The Center is a multi-racial organization dedicated to building the power and participation of poor people in order to expand democracy and transform the economy. We organize directly affected people, and couple their courage with strategic legal, policy, and communications work to build campaigns that advance racial justice, immigrant rights, and a fair economy. The Center anchors three grassroots membership organizations: the Congress of Day Laborers, Stand With Dignity, and the National Guestworker Alliance, as well as a strategic legal department that innovates law and policy strategies that build grassroots power. Our members are African American and immigrant workers and families in the South, as well as guestworkers across the country.

The Center is seeking 1L and 2L law students for its summer 2013 law clerk program.

Law clerks should have an interest in the Center’s practice areas and in using legal tools in the context of community-led justice campaigns. Applicants with language skills in Spanish, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, or Telugu are especially encouraged.

View the job listing on PSJD (login required).

By: Steve Grumm

Happy Friday, folks.  Well, not too happy.  Yesterday, we at NALP released the 2012 Public Sector & Public Interest Attorney Salary Report.  These already-low salaries, when taking inflation into account, have remained close to stagnant in the recent past. (Civil legal aid lawyers start at about $43,000 annually while assistant prosecutors’ and defenders’ starting salaries hover around $50,000)  But of course the amount of debt that today’s junior attorneys carry has swollen.  Thus, a public interest attorney’s income pie has stayed the same size, but a much larger piece of it now goes to debt service.

Loan repayment (and in some cases, forgiveness) programs can mitigate this circumstance.  Those grads positioned to maximize repayment/forgiveness options may not experience financial discomfort.  But not all types of loans qualify for inclusion in repayment programs.  And there is uncertainty about the viability of today’s loan repayment regime – a constellation of government-, school-, and employer-run repayment plans.  Finally there is the law graduate’s frustration of having to take on a massive amount of debt, only then to have it reduced.  Here’s the important question: with low, stagnant salaries, with the rising cost of legal education, and with a terribly tight job market, how difficult is it becoming for tomorrow’s lawyers to pursue public service career paths?

This question will not yield a simple, yes-or-no, across-the-board answer.  Circumstances are different for every law student.  But we can identify the key variables involved in the analysis. I’m going to focus on this as I do some writing in the next few weeks.  I am so far from having the market on wisdom cornered that I sometimes can’t find the market.  So please be in touch with your thoughts, insights, questions, etc.  I’m at sgrumm@nalp.org or 202.296.0057.     

Some interesting miscellany before the week’s public interest and access-to-justice news:

• in the nonprofit world, the Chronicle of Philanthropy released its list of the 400 largest nonprofits, accompanied by several analysis pieces.  Much of the content is password-protected.  But there is valuable data/insight in the accessible areas too, and one can get a sense of how the recession did, and continues to, impact the nonprofit world.
• on the job-market front, resume advice is ubiquitous, and some of it is so bland – “make it look clean” – as to be useless.  However, this blog post – 10 Reasons Your Resume Isn’t Getting You Interviews – on the U.S. News website is better than most of the content I come across because it compels job-seekers look critically at how their resumes are constructed.

Okay, on to the public interest and access-to-justice news.  In very, very short:

• coverage of NALP’s public interest salary report;
• IL attorney general directs more funding to legal aid for housing work;
• pro se resources in the Aloha State;
• the ABA’s weeklong celebration of pro bono takes place next week;
• OK legal aid providers also getting funds to do housing work;
• A look at law student pro bono in Minnesota (and New York);
• A Wall Street legal clinic?  Seton Hall’s Investor Advocacy Project;
• ~$7 million contract to provide legal aid to disabled New Yorkers up for grabs;
• An Innocence Project clinic launches at West Virginia Law;
• An Oklahoma nonprofit law office serving “modest means” clients expands;
• super music bonus

The summaries:

• 10.18.12 – here’s some coverage of the above-noted NALP public interest salary report:
  • From the ABA Journal
  • And from the National Law Journal

• 10.18.12 – “Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) announced Oct. 18 that $620,000 in funding from the national foreclosure settlement has been awarded to Illinois Legal Aid Online. The attorney general’s grant will be used to develop web-based resources to assist Illinois homeowners and legal professionals dealing with foreclosure, including online training programs for legal staff and attorneys working with Illinois residents facing foreclosure. The grant also will be used to develop and enhance educational websites intended for homeowners and renters affected by foreclosure.”  (Story from the Rock River Times.)

• 10.17.12 – Aloha.  This article covers the opening of one Hawaiian courthouse self-help center for pro se litigants, but more importantly highlights a statewide trend toward bolstering pro se resources. (Here’s the article in the Maui News.)

• 10.16.12 – the ABA’s “Pro Bono Celebration” week is next week.  There’s much happening on local, state, and nationwide levels to promote pro bono’s importance.  Here’s an ABA overview, and here’s the official Celebrate Pro Bono website, which serves as a central repository for event listings and resources.

• 10.16.12 – “Oklahoma’s $18.6 million mortgage settlement with five big lenders will pay for legal services for people trying to manage a mortgage, avoid foreclosure and keep their homes — no matter the lender — in a new partnership between the state attorney general’s office and Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma.  Attorney General Scott Pruitt said Monday that Legal Aid received $1.27 million from the settlement to hire, train and reassign 15 attorneys and seven paralegals to help homeowners with mortgage modifications, refinancing, short sales, housing counseling and navigating the foreclosure process in a program called Resolution Oklahoma.”  (Story from the Oklahoman.)
  • and here comes a terrible segue into an unrelated topic. While we’re on Oklahoma, Woody Guthrie was born there. And here’s a Chronicle of Higher Education article looking at Guthrie’s legacy 100 years after his birth.  He was Bob Dylan long before Bob Dylan was Bob Dylan.  (I think of Guthrie as the first punk-rocker.)  And he exerted enormous, reaching-beyond-the-grave influence on the evolution of American music.  Good read.

• 10.16.12 – in light of the just-implemented New York State rule requiring 50 hours of pro bono service to get a law license, the Minnesota Daily looks at law student pro bono in the Gopher State. “All four Minnesota law schools — the University of Minnesota, Hamline University, University of St. Thomas and William Mitchell College of Law — provide legal volunteering opportunities through a partnership with the Minnesota Justice Foundation.  MJF is a nonprofit organization founded in 1982 by law students in Minnesota. It provides students with a database of volunteer opportunities as well as advising from a staff attorney at each school…. The only Minnesota school to require legal volunteer work is Hamline University School of Law — a rule that was put in place last year.”
  • speaking of the New York rule, here’s a Reuters piece noting that the rules broad definition of “pro bono” means that there might not be much “new” pro bono generated because many externship, clinical, and volunteer projects already performed by law students will satisfy the rule.

• 10.15.12 – a look at the work of Seton Hall Law’s Investor Advocacy Project, a clinic that helps low- and moderate-income investors who’ve been wronged. “”We provide advocacy for those investors who would otherwise be unable to secure adequate representation,” says David M. White, a law school faculty member and director of the…Project. The contingency fees charged by lawyers would alone eat up most of any possible recovery.  The clients are not big-time investors. They bought annuities, instruments like insurance policies. Or invested settlements from injury claims. Or the proceeds from the sale of their homes. White says the investments involved in these cases do not exceed $100,000.”  (Article from the Star-Ledger.)

• 10.15.12 – “Three groups have proposed taking over federally funded advocacy and legal protection of disabled New York residents who are in the care of the state and its nonprofit contractors.  Syracuse University, Disability Advocates Inc. and a coalition of six legal aid groups that now provide many of the services statewide under individual contracts have filed proposals. The six are the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Legal Services of Central New York, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, Nassau Suffolk Law Services, Neighborhood Legal Services and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.  The selection is expected following public hearings, which have not been set yet.”  The funding amounts for about $7 million annually.  (Story from WNCT.)

• 10.12.12 – the West Virginia University Innocence Project has opened its doors as a law-school clinic in the Mountain State.  (Story from the Gazette-Mail.)

• 10.11.12- a nonprofit law office serving clients who have too much income to qualify for legal aid – which is not saying much because the income limit is typically 125% of federal poverty guidelines – but too little to afford full-scope representation is expanding in the Sooner State. (Story from KOAM.) 

• Music!  It’s a gray day here in D.C.  So how about something mellow?  Here’s Ryan Adams (not to be confused with Bryan Adams) performing “Desire”.

Let’s go prosecute some health care fraud in sunny Miami. 

The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), Southern District of Florida (SDFL), is seeking experienced attorneys to serve as Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of one of the largest USAOs in the nation. USAO/SDFL is a leader in the prosecution of health care fraud, bank and other white collar frauds, narcotics offenses, human trafficking cases, public corruption, and national security matters. Divisions include: Appellate, Asset Forfeiture, Civil and Criminal. The Criminal Division is further divided into Sections: Major Crimes, Economic and Environmental Crimes, Public Integrity and National Security, Narcotics and Special Prosecutions. There are also three branch offices located in Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Ft. Pierce.

The applicant selected will represent the U.S. Government as an Assistant United States Attorney in a wide range of unique and complex criminal health care fraud cases, in a District that extends over 300 miles from Key West to Vero Beach…

Here’s the job listing on PSJD. (Login required.)

A Department of Education blog post offers a basic “get acquainted with your loans” review:

Here are five things you should know about your student loans:

1.     Federal vs. Private Loans

Federal loans are managed and backed by the U.S. government.  These loans are designed to provide students with fair treatment.  Because they offer the best terms for borrowers, federal loans are the best option for students.

Private loans are managed and backed by private banks.  These banks are not subject to the same rules and regulations of federal loans, and may feature higher (or variable) interest rates, stricter repayment plans and penalties, or other terms that may make them more expensive.

You also may encounter other, less common types of loans, such as state loans (managed by your state) or institutional loans (managed by your college or university).  In all cases, carefully read and understand the loan terms before deciding to accept.

2.     Unsubsidized vs. Subsidized Loans

Federal loans can be either subsidized or unsubsidized.  A subsidized student loan means that the government pays the interest for you while you’re in school, as long as you’re enrolled at least half time.  That means that if you take out a $5,000 subsidized student loan to pay for your freshman year, and graduate in four years of full-time classes, you’ll still owe $5,000 when you graduate.  Interest will only “accrue,” or be added to the repayment amount, after you stop being a student.

An unsubsidized student loan means that interest “accrues” even while you’re in school.  Some federal loans and nearly all private loans are unsubsidized.  You don’t always have to pay the interest while you’re a student, but the total amount you’ll need to repay is still growing.  If you have an unsubsidized student loan, it’s a good idea to pay the monthly interest while in school, even if you don’t need to.

…

Read the full list, and dont’ forget PSJD’s more advanced education debt resources.

By: Steve Grumm

Legal education is gonna look a lot different in a couple of decades.  NYU is the latest law school to greatly expand outside-the-classroom (in this case, even outside-the-country) opportunities for 3Ls, with an eye toward reworking the legal education model by building in hands-on learning opportunities.  From the New York Times’s Dealbook blog:

The move comes as law schools are being criticized for failing to keep up with transformations in the legal profession, and their graduates face dimming employment prospects and mounting student loans.

N.Y.U. Law’s changes are built around several themes, including a focus on foreign study and specialized concentrations. Some students could spend their final semester studying in Shanghai or Buenos Aires. Others might work at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, or the Federal Trade Commission. Another group, perhaps, will complete a rigorous one-year concentration in patent law, or focused course work in tax.

…

N.Y.U. Law is the latest law school to alter its academic program significantly. Stanford Law School recently completed comprehensive changes to its third-year curriculum, with a focus on allowing students to pursue joint degrees. Washington and Lee University School of Law scrapped its traditional third-year curriculum in 2009, replacing it with a mix of clinics and outside internships.

…

There has been much debate in the legal academy over the necessity of a third year. Many students take advantage of clinical course work, but the traditional third year of study is largely filled by elective courses. While classes like “Nietzsche and the Law” and “Voting, Game Theory and the Law” might be intellectually broadening, law schools and their students are beginning to question whether, at $51,150 a year, a hodgepodge of electives provides sufficient value.

“One of the well-known facts about law school is it never took three years to do what we are doing; it took maybe two years at most, maybe a year-and-a-half,” Larry Kramer, the former dean of Stanford Law School, said in a 2010 speech.

Yet no one expects law schools to become two-year programs any time soon. For one thing, law schools are huge profit centers for universities, which are reluctant to give up precious tuition dollars. What is more, American Bar Association rules require three years of full-time study to obtain a law degree. Several law schools, including Northwestern University School of Law, offer two-year programs, but they cram three years of course work — and tuition — into two.

N.Y.U. Law’s new curriculum plan is highlighted by experience outside of the school’s Greenwich Village campus. While the school has dabbled in foreign study, it is now redoubling its focus on international and cross-border legal practice. N.Y.U. Law is preparing to send as many as 75 students to partner law schools in Buenos Aires, Shanghai and Paris, where the students will study the legal systems and the languages of those regions. With the ever-increasing influence of government and the regulatory state in private legal matters, N.Y.U. Law will also offer students a full semester of study, combined with an internship, in Washington.

Another key initiative gives students the chance to build a specialty. Called “professional pathways,” the program will offer eight focused areas of instruction, including criminal law and academia.

None of these programs will be mandatory, as students can still choose a conventional course load. But Richard L. Revesz, the dean of N.Y.U. Law, said that he hoped the students would take advantage of the new offerings.

…

N.Y.U. Law’s moves illustrate the continuing evolution of the legal education model. Until the late 19th century, most lawyers — like Abraham Lincoln — were trained through the old-fashioned apprenticeship method. But for the last hundred years, law school classrooms have been dominated by the case method of instruction, which trains law students by having them read court cases and questioning them via the Socratic method.

Now, in an era of globalization and specialization, law schools are acknowledging the inadequacy of the traditional approach.

The Rule of Law Initiative is a public service project of the American Bar Association dedicated to promoting legal reform efforts in over 40 countries around the world. The Rule of Law Initiative practices under the belief that rule of law promotion is the most effective long-term antidote to the most pressing problems facing the world community today, including poverty, economic stagnation, and crippling levels of corruption.

The Rule of Law Initiative concentrates its technical legal assistance efforts in the following substantive areas: 1) Anti-corruption & public integrity; 2) Criminal law & combating trafficking in persons; 3) Gender issues; 4) Human rights & conflict mitigation; 5) Judicial reform; 6) Legal education reform; and 7) Legal profession reform.

The Rule of Law Initiative’s Latin American and Caribbean Division provides assistance in support of legal reform efforts in Ecuador and Nicaragua and has previously carried out projects in Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru. The Latin America and Caribbean Division has implemented programs in a variety of areas, including:

• combating and documenting human trafficking;
• promoting law school accreditation reform;
• promoting mediation and alternative dispute resolution to provide speedier access to justice;
• assisting in transitioning from inquisitorial to adversarial criminal justice systems;
• supporting governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with capacity building; and
• providing neutral advice and support to restructure laws in a number of substantive areas; including arbitration, commercial mediation, and competition law.

The Latin America and Caribbean Division implements its programs through partnerships with in-country government offices, bar associations, judges associations and NGOs. The division, housed in Washington, D.C., is currently accepting applications for interns to assist with several tasks associated with the management of current programs and development of new ones in judicial reform, legal education reform, and anti-human trafficking.

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

Are you attending the Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair (CCF) October 26-27? Do you have questions that haven’t been answered yet? Equal Justice Works is joining PSJD in a tweet chat to answer all your questions about CCF! Use hashtags #PSJDChat and #EJWCCF to send questions to our panelists—Nita Mazumder and Lauren Fuchs of Equal Justice Works. Come join the conversation with @EJW_org and @PSJDTweets tomorrow on October 17 at 3 p.m. EDT and get all your CCF questions answered!

Also, Equal Justice Works recently sent out this exciting press release:

Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor to share her public service experiences at Equal Justice Works annual Conference and Career Fair

What:  Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will share the public service experiences that led to her appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States at the annual Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair, Oct. 26 and 27 in Arlington, VA.  Judge David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will join Justice Sotomayor in a conversation designed to inspire the audience of current and future public interest lawyers. 

 Appointed as the 111^th justice by President Barack Obama in 2009, Justice Sotomayor is the first Hispanic and third woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Sotomayor and Judge Tatel will take questions from the audience during the session.  Please note that this event is only open to registered attendees of the Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair.

 The Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair is the largest national conference and career fair specifically designed for law students interested in public interest careers.  Attracting more than 1200 law students from nearly 200 law schools around the country, the event offers two days of interview opportunities with more than 120 public interest employers; career development and skill-building sessions; mock interviews and resume revision; and networking opportunities.

 When:             Friday, Oct. 26, 7:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. & Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012 8 a.m. – 3:20 p.m.

 *Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will speak Friday, Oct. 26 at 4:15 PM*

 Where:            Crystal Gateway Marriott – 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202

For more information on the 2012 Conference & Career Fair, visit the EJW website. Tomorrow’s #PSJDChat is not to be missed if you’re attending the conference this year, so come prepared to ask any questions you’ve had about anything career fair related. See you tomorrow!

The Rangel Program is a collaborative effort between Howard University and the U.S. State Department that seeks to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers as diplomats in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. The program seeks individuals interested in helping to shape a freer, more secure and prosperous world through formulating, representing, and implementing U.S. foreign policy. The Program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service and those with financial need.

There are two major components to the Rangel Program: an International Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program that provides support for graduate school, professional development, and entry into the U.S. Foreign Service, and an undergraduate International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program that provides undergraduates with the opportunity to enhance their skills, knowledge and understanding about U.S. foreign policy.

The deadline to apply for the International Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program is January 18, 2013. For more information, view the full listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).

Everyone knows that applying for jobs can be an incredibly competitive process. Your resume is often the first impression employers have of your skills and experience, and starting off on the wrong foot can quickly diminish your chances of landing a desired position.

In the CNN Money article “10 Reasons Your Resume Isn’t Getting You Interviews,” career blogger Alison Green offers up several common resume blunders that could stop you from getting that call-back you’ve been waiting for. Of Green’s list, here are PSJD’s top 3 that apply to law students on the public interest job hunt:

1. It Just Lists Duties and Responsibilities, Not Accomplishments. Generally speaking, law students do a lot of the same things at their respective jobs and internships (memos, legal research, etc.). However, potential employers may be more impressed by facts, figures or special awards related to your legal work. For instance, did you help the organization start any new projects? Have you ever been recognized for your service to a particular community or client population? Make yourself stand out by noting awards and accomplishments for the work you’ve done!

2. It wastes space on things that are irrelevant, like descriptions of your employer’s business. Public interest legal organizations do amazing work, and it’s tempting to add their mission to your resume. However, Green points out that this information is more suited for the job interview than your resume. Use this space to describe your role and how you contributed to the organization.

3. It includes everything you’ve ever done, rather than just the highlights. In the article, Green states that the initial scan of your resume takes employers only 20 seconds. Law students are pretty accomplished individuals, but you only want employers to know about the best of the best of your accomplishments. Keep your resume short, focused and concise to convey your most important highlights.

Click here to read the rest of the article for more tips. Once you’ve landed an interview, check out PSJD’s Interviewing Tips for Postgraduate Public Interest Jobs for tips and best practices gathered by PSJD from nonprofit and government legal employers. For guidance on following up, Harvard Law School’s Office of Public Interest Advising (OPIA) offers extensive tips and best practices on public interest job interviewing in their Job Interview & Follow-Up Guide.

Happy job hunting!

The Innocence Project climbs into the Mountain State.  From the Gazette-Mail:

[Innocence Project clinic director Valena] Beety and recent University of Chicago Law School graduate Kristen McKeon, who is helping with cases as part of a yearlong fellowship, will handle the bulk of the casework for the WVU clinic. The clinic’s four law students are charged with screening applicants for the program, Beety said.

“We’re focusing as a project on freeing innocent people who are in prison, but also on policy problems, systemic problems that lead to wrongful convictions, and making eyewitness identification more reliable,” she said.

Seventy-five percent of the 297 prisoners exonerated through DNA evidence since 1989 were convicted because they were mistakenly identified as suspects, according to figures from the national Innocence Project, which is based in New York.

WVU’s clinic is still new, Beety said, so they haven’t received many applications for post-conviction help, but she has been reaching out to prisons, public defender offices and other avenues for leads on potential cases.

When the applications do start rolling in, the clinic’s student screeners will generally take two factors into account in determining whether to take a case: the credibility of the applicant and whether there is likely to be evidence that would conclusively point to an exoneration.