their supervisors, and they set limits on how many cases they can be assigned…. As of now, Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that does not provide funding to public defenders, according to a study [from a state legislative committee] released in December.” (Story from the Express–Times of beautiful Lehigh Valley, PA.)

• 9.23.12 – the indigent defense system, such as it is, in western North Dakota’s oil-boom territory is stretched thin.  (Story from the Oil Patch Dispatch website.  Great name!)

• 9.22.12 – Three of the six Benton County public defenders who resigned earlier this month in a contract dispute have decided to keep representing poor court-appointed clients [by withdrawing their resignations]…. The resignations stem from a stalemate in negotiations with the county about new caseload restrictions mandated by the state Supreme Court.  The justices, in a 7-2 vote earlier this year, said full-time public defenders can take no more than 150 felony cases each year or 300 misdemeanor cases.  In Benton County, attorneys previously negotiated a 150-case cap on their contracts. They get paid $82,105 a year.”  (Story from the Tri-City Herald.)

• 9.21.12 – The University of Wisconsin is stepping into a new service area, with the launching this semester of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the UW Law School.  The clinic…will provide free representation to people fighting deportation, [according to] clinic director and assistant professor Stacy Taeuber.  The students will focus on undocumented immigrants being held in detention for federal immigration authorities at the Dodge County Jail, which is where people taken into custody in the Madison area typically are sent.  (Full article from the Cap Times of Madison.)

• Super music bonus!  One of my favorite indie rock bands was Uncle Tupelo, the now-lauded trio that combined the energy of punk rock with the songwriting and accompanying instrumentation of country-western music.  Sounds like a poor marriage, right?  It worked out remarkably well, though, and spurred the Americana musical movement of the 1990s.  What did not ultimately work out was the artistic marriage of the band’s two singer-songwriters.  Uncle Tupelo split amidst risen personal tension in 1993.  Jeff Tweedy went on to lead the critically acclaimed Wilco.  Jay Farrar hewed more closely to the singer-songwriter mold, founding his on-again-off-again project Son Volt.  Here’s one of my favorite Son Volt songs, which combines a pretty melody with some engagingly metaphorical lyrics.  Enjoy “Medicine Hat.”