The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project (MAIP) was founded in 2000 by a group of D.C. area attorneys that identified the need for a group that could focus on the wrongful convictions in the tri-state area. This project addresses cases with both DNA evidence as well as other forms of evidence that could prove exculpatory. Since its formation, our Project has received over 1,800 requests for aid.
The Project also supports legislative reforms to prevent and reverse wrongful convictions.
The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project is affiliated with the Innocence Network, a web of similar grassroots efforts across the nation. It is housed at The George Washington University Law School.
The Position
MAIP has two in-house lawyers with heavy caseloads, resulting in a backlog of cases that need some level of investigation. The Fellow will work to address this backlog, representing clients in investigations and ultimately litigating (under the supervision of our Legal Director and Counsel) compelling innocence claims that arise from those investigations.
The mission of the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCCADV) is to lead the state’s movement to end domestic violence and to enhance work with survivors through collaborations, innovative trainings, prevention, technical assistance, state policy development, and legal advocacy. We believe that patriarchy, gender inequality, and all oppressions play a central role at the individual, institutional, and cultural levels in creating and maintaining an environment that accepts domestic violence. We believe it is vital to understand and advocate for the elimination of all forms of oppression, including, but not limited to: sexism, racism, and homophobia. We believe it is critical to serve all domestic violence survivors, regardless of race, age, class and ethnic group, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental and physical abilities, religious and spiritual beliefs, and immigration status. We know oppression comes in all forms and leads to additional issues for survivors; we strive to serve all survivors of domestic violence and their respective needs.
The Position
NCCADV is seeking a Staff Attorney to join their Legal Team. Under the supervision of the Legal & Policy Director, the Staff Attorney provides domestic violence, family law, and legal services as part of a grant to help address the unmet legal needs of domestic violence survivors.
Protect Democracy is a nonpartisan
nonprofit with an urgent mission: to prevent our democracy from declining into
a more authoritarian form of government. We do this by holding the President
and the Executive Branch accountable to the laws and longstanding practices
that have protected our democracy through both Democratic and Republican
administrations. We have seen an unprecedented tide of authoritarian-style
politics sweep the country that is fundamentally at odds with the Bill of
Rights, the constitutional limitations on the role of the President, and the
laws and unwritten norms that prevent overreach and abuse of power. The only
limits to prevent a slide away from our democratic traditions will be those
that are imposed by the Courts, Congress, and the American people.
The Position
Protect Democracy is seeking two highly motivated current law students for internships in summer 2019. The internship provides a living stipend, and we encourage law students from all socioeconomic backgrounds to apply. The internship is full time (40 hours/week), and requires a 10 week commitment. In limited circumstances, Protect Democracy is open to accepting candidates who wish to split their summer with a firm; in such cases, Protect Democracy will require 6 weeks during the second half of the summer.
Interns will be responsible for:
Researching and drafting memoranda on a wide array of federal and state legal and policy issues, related to Protect Democracy’s core issue areas;
Drafting and editing pleadings, policy documents, and reports;
Assisting in reviewing discovery; and
Fully participating in the life of the organization.
The Governance Studies program at Brookings aims to be the leading, independent voice in the domestic policymaking sphere though analyzing policy issues, political institutions and processes, and contemporary governance challenges. Lawfare, founded as a small blog in 2010, has grown to become one of the nation’s most trusted sources of information and analysis on issues of national security law, covering a broad range of issues from cybersecurity and terrorism investigations to war powers and government surveillance.
The Position
This two-year fellowship is dedicated to covering congressional activity on national security issues in the Lawfare space. The Fellow will have the opportunity to join the Lawfare editorial team and contribute toLawfare’s unparalleled analysis of complex challenges in the US national security arena, specifically as it intersects with Congress and legislative politics. This includes: writing thoughtful summaries and analyses of passed and proposed legislation for publication on the site, translating complex, technical documents for wider audience consumption, participating in relevant events, and discussing topics on the Lawfare podcast. As a part of the editorial team, the Fellow will collaborate with multiple stakeholders to edit works for publication and generate ideas for site content in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. She/he will also have the opportunity to do independent research within the Governance Studies program at Brookings.
A minimum of Master’s degree is required. Demonstrated expertise in national security policy, and a basic knowledge of and strong interest in congressional and legislative politics. The successful candidate will have a rare combination of superlative writing and editing skills, familiarity with Congress and congressional procedure, and experience reading and analyzing legislation. Candidates should have 1-3 years post-graduate experience in legislative affairs, national security, and/ or legal procedure. He/she should also be able to work well as a part of a team, thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, and react quickly to changes in the news cycle.
The Singer Connecticut Public Service Fellowship Program was established for the purpose of offering opportunities to recent law school graduates to gain practical experience working for Connecticut civil legal aid providers. The program is administered by the Connecticut Bar Foundation, whose mission is to further the rule of law and assist in efforts to improve the administration of justice in Connecticut.
The Position
The Fellowship Program offers recent law school graduates (or those who expect to graduate by July 1, 2019) the opportunity to engage in the practice of law with a 501(c)(3) civil legal aid organization having at least one office in Connecticut which provides legal services to the underserved population of Connecticut. Candidates are sought from a broad spectrum of backgrounds who reflect the diversity of residents of Connecticut’s cities, towns and rural communities served by the state’s legal aid providers. The work of the legal aid providers encompass a wide range of legal issues, including but not limited to family, domestic violence, landlord-tenant, housing, education, employment, immigration, government benefits, healthcare, and elder law. The aspirational goal of the Singer Connecticut Public Service Fellowship Program is to retain Fellows to practice public interest law in Connecticut upon completion of the Fellowship.
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is a public interest law firm that protects and advances the civil rights of adults and children with mental disabilities. For nearly four decades, our lawyers and policy staff have brought impact litigation, participated in Supreme Court cases, lobbied Congress and federal agencies, and worked with state-based legal advocates to ensure the rights of people with mental mental disabilities to self-determination, employment, education, housing, and health care and mental health services. Our cases are primarily brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Medicaid Act. We are active in the Leadership Conference for Civil Rights and other D.C-based coalitions. The Bazelon Center envisions an America where people who have mental disabilities make their own life choices and are supported in participating fully in their communities.
The Position
The Bazelon Center regularly seeks applicants for Skadden, Equal Justice Works, and other applicable fellowships. Candidates interested in a fellowship project in any of our core areas of advocacy, including criminal justice systems reform or children’s mental health and education systems reform, are encouraged to submit a preliminary proposal for consideration. Please review our website to learn more about our current advocacy efforts.
Qualifications: Applicants should be rising third-year law students or recent law school graduates with excellent academic credentials and strong research and writing skills. Related experience and/or judicial clerkship experience is a plus.
Do you have a passion for helping others? See the full-post on PSJD.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is the nation’s leading women’s health care provider, educator, and advocate, serving women, men, teens and families. For over 100 years, PPFA has done more than any other organization in the United States to improve women’s health and safety, prevent unintended pregnancies, and advance the right and ability of individuals and families to make informed and responsible health care decisions.
The Position
The Public Policy Litigation and Law Department of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) seeks second (2L) and third year (3L) law student interns for its New York and Washington, D.C. offices for full-time or part-time internships for academic credit during the Fall Semester of 2018.
Interns can expect to work closely with PPFA attorneys on a wide variety of litigation responsibilities, including, legal research and analysis; drafting memoranda, pleadings, affidavits and briefs; factual development for ongoing or developing litigation; and communicating with clients.
The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Lawis a leader in legal education, located in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. The law school is renowned for its program in intellectual property, which includes the FAME Center for Fashion, Arts, Media and Entertainment Law. Cardozo Law has a long tradition of public advocacy and is the birthplace of the Innocence Project and the home of our Center for Rights and Justice. Cardozo offers a world-class faculty and encourages creative thinking and innovation in the legal profession. Cardozo provides students with a strong foundation in legal theory combined with practical hands-on experience in a variety of areas including criminal law, civil rights law, and business law. The school prides itself on creating a vibrant and warm community for faculty, staff and students.
The Position
The Fellow will work in the Benjamin B. Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic and in the Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights (CLIHHR). Reporting directly to the Clinic and Institute Director, responsibilities will include co-supervising clinical projects, developing seminar lesson plans, teaching in the clinic seminar, mentoring students, researching and writing, and planning and implementing Clinic and CLIHHR events. The position is ideal for a candidate with a strong interest in clinical teaching and in the substantive areas of international human rights law, international refugee law, and international criminal law.
The Benjamin B. Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic is a semester-long clinic in which students represent individuals and institutional clients in international human rights cases and projects selected within a framework of atrocity prevention. The overall objective of the Clinic is to provide students with first-hand experience in the range of activities in which lawyers engage to promote respect for human rights and the diverse ways the law is utilized to prevent atrocity crimes and promote justice and accountability for mass atrocities. In order effectively to bridge theory and practice, the Clinic is divided into several pedagogical components: a weekly seminar, case and project work, and skills training. In the spring semester, the Advanced Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic continues the work of the fall Clinic with a select group of students.
Do you have a passion for human rights? See the full-post on PSJD.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. NCLR litigates precedent-setting cases at the trial and appellate court levels; advocates for equitable public policies affecting the LGBT community; provides free legal assistance to LGBT people and their legal advocates; and conducts community education on LGBT legal issues.
NCLR’s projects and practice areas include family (including marriage equality, parenting, and other relationship protections), youth, immigration, elder, transgender, employment, and sports law.
The Position
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is seeking law clerks to assist with all aspects of its national impact litigation, public policy, and educational work. Much of the clerk’s time will be devoted to interacting with members of the community who contact NCLR’s legal information helpline and handling their questions from start to finish under the supervision and training of NCLR staff attorneys. Clerks also conduct case research, update publications, and draft memos on a wide range of issues affecting LGBT people and their families.
Positions are available in NCLR’s National Office in San Francisco, CA. Summer clerks work full time, and semester clerks may work full or part-time (minimum 12 hours per week).
NCLR hires law clerks for the summer as well as the fall and spring semesters.
University of the District of Columbia – David A. Clarke School of Law is the USA’s most clinically-oriented law school, one of the nation’s most diverse law schools, and is devoted to recruiting and training students who are committed to public service. Its legislatively mandated mission is to to recruit and train as lawyers students from racial, ethnic and other groups traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession and to do so, to the degree feasible, through the representation of low-income people and the public interest in a clinical setting.
The Position
The Associate Director is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Law Library. The incumbent uses independent judgment and demonstrates expertise in the field by recommending policies, procedures, and systems reflecting professional criteria. The Associate Director is responsible for ensuring that the resources allocated to the unit will reflect an efficient level of service.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversees the day-to-day operations of the law library.
Plans, develops, coordinates, oversees, and participates in the delivery of the law library’s public services, including reference, research, instruction, and access services.
Supervises and evaluates all employees under his/her administrative supervision.
Provides vision, oversight, and leadership of public services in the law library, including regular assessment of policies, procedures, and workflows related to the effective delivery of library services and makes recommendations based on those assessments.
Manages the law library’s hiring, training, and oversight of student and other hourly workers in public services roles.
Teaches in the law school’s first-year legal research curriculum with the potential to also teach advanced legal research courses.
Assists in the development of the law library’s budget.
Participate on the law library’s collection development team and engage in regular evaluation of the law library’s collection priorities.
Develops performance standards for resource utilization and service based on established professional criteria.
Prepares reports of the law library’s public services.
Develops strategies for staff development and implements steps to accomplish them.
Reviews personnel matters and recommends actions in accordance with established policies.
Assists with identification of library funding needs and ideas for creative funding sources, including grants for which the law library may be eligible.
Assists with the planning of facilities to accommodate services and collections.
Performs reference duties as required, possibly including evening and weekend reference shifts.
Oversees faculty research support.
Promotes the services of the law library throughout the academic community and among cooperating institutions.
Engages in outreach with an eye toward possible partnerships within the larger university and the local legal community.
Serves on law school and university-wide committees and task forces as appointed.
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