Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License

Anti-Corruption Fellowship

The Organization

The Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity (CAPI) aims to improve the capacity of public offices and practitioners to deter, identify, and combat corruption. We work to:

Build and support a vibrant community of leaders in the public integrity field.

Develop tools and resources to help governments and practitioners fight corruption.

Promote research and scholarship on important public integrity issues.

The Position

The Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity at Columbia Law School invites talented law school students from the Class of 2018 to apply for a post-graduate one-year fellowship at CAPI.

We are looking for a fellow for a one-year posting, starting in August 2018. Those interested in the substantive areas of political corruption, public ethics, criminal justice, and related fields who have strong legal research and writing skills, are welcome to apply.

The CAPI fellow will primarily work on CAPI’s research projects and written publications. He or she will spearhead various projects, working with anti-corruption scholars and practitioners, law students, and others to conceive appropriate topics, conduct necessary research, and draft and/or edit original CAPI work products such as reports, best practices issue briefs, longer form articles from community members, practitioner toolkits, and material for our website.

Is this your dream opportunity?  See the full-post on PSJD.

Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License

Internship

Legal Services of Southern Piedmont

The Organization

Legal Services of Southern Piedmont (LSSP) is a non-profit agency that provides legal assistance in civil matters to low-income persons in Charlotte and mid-western North Carolina.

LSSP provides an intense, practical, and worthwhile internship for students interested in providing legal services to low-income people. LSSP has a long tradition of aggressive and effective advocacy, including individual cases, complex litigation and other advocacy projects. Our interns work with staff attorneys on routine cases, handle administrative cases as the primary advocate under the supervision of an attorney, and participate in significant client advocacy projects, as described in the job description below. You can find more information about our organization and our work on our website at www.lssp.org.

The Position

Ready to make a difference?  Check out the full-post on PSJD.

Employment Rights Litigation Attorney

The Equal Justice Center is a non-profit, public-interest employment rights law firm and systemic justice advocacy organization. The EJC’s mission is to empower low-income workers, families, and communities to achieve fair treatment in the workplace, in the justice system, and in the broader community – regardless of immigration status. With eleven attorneys in Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas, the EJC gives low-wage working people the power to use plaintiffs’ employment litigation to enforce their wage rights and other basic employment rights as well as the power to reform public policies and private employment practices.

The Position

The Equal Justice Center—a public-interest employment rights law firm and systemic justice advocacy organization—is seeking an employment litigation attorney for its Dallas office. The attorney will join EJC’s staff of fourteen attorneys (Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio) and will primarily engage in plaintiffs’ employment litigation representing low-wage working people to enforce fundamental employment rights, especially: wage rights; protections against workplace sexual assault and harassment; and immigrant employment rights. The attorney will also play a vital role in the Equal Justice Center’s systemic reform advocacy to empower low-wage and immigrant workers—regardless of their immigration status—enabling them to win fair treatment in the workplace, in the justice system, and in the broader society.

Ready for this new opportunity? Check it out here on PSJD.

Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License

Staff Attorney

The Organization: 

San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, Inc. (SDVLP) is a public interest law firm whose mission is to involve the private bar in the delivery of free legal services in civil matters to indigent San Diego County residents. SDVLP is seeking a full-time Staff Attorney to provide legal services to victims of domestic violence.

The Position:

The staff attorney will spend half of the week in a legal clinic setting at the El Cajon courthouse, and will spend the remaining half of the week in SDVLP’s main downtown office. The legal clinic assists domestic violence victims in completing and filing temporary restraining orders. In the main office, the staff attorney will provide representation to domestic violence victims in their family court matters. Additional job duties include recruiting, training and mentoring volunteers, and performing community outreach and education.

Know you have what it takes? See the full post on PSJD.

Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License

Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program

The Organization

The PMF Program is administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and is regulated by the Pathways Programs regulations in part 362 of Title 5, of the Code of Federal Regulations (5 CFR 362). Appointments are made in the excepted service under the Schedule D Hiring Authority.

The Position

The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program seeks eligible individuals for assessment and potential subsequent selection as Finalists to obtain appointments as Fellows in the Federal Government. Presidential Management Fellows are assigned to work in a broad range of areas including public policy and administration, domestic and international issues, information technology, acquisition, human resources, engineering, health and medical sciences, privacy, cybersecurity, financial management, and many other fields in support of public service programs.

Is this your dream opportunity?  See the full-post on PSJD.

We are pleased to announce that the 2017 PSJD Pro Bono Public Award Winner is Lydia X. Z. Brown. This prestigious award honors one law student nationwide for their pro bono contributions to society, and recognizes the significant contributions that law students make to underserved populations, the public interest community, and legal education through public service work.

This year we received twenty-one impressive nominations. After much deliberation, we selected eight finalists. In addition to our winner, we have also selected two Merit Distinction recipients. In addition, we will be presenting Lydia with their award at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Lydia X. Z. Brown and our Merit Distinction recipients will all be guest bloggers for the PSJD Blog.

Our winner, Merit Distinction recipients, and finalists are highlighted below. Thank you to our impressive pool of nominees for the incredible public interest work they are doing.

WINNER: Lydia X.Z. Brown | Northeastern University School of Law

This year’s Pro Bono Publico Award Winner is Lydia X. Z. Brown, a 3L at Northeastern University School of Law. Lydia’s record advocating for individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ people, and people of color extends across the country and begins well before law school. At Northeastern, Lydia has served on the Committee Against Institutional Racism, the Transgender Justice Task force, and the Disability Justice Caucus–of which they are a Co-Founder. Lydia’s commitment to legal service is also apparent in the impressive number of pro bono hours they have worked at the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, the Prisoners’ Rights Clinic at Northeastern, the ACLU, the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, the Movement Advancement Project, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and the Disability Law Center of Massachusetts. Lydia speaks, publishes, and advocates. They serve on councils and organize vigils. They are a adjunct professor of the intersectionality between disability, gender, and minority status, a voice for change among young people, and a valued peer of many who are older. We are honored to confer our 2017 award upon Lydia.

Merit Distinction Finalist: Danya Jones | Lewis & Clark Law School

Now a 3L, Dayna has relentlessly dedicated her time in law school to environmental justice and Native American Civil Rights issues. Working at the intersection of these two concerns, Dayna helped the Chemawa Indian School launch its Peer Court program, served as Treasurer of the Native American Law Student Association. Her most significant contributions, though, are legislative: when the governor of Oregon convened a Cleaner Air Oregon process to review the state’s air toxic rules, Dayna provided support to OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon; as an intern for State Representative Karin Power, she convinced her boss to advocate for overhauling the state’s air toxics rules on the floor of the Oregon House. We are excited to see what she accomplishes next.

Merit Distinction Finalist: Brigitte Malatjalian | Southwestern Law School

Brigitte’s commitment to serving the Armenian community within Greater Los Angeles has set a powerful example for both fellow students and practicing attorneys. Brigitte began her law school career volunteering with the Homelessness Prevention Law Project. She then spent two years working at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, where she gained a deeper understanding of systemic injustices and a powerful desire to help address them. Ultimately, this drive led her to form a partnership between Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles and the Armenian Bar Association and start a pilot clinic providing free legal services in “Second Armenia” (Glendale California). When she graduates this Spring, she will leave behind a successful pilot; NLS and the Armenian Bar Association plan to continue the clinic. We are thrilled for this opportunity to call attention to Brigitte’s accomplishments.

Other Award Finalists:

Coones, Patrick | University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Developed a program with Action Coalition of Human Trafficking Alberta that provides victims of human trafficking with legal assistance.

Fletcher, Corinne | Lewis & Clark Law School

Created a Student Directed Reading Group for Lewis & Clark Law School and MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility students; used her program to convince state legislators to advocate for procedural reform in the juvenile justice system.

Goodman, Jason Landau | University of Pittsburgh School of Law

LGBTQ advocate who wrote a current model Pennsylvania policy for transgender student inclusion.

Gustin, Erika | Notre Dame Law School

Co-established the Notre Dame Exoneration Project.

Kulak, Ashe | Indiana University Maurer School of Law

Assisted Indiana University’s LGBT Pro Bono Project in expansion to include policy work.

Photo: Brenda Gottesman – CC License

SUMMER LEGAL INTERNSHIP 2017 

ACLU OF WASHINGTON SUMMER LEGAL INTERNSHIPS 2018

The Organization

The ACLU is the nation’s premiere organization dedicated to defending and expanding all civil liberties and civil rights in America. Our job is to conserve America’s original civic values – the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.government.

The Position

At the ACLU-WA, law students gain exposure to a broad range of civil liberties and civil rights issues and the opportunity to improve legal writing and research skills. Students can work in either the litigation department, or in the policy advocacy group. Students will work closely with staff attorneys on active litigation, case development, advocacy with community groups and government entities, and legal research.

Want to make a difference?  Check out the full-post on PSJD.