By Jamie Bence

It’s that time again! Please note that a very similar job to this one is located in KIND’s DC office, but in an effort to be geographically diverse, I’ve selected the New York listing.

KIND seeks a Supervising Attorney for Pro Bono Programs to help manage and oversee the provision of pro bono legal representation to unaccompanied children through KIND’s network of major law firms and corporate partners in New York, NY. This includes supervising the work and staff of KIND’s office in New York; serving as a regional focal point in striving to implement KIND’s vision of ensuring that no child appear in immigration court alone; promoting volunteer support through outreach to and cultivation of relationships with local law firms, corporate legal departments, and other possible sources of pro bono representation; and serving as the primary liaison between KIND’s headquarters and its offices in New York.

The Supervising Attorney does not provide direct legal representation to unaccompanied children but will be responsible for facilitating their pro bono representation. He or she will report to KIND’s National Legal Services Director.

To view the complete job listing, click here (login required).

By Jamie Bence

The July 2011 issue of Reason – a popular, libertarian-leaning publication – features an article about the ailing public defender system in the United States, which, according to the article, often does a disservice to both attorneys and their clients. Clay Conrad, a private practice criminal defense attorney, draws on personal experience and studies which show that too often, public defenders are forced to take on too many cases with too few resources.

As a result, Conrad argues, public defenders are predictably forced to triage, accepting plea deals where practical and putting more time into cases they believe they can win. This system, according to the author, is far from ideal:

But it is not always easy to know which cases are the hopeless ones if all you do is read the offense report and spend a few minutes talking to the defendant and the prosecutor. Without putting in the time required to investigate the facts, the law, and the witnesses, it is unethical to recommend that a client accept a plea bargain. Maybe the offer represents the best possible result, but maybe the client is completely innocent and just too frightened to disagree.

Conrad also details how, in contrast to private defense attorneys, public defenders often lack the resources to run scientific tests that could prove their clients’ innocence. Moreover, he describes a sort of quid pro quo scenario, in which appointed criminal defense lawyers must retain a rapport with judges and court staff, and might find their appointments jeopardized if they represent a client too zealously- spending long hours on the case or requesting expensive tests.

Finally, Conrad concedes, good criminal defense is expensive, and “O.J. Simpson-style litigation” is not appropriate or even necessary in every case, but there is a middle ground in which most trials are won and lost:

I would, however, expect that before the taxpayers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to incarcerate one of their neighbors for years, branding him virtually unemployable for life and making him part of America’s permanent undercaste, they would want to ensure that he had a competent lawyer, with adequate resources and adequate time to do everything possible within the law to help his client. It is not an extravagance to make sure that before a man’s life is destroyed or taken from him, his defense has fully tested every element of the government’s case. The cost of an adequate defense pales against the cost of incarcerating an innocent man.

To read the full article on Reason, click here.

By: Steve Grumm

Interested in project-based public interest fellowships, like those funded by Equal Justice Works and the Skadden Foundation?  NALP and the Washington Council of Lawyers are pleased to present “The Pathway to Postgraduate Public Interest Legal Fellowships” on Tuesday, July 14th, from 6:00-8:30pm here at the Washington, DC offices of Akin Gump.

But wait, there’s more!  The event will double as a happy hour, offering networking opportunities and a chance for public-interest minded law students in the nation’s capital to meet like-minded peers.

The formal portion of the program will be led by our distinguished panel, the members of which all have extensive experience with the fellowship proposal process:

• Lauren Dubin, Director for Public Interest and Government Careers, Georgetown University Law Center (Moderator)
• Patty Mullahy Fugere, Executive Director, Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless
• Jennifer Tschirch, Senior Program Manager for Fellowships, Equal Justice Works
• Kati Daffan, Staff Attorney, Federal Trade Commission (and former Skadden Fellow)

To register: go to www.wclawyers.org. 

Cant’ make it?  Don’t worry.  PSLawNet has dozens upon dozens of public interest fellowship listings, and a resource page for prospective applicants (including this tip sheet for project-based fellowship proposals).

By Jamie Bence

Are you a newly minted attorney or bar exam studier who wants to hit the road or fly away this summer? We can’t help you with that, but we do have the next best thing: a new job opportunity from the Department of Transportation! It’s that time of year when many executive branch agencies begin recruiting, so keep an eye out for other similar programs in the weeks ahead.

The Department’s Honors Attorney Program offers new law graduates (and recent law graduates completing judicial clerkships or fellowships) a unique opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the Department’s diverse law practice.

During the two-year program, honors attorneys rotate once in the Department’s Office of the General Counsel and in up to five Chief Counsels’ Offices of the Department’s operating administrations.

Rotations provide each honors attorney with substantive and challenging assignments across a wide spectrum of legal fields. Honors attorneys find themselves working in practice areas such as administrative, aviation, litigation, environmental law, constitutional law, torts, legislation, labor and employment law, and contract and procurement law.

In addition to legal work, honors attorneys meet for lunch weekly to discuss current work assignments and program matters. The lunches also provide time for in-house training opportunities in such wide ranging issues as the Freedom of Information Act, DOT’s crisis management procedures, and regulation drafting, as well as many other topics relevant to the practice of law at a cabinet level agency.

To view the full listing, go to PSLawNet (login required).

By Jamie Bence (with snaps to Lauren Forbes)

Based on your response to our blog posts about New York and Washington, D.C., we have launched a new page on PSLawNet called Having Fun on the Cheap in Big Cities.

Each city’s write up features free and cheap activities, as well as resources for finding things to do.  Whether you are a law student completing an internship or a public interest lawyer, there are suggestions for everything from day trips to happy hours. We’ve picked the best (and cheapest) for Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Of course, if you’ve been to or lived in one of these locales, we welcome your suggestions in the comments or via pslawnet@nalp.org.

By Jamie Bence

The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia is excited to host a group night at the Verizon Center on July 29th, featuring discounted pricing to watch the Washington Mystics take on the Indiana Fever!

Tickets begin at only $10/seat and include an option for premium center court seating at only $25/ticket!  To purchase your tickets:

1. Click this link – Special Group Priced Mystics Tickets for Friday, 7/29 – 7pm
2. Enter the passcode – mystics
3. Login or create a Mystics account – allows us to e-mail you your tickets directly!
4. Choose your location & number of tickets
5. Complete the purchase and receive tickets via e-mail
6. ENJOY THE GAME!

If you’d prefer to order on the phone – our personal Mystics Agent, Neil Hofman, would be glad to work with you.  He can be reached at – (202) 527-7506 and be sure to reference the D.C. Public Defender’s Office to get the discount.

By Jamie Bence

Voices for Georgia’s Children is a nonprofit agency seeking an Associate Policy Director.

The Associate Director for Child Health Policy provides the direction and leadership for Voices to achieve the policy changes necessary to improve children’s health in Georgia. Our stated health objective is to increase the percentage of children with healthcare coverage, knowing that children with insurance are more likely to be healthy. In addition we track five measures of child health and advocate policies and systems that will improve outcomes. To achieve these changes, the associate director works with both public and private child health agencies and associations in developing and promoting effective policy, produces regular reports for lawmakers and the public on the health status of children, and provides independent analysis of proposed legislation and regulation. The Associate Director will focus the majority of his/her time on access to health coverage and on policies to promote selected health outcomes, including obesity and oral health. As a health specialist, he/she also will support the health aspects of our early childhood and transitioning youth agendas. The position reports to Voices’ Executive Director.

Voices is a small organization that relies on the flexibility of its staff but also tries to maximize the specific interests and talents of each. We seek someone who is team-oriented, willing to try new and different strategies, and excited to help build the growing organization.

To view the full job listing, go to PSLawNet (login required).

By Steve Grumm and Jamie Bence

Some exciting news for legal aid providers in the capital:

“The DC Bar Foundation announced awards totaling $865,000 to support direct civil legal services for the poor and underserved in the District. These grants are in addition to the $2.8 million the Foundation awarded in April 2011 with funding from the District government, and to the more that $500,000 the Foundation awarded in FY2011 Loan Repayment Assistance Program loans to DC poverty lawyers, and training and technical assistance for the District’s legal services community.”

“The economic downturn has created an enormously challenging environment for non-profit civil legal services organizations, precisely at a time when the need for their services is increasing. We are grateful for the continued support of our legal community, and the commitment of local financial institutions to securing a baseline of     funding for legal services in our city,” said W. Mark Smith, President of the D.C. Bar Foundation.

The grants will help fund 22 organizations that make legal services available to those less fortunate who would not otherwise have access to assistance. The grants are made after a detailed evaluation of grant proposals, site visits and interviews.

You can read the Bar Foundation’s complete release here, including a list of the grant recipients, which include the Legal Aid Society, the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, and exactly 19 others.

By Jamie Bence

The University of Arizona Rogers College of Law and Georgetown Law Center invite 2011 graduates and returning law students to the IMPACT Career Fair for Law Students and Attorneys with Disabilities in Arlington, Virginia on August 5, 2011.

The student registration deadline is coming up on July 10, 2011. The fair will feature a keynote address by Christie M. Griffin, the Deputy Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, as well as ample interview opportunities.

For additional information on upcoming career fairs, check out the PSLawNet Career Fair Guide!

By Lauren Forbes

Too much alliteration? Apologies! The Career Development Center (CDC) at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law is seeking to hire two committed, energetic professionals for Career Consultant positions.

The positions report directly to the Assistant Dean of Career Opportunities. They will provide career consulting services and resources to assist law students and graduates in the areas of career development, effective job search strategies, networking, interviewing and cover letter / resume writing.

Following are the essential duties of the position:

Career consulting, planning and programming as noted below. 60%

Primary duties include providing effective career consulting, planning and implementing career-related programming, building relationships with employers for the benefit of DU Law Students and alumni. The Career Consultants provide career advising on a broad range of career paths.

In addition, each consultant has particular areas of focus for purposes of providing specialized career advising, programming, and conducting employer outreach.

The CDC anticipates that the following areas of focus will be divided between the two new consultants:

(1) Public Sector – specialized advising on career paths in government and public interest; planning programs on public sector careers; building relationships with local and national government and public interest employers

(2) Private Sector – specialized advising on career paths in law firms and corporate legal departments; planning programs on private sector careers; building relationships with local and national private sector employers

(3) Judicial Clerkships – judicial clerkship advising, related programming, and employer outreach

(4) Diversity and Inclusiveness – providing specialized advising on the Colorado Pledge to Diversity Program and other hiring programs focused on recruiting law students from diverse backgrounds

Participating in relevant professional organizations, conducting employer outreach to build and maintain relationships with employers, and helping to “match” students with employment opportunities. 30%

The Career Consultant also helps the Assistant Dean to compile and report employment statistics. 5%

Other duties as assigned. All members of the CDC staff assist with other functions as needed to meet the office’s short and long term goals. 5%

To view the full job listing, go to PSLawNet (login required).