The deadline for the DOJ’s prestigious Attorney General’s Honors Program is approaching.  Apps are due on Sept. 6.  As for eligibility, here are some of the basics:

I WANT YOU to apply on time. Do I look like I'm kidding?

Eligibility is generally limited to graduating law students and recent law school graduates who entered judicial clerkships, graduate law programs, or qualifying legal fellowships within 9 months of law school graduation and who meet additional eligibility requirements.

More eligibility info and further details about the application process are available on the DOJ’s Legal Careers pages. 

Good luck to applicants!

The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) is currently accepting applications from third-year law students, judicial law clerks, or recent law school graduates who are seeking a sponsoring organization for a post-graduate fellowship starting in September 2012. 

CRL was created in 2002 to protect homeownership and family wealth by working to eliminate predatory lending and other abusive financial practices. CRL is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and policy organization that promotes responsible lending practices and access to fair terms of credit for low-wealth families.  CRL’s litigation team co-counsels a wide variety of consumer protection cases in state and federal courts.

CRL is an affiliate of Self-Help, a community development lender founded in 1980 that creates and protects ownership opportunities for low-wealth families through home and small business ownership. It has provided over $6 billion dollars in financing to help over 50,000 low-wealth borrowers buy homes, build businesses and strengthen community resources.

Applicants may propose their own project or work with CRL’s litigation team to jointly craft a project.  CRL is particularly interested in sponsoring projects relating to any of the following issues:  (1) abusive auto lending and/or repossession practices; (2) monitoring and challenging attempts by national banks or state housing creditors to preempt state laws in the wake of Dodd-Frank; (3) projects that focus on abusive lending practices within particular communities (e.g., military households, elderly, minority communities, or particular geographic areas); (4) abusive practices in connection with reverse mortgages.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions (login required).

Harrisburg, the capital City of Pennsylvania, is accepting applications for the position of City Solicitor.  This position performs professional legal services for the City of Harrisburg and does related work as required.  This is a diverse practice involving legal advice, trial case work and legislation drafting in all phases of municipal government. This position must exercise considerable independent judgment in preparation of cases, legal research and interaction with the public as well as government officials.  The City Solicitor works under the general supervision of the Mayor.  This is a management, FLSA-exempt position.

Qualified applicants must have a minimum four (4) years experience in the private or public sector practicing law in the following areas: litigation, bankruptcy, municipal law, land use and administrative law.   Must possess a Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school and be admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar.  Eligibility to practice law in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals is preferred or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required skills and abilities. Must have administrative and supervisory experience.  The successful candidate must establish residency within the corporate limits of the City of Harrisburg within one year from date of hire.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions (login required).

By: Steve Grumm

The economy and legal employment market being what they are, we don’t always have good news for law students on public interest career paths.  Our weekly news bulletin often relays stories of budget and/or job cuts with nonprofit and government law offices.  (Although we still feel strongly that law students should read this news so that they can keep their finger on the pulse of the market and identify new opportunities that may exist.)

So it’s with no small measure of delight that we pass along word of efforts to bolster the indigent defense network in Massachusetts with fresh hires.  From the Milford Daily News:

Leaders of the state’s public defender system will soon detail a plan to hire more staff attorneys to represent the poor and contract less of that work to about 3,000 private lawyers across Massachusetts.

The cost of defending low-income people came under the spotlight on Beacon Hill this year when Gov. Deval Patrick proposed hiring about 1,000 new state attorneys and ending the use of private attorneys altogether.

…

After lawmakers offered less sweeping proposals of their own, Patrick ultimately signed a state budget last month that makes less ambitious reforms. It requires at least 25 percent of cases with indigent defendants to be handled by state attorneys by next July, up from about 10 percent now.

The state Committee for Public Counsel Services, which is in charge of providing lawyers to the poor, must deliver a plan to legislators by Sept. 1 to meet that goal. It will mean less work for private attorneys who handle cases for the poor, though they will be given preference in hiring.

Lisa Hewitt, the committee’s general counsel, said the plan will likely require hiring 346 new full-time employees, including attorneys, support staff, social workers and investigators.

A final number is still in the works, she said. The state now has 252 public defenders on its payroll.

By Lauren Forbes

Hurricane is about to fall on the East Coast, so what better time to head west?

The ACLU of Colorado is seeking to fill the position of Public Policy Director with an experienced legislative and policy advocate. The Public Policy Director is a member of the ACLU of Colorado’s senior leadership team and is responsible for advancing the civil liberties agenda of the ACLU before the Colorado legislature, executive branch, as well as city, county, or state governmental bodies. The position will advocate for the policies of the ACLU through one-on-one lobbying of legislators, working with staff of key policymakers, coalition building, planning legislative strategies, drafting legislation, developing public education strategies, presenting testimony, and involving ACLU members and leaders in the policy work of the organization. The Public Policy Director works under the supervision of the Executive Director and in close collaboration with the ACLU of Colorado’s legal, development, and communications teams. The Director will manage public policy staff and contract positions.

Responsibilities:

1. Responsible for the development and management of a Public Policy Department, which includes a Campaign Director and contract lobbyist, and will expand to include two Public Policy Associate positions. Develop and oversee the implementation of broad strategies to promote policy changes at the city, county, and state levels around ACLU of Colorado’s key issues, which include mass incarceration, racial profiling, religious liberties, prisoner treatment, police practices, immigrants’ rights, criminal justice reform, and free speech, among others;
2. Collaborate with the Legal Director and staff attorneys to analyze legislation before the Colorado legislature, to manage proactive legislation and work to defeat bills that jeopardize civil liberties, by lobbying committee members, educating the Governor’s staff on civil liberties implications of legislation, providing committee testimony on behalf of the ACLU, and securing strong bipartisan sponsors of ACLU initiatives;
3. Research, write, and edit policy and advocacy materials, including public policy reports, issue briefs, letters, press statements, opinion editorials, action alerts, and talking points related to ACLU’s policy work;
4. Lead ACLU efforts to enhance our statewide presence by mobilizing members, local chapters, volunteers, and activists to participate in coalitions around policy initiatives, attend strategy meetings and events in legislators’ districts, and work with local media to promote ACLU’s public policy priorities;
5. Develop strategic campaigns integrating legislative and public education efforts;
6. Participate in development activities to fund the Public Policy Department;
7. Build volunteer and intern programs to develop the potential of ACLU’s diverse constituencies;
8. Work with the national ACLU and other affiliates regarding public policy matters; and prepare reports to key funders on ACLU public policy activities.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions  (login required).

By: Steve Grumm

Happy Friday, dear readers!  This week’s Bulletin goes to press as we East Coasters are besieged by Mother Nature, who is showcasing her full arsenal of Weapons to Remind People That They Are Not As in Control of Things as They’d Like to Believe.  Best wishes to the folks who will take the brunt of this weekend’s hurricane.  I have followed the practices of my elderly Aunt Mimi by purchasing 6 gallons of milk, 4 dozen eggs, and enough bread to feed all the birds in Rock Creek Park for a month.  Thus I envision a lot of rain and French Toast in my immediate future.

As for public interest news, this week: the ACLU comes down hard on Utah’s patchwork indigent defense system; slow-but-steady progress toward establishing a public defender’s office in a central Texas county; difficult funding cuts have compelled New Hampshire Legal Assistance to close offices and reduce staff; the NYT’s interesting editorial on closing the civil justice gap; $1.4 million in grants from the South Carolina Bar Foundation; dealing with IOLTA shortfalls in DC; Topeka’s district attorney battling against a county budget cut; checking in on the new Texas Office of Capital Writs, a watchdog tasked with ensuring fairness in capital proceedings.  

• 8.24.11 – as reported by the Salt Lake Tribune, an ACLU report is highly critical of the Beehive State’s indigent defense system (to the extent that it even has one).  “Utah’s public defender system is failing to protect citizens’ constitutional rights as Utah remains one of only two states that do not provide state funds or oversight for public defense services, a new report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah claims. The report released Wednesday, titled ‘Failing Gideon: Utah’s Flawed County-by-County Public Defender System,’ addresses the state as a whole, but focuses specifically on nine Utah counties: Box Elder, Daggett, Duchesne, Iron, Kane, San Juan, Sevier, Uintah and Weber.”  Here’s a link to the ACLU report.  (Incidentally, to my great dismay the other state that doesn’t provide funding for indigent defense is the otherwise glorious Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.)

• 8.24.11 – according to the River Cities Daily Tribune, a political squabble has been impeding progress toward establishing a public defender’s office in Burnet County, Texas.  The disputes have come to a resolution, although it is somewhat uneasy.  “A clash of ideologies seems to be simmering down as local trial judges and the Burnet County Commissioners Court reach a compromise on how to create and maintain a proposed public defender’s office.  A four-year state grant will fund the office as a county department, allowing the commissioners to say they’re saving taxpayers’ money while making sure those who can’t afford an attorney are still guaranteed a legal defense…. The catch? The commissioners and other non-lawyers want a say-so in the oversight of the department.”  This doesn’t sit well with the trial judges. 

• 8.24.11 – a compelling Nashua Telegraph article documents the closure of New Hampshire Legal Assistance’s Nashua office on the heels of a state funding cut, as well as larger cuts affecting the whole organization as other funding sources have diminished.  “In 2008, New Hampshire Legal Assistance had a statewide staff of 53, according to its executive director John Tobin. Between the recent state cuts and a loss of charitable funding from the New Hampshire Bar Foundation, NHLA’s staff now numbers 28, he said.”  Tough times for a very strong legal services program. 

• 8.23.11 – this New York Times editorial on narrowing the justice gap is thought-provoking, if a bit scattered.  Right after noting that “[t]here is plenty the government, the legal profession, and others can do to improve this shameful [justice gap],” the piece notes that with so many un- or underemployed law graduates looking for work, there may be ways to situate them to serve the poor.  So it sounds like we’re moving toward a sweeping proposal. But then the piece, after correctly calling for increased LSC funding, proposes a set of admirable-but-not-sweeping solutions: mandatory reporting of attorney pro bono hours in states that don’t already require it; allowing nonlawyers to do more process and form work; more firmly integrating public advocacy into the legal education curriculum; and expanding law school LRAP programs.  All of those proposals are worthwhile.  But even combined, they’ll do only so much (little?) to narrow the gap separating the have’s and have-not’s when it comes to meaningfully accessing the justice system.  (But I do love the NYT’s support for LSC funding!) 

• 8.23.11 – the South Carolina Bar Foundation is raining down money upon grantees, according to Bluffton Today.  (We like that name by the way.  It’s all well and good for a newspaper to be a “Sentinel” or an “Argus-Leader”, but Bluffton Today is just saying, ‘Hey, here’s what’s happening today, in Bluffton.’)  Where were we?  Oh, the total pot of money was $1.4 million, and grantees include South Carolina Legal Services (which took the lion’s share: $1mil.), the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, and the SC Access to Justice Commission.

• 8.21.11 – five years ago this would have been a cash-cow for the DC legal services community.  Nowadays, not so much.  The Washington Post looks at a 2010 change in the District of Columbia’s IOLTA system, making it mandatory.  While the number of IOLTA accounts grew by almost 10% in the change’s wake, IOLTA revenues are all but flat, and well down from what they were before the recession’s impact was fully felt.  “2011 [IOLTA] revenue is down dramatically from the $2.4 million in IOLTA funds generated in 2008. That’s largely because participating banks, which until mid-2008 had been paying interest rates of up to 4 percent, are now — with a few exceptions — paying no more than 0.25 percent, in accordance with the federal funds target rate.”  With rates expected to remain flat for a while, the DC Access to Justice Commission has tried to make lemonade, instituting the Raising the Bar program “that asks law firms to set aside a portion of revenue from their [DC] office for legal services providers.  Eighteen law firms have agreed to donate between .075 and .11 percent, and the commission is recruiting more.”

• 8.21.11 – the Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor is strongly opposing a proposed 10% cut to his budget by the county.  (Topeka sits in Shawnee County.)  “A weary-looking Taylor said he had lost sleep thinking about how the 10 percent cut…would force him to reduce staffing in his office, where more than 92% of the budget goes to pay salaries and benefits.”

• 8.21.11  the Houston Chronicle checks in with Brad Levenson, who “heads the year-old Texas Office of Capital Writs, an independent state agency tasked with scrutinizing capital murder trials to ensure they were legally proper.  The Texas Legislature created the office two years ago after repeated embarrassing instances of shoddy legal work by appeals attorneys representing capital murder convicts. The agency now handles the state appellate process for nearly all new Texas death penalty cases…. More than a dozen states have similar operations, but Texas was the largest without a public office to address death penalty appeals. None of the other states with capital punishment executes people as frequently as Texas…. Levenson directs a team of attorneys, investigators and staff working out of quarters just a few blocks north of the capital building in Austin. Working with an annual budget of about $850,000, they focus on habeas writs, essentially trying to determine if mistakes were made at the trial.” 

By Lauren Forbes

ChildLaw Services, Inc. seeks a staff attorney for its Princeton, WV office. The staff attorney is responsible for all aspects of managing her client’s case, including, but not limited to:

• Opening and maintaining case files;
• Interviewing clients and witnesses;
• Filing motions, responsive pleadings and other pleadings;
• Researching the law of the case;
• Appearing at all scheduled hearings, trials or other court proceedings on behalf of the client;
• Preparing reports for the Court and other parties;
• Filing and arguing appeals, as necessary.

The staff attorney represents children who have been abused and/or neglected, who are the victims of crime, who are the subjects of custody disputes and have been charged with delinquency or status offenses.  The staff attorney will demonstrate the following characteristics:

·         The ability to establish rapport with his/her clients;

·         The ability to handle conflict and stress;

·         The ability to work with a variety of individuals and situations;

·         Resourcefulness in developing ways to meet the client’s needs;

·         Good skills of written and oral expression.

The staff attorney will be responsible for conducting such legal and other research as needed to stay abreast of developments in the law and child welfare, including attending seminars and continuing legal education programs.

The staff attorney will be assigned special products from time to time as determined by the Executive Director and Legal Director to further the mission of ChildLaw Services, Inc. and may initiate such special projects with prior approval from the Executive Director and Legal Director.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions  (login required).

By Lauren Forbes

We may be a little shaken up on the East Coast, so safety is exactly what the doctor ordered…

Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) seeks a program director for PSR’s Safe Energy Program to educate Congress, media and the public about the economic, health and proliferation risks associated with nuclear reactors and to promote safe, clean renewable energy and efficiency as the lasting solution to climate change.

Policy

• Develop and promote proactive policies that advance program goals.
• Collaborate with allies and expert consultants to create and implement national and state strategies for achieving program goals.
• Create educational materials on nuclear energy issues for policymakers and the public, including fact sheets, policy analyses, and articles.
• Stay abreast of nuclear energy issues.
• Present at educational programs and conferences.

Legislative

• Develop national legislative strategy with allies and coordinate implementation of campaign to limit construction of new nuclear reactors in the U.S.
• Educate decision-makers, including members of Congress and the Administration, about nuclear energy issues and advocate for constructive policies.
• Monitor legislation related to nuclear energy and develop policy positions.

Media

• Develop and implement effective media strategies and messages related to nuclear energy.
• Serve as media spokesperson and respond to press inquiries on nuclear energy issues.
• Prepare media statements, advisories, and op-ed pieces.

Coalition Building

• Engage and coordinate new constituencies in advocacy for Safe Energy policies.
• Initiate and manage the development of educational events and tours for energy experts.
• Develop social media strategies to educate and mobilize concerned citizens.

Grassroots

• Collaborate with grassroots groups and integrate them into national and state strategies.
• Provide policy and technical expertise to grassroots on federal legislation and developments at the state level related to nuclear energy.
• Mobilize concerned citizens on nuclear energy issues via social media and other outreach strategies.

Management

• Serve on Executive Management Team.
• Supervise program staff and consultants.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of the Safe Energy section of PSR’s website.
• Serve as the primary contact with PSR’s Board of Directors on Safe Energy program work.
• Work with PSR’s Executive Director and Associate Director to develop and manage the Safe Energy program budget.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions  (login required).

Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach seeks a Staff Attorney in San Francisco, CA.

Duties and Responsibilities: 1. Provide legal representation primarily in the areas of civil legal services of behalf of the disabled but may include work in other priority areas such as public benefits, elder law, immigration, domestic violence, sexual assault, and housing. This work will include representation of clients in state court and before administrative bodies. 2. Conduct community education and outreach. 3. Staff clinics at sites accessible to the low-income, disabled, and senior consumers. 4. Provide technical assistance and training to community and public agencies. 5. Represent the organization at community, legal, funding, and other meetings and functions. 6. Assist with administrative and fundraising work of the organization.
Minimum Qualifications: 1. At least two (2) year’s experience in representing low-income and non-English speaking, disabled clients in progressively more complex civil law matters. 2. Demonstrated commitment to social justice and the advancement of communities of color. 3. Bilingual and bicultural skills particularly relevant to underserved communities. 4. Strong advocacy and courtroom skills. 5. Must be a member in good standing of the California Bar. 6. Ability to work well in a team-oriented, multi-cultural work environment. Preferred Qualifications: 1. At least two years of civil litigation experience in representing low-income, disabled clients. 2. Successful experience in serving API’s target populations and working in disadvantaged communities of color. 3. Working knowledge of Time Matters/Abacus, Essential Forms, and Immigrant Pro or similar programs.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions  (login required).

By Lauren Forbes

The AmeriCorps Legal Fellows will serve in the Joplin office of Legal Aid providing direct legal services to low-income and elderly people affected by the devastating tornado that struck Joplin on May 22, 2011.  Casework will include representing:  tenants in eviction proceedings, buyers on contract for deed disputes, homeowners in foreclosure and other mortgage-related problems, victims of domestic violence in family law matters, consumers in contract and debt cases, and individuals in guardianship actions, beneficiary deeds, and other legal matters as they arise.  In addition, the AmeriCorps Legal Fellows will increase student awareness of volunteer opportunities by recruiting at law schools and Missouri Southern State University’s paralegal program.  The Fellows will collaborate with Legal Aid’s Volunteer Attorney Project (VAP) director to recruit and use new pro bono attorneys to represent eligible clients impacted by the storm.  The AmeriCorps Legal Fellows report to the Managing Attorney in Joplin.  Some local and overnight travel is required, including attendance at national conferences and training opportunities.

The Legal Aid AmeriCorps Legal Fellows in Joplin will:

• Provide legal representation to eligible clients who have been impacted by the May 22 tornado and its after-effects.
• Conduct outreach to increase service to hard-to-find client communities, such as immigrants and others unlikely to ask for help.
• Conduct “know your rights” outreach on prevalent legal problems.
• Recruit law students and paralegal students for volunteer opportunities.
• Recruit volunteer attorneys in conjunction with VAP to represent eligible clients to increase our impact in disaster relief legal services.
• Arrange practical training for students and attorneys, including collaborating with other community based organizations; and
• Act as a community resource for other organizations who wish to collaborate on solving the vast array of legal problems clients are facing in Joplin.

Click into the listing on PSLawNet for application instructions  (login required).