Florida Coastal School of Law (FCSL) is seeking candidates for the position of Career Services Counselor for Outreach. Coastal Law offers a dynamic, professional, and collegial work environment for employees in addition to state of the art facilities, cutting edge technology, and a competitive and comprehensive compensation and benefits package.

The primary role of the Career Services Counselor for Outreach is to provide instruction, orientation, and high level career counseling to the law school’s students and alumni in the areas of resume and cover letter preparation, interviewing skills, and career planning in addition to overseeing the law school’s participation in external job fairs that pertain to his/her assigned area of outreach. This position reports to the Director of Career Services.

Find out more at PSLawNet!

Here’s a chance to work and make a difference in the 3-0-5!

1Miami is a non-profit advocacy organization that aims to educate and organize low-income residents in neighborhood committees throughout Miami-Dade County.

1Miami helps residents learn about their rights and advocate for policies to support job creation, to strengthen labor and employment rights, and to combat income inequality. Interns will research local, state, and federal policy proposals related to employment and tax issues. Interns will prepare interactive know-your-rights and policy-focused trainings and will work with field staff to present those trainings to low-income residents in Little Haiti, Little Havana, Miami Gardens, Liberty City, Allapattah, North Miami, and Hialeah, as well as to identity-based committees made up of mobile home park residents, domestic workers, youth/students, or others. Interns also will assist with interviewing individuals with housing, healthcare, or employment problems, research legal issues, make referrals, and analyze the likely impact of policy proposals on low-income neighborhoods in Miami-Dade County.

Interns will assist with preparing for and monitoring direct actions, such as candidate forums, rallies, and other activities.

Interested? Learn how to apply at PSLawNet!

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) works to reduce animal suffering and promote the welfare of all animals, including animals in agriculture.

As a part of its mission, AWI promotes humane farming systems and works to advance legislative and regulatory efforts to improve the conditions of farm animals.

During the summer of 2012, one promising student will have the opportunity to learn more about farm animal law and policy as a law clerk or intern Responsibilities include legal research and writing, tracking legislation and regulations, and drafting public policy comments.

Interested? Check out the listing at PSLawNet!

by Kristen Pavón

Here at NALP we have a bookstore filled to the brim with incredibly helpful books on the legal market and career development. One of particular interest to us at PSLawNet is Landing a Federal Legal Job: Finding Success in the U.S. Government Job Market by Richard L. Hermann.

In addition to going into great detail about … well, almost every facet of federal legal jobs, the author lays out over 20 pros and cons of getting into the fed biz. Here are a few of the highlights:

The Pros

• The Inevitable Exodus of Retirees.

The average federal employee is 50 years old. In the next several years, the government anticipates a demand for new hires.

• Work/Life Balance

The majority of federal government attorneys enjoy 35-40 hour work weeks. Also, the government’s vacation policy and benefits are generous.

• Transferability

Once you get your foot in the door, you’re in a good position to move around laterally within your agency and even other agencies.

The Cons

• Promotion Ceilings

I like this quote on the subject; it says it all — “If you are consumed with ambition, the federal government may leave you somewhat frustrated.”

• Marketability

Oftentimes, government attorneys practice within a very narrow field, which makes it difficult to move into the private sector. However, there are exceptions.

• Drug Testing

LOL. I’ll say no more.

Also, unofficially — I’d add the ugly job market and its effect on landing government positions to the con list.

So, now I want to know — are you interested in federal jobs? Have you applied to some already? What were your considerations before applying?

Are you a public interest law enthusiast? Are you a social media pro? Well, if so, keep reading because today’s Job o’ the Day is for you!

The PSLawNet Fellow is the principal manager and administrator of the PSLawNet website.  PSLawNet, which is housed at the NALP, is the nation’s largest public interest law jobs database, and also includes detailed information on thousands of public interest and government employers, as well as a library of resources to aid job seekers.

The Fellow has responsibilities for: development of online educational content, management of student interns, basic technology and data management, co-editing the PSLawNet Blog, using social media to promote PSLawNet, interacting with NALP members, delivering presentations about the public interest job search, and other tasks as they arise.  Just before the 2012-13 PSLawNet Fellow begins work, NALP will launch a new version of PSLawNet.  The fellow will play an integral role in marketing the new website, improving its functionality, and orienting website users to new features.  The fellow reports to NALP’s director of public service initiatives.

The PSLawNet Fellowship provides a wonderful opportunity for a public-interest minded law graduate who also has an interest in nonprofit administration and technology. Further, the fellowship offers a bird’s-eye view of the public interest arena for law graduates on public service career paths.

For more information or to learn how to apply, see the listing at PSLawNet!

Founded in 1991, the Asian American Justice Center works to advance the human and civil rights of Asian Americans, and build and promote a fair and equitable society for all.

The Asian American Justice Center is one of the nation’s leading experts on issues of importance to the Asian American community including: affirmative action, anti-Asian violence prevention/race relations, census, immigrant rights, immigration, language access, television diversity and voting rights. Our expertise is widely acknowledged: in the media, by the public and lawmakers at the very highest tiers of government.

The AAJC clerkship program is a competitive program for law students. Law clerks work together with staff attorneys. Typical duties clerk perform include researching and writing memoranda, preparing case briefs, drafting summaries of legislation for AAJC attorneys, and developing community education and advocacy briefs. Clerks will also have the opportunity to attend briefings, hearings, and lobby visits on Capitol Hill and attend coalition meetings with other human and civil rights organizations.

Clerks will have the opportunity to rotate among different practice areas at AAJC in order to gain a wide breadth of experience. By the end of the semester, clerks will have had exposure to many of the types of work that AAJC attorneys perform.

Interested? Check out the listing at PSLawNet!

Here’s a great opportunity for ya —

The Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) has a Summer Associate program open to students who have completed one or two years of law school.  PILPG is a global pro bono law firm that provides legal assistance to states and governments with the negotiation and implementation of peace agreements, the drafting of post-conflict constitutions, and the creation and operation of war crimes tribunals.   

The Summer Associates will be required to spend 10 weeks working in PILPG’s Washington, D.C. office.  Summer Associates will be assigned to teams managed by PILPG Senior Counsel and Project Directors to work on PILPG projects such as constitutional reform in Egypt, on-going projects in the Middle-East and North Africa region, human rights projections in Tanzania, and political constitutional reform in Bosnia and judicial sector reform in Kosovo.  Summer Associates will work closely with PILPG’s Washington, D.C. staff and PILPG’s field office staff throughout the program.

PILPG currently has project offices in Bosnia, Egypt, Kosovo, South Sudan, and Tanzania.  The Summer Associate program is designed to expose law students to the field of peace negotiations and post-conflict constitutions, as well as to assist students in honing their legal research and writing and networking skills.  The Summer Associate program also has a strong emphasis on professional development and exposure to the field of public international law.

Is this the position for you? Find out how to apply at PSLawNet!

American University, Washington College of Law is seeking applications for Practitioners-in-Residence for academic years 2011-12 and beyond in a number of its in-house clinics. 

American University’s in-house, “live-client” Clinical Program, comprising ten (10) in-house clinics and serving approximately 240 students per year, is respected for its leadership in scholarship, development of clinical methodology, contributions to increasing access to justice for under-served clients and breadth of offerings.

At this time, it is anticipated that there be openings in the following in-house clinics: international human rights clinic; domestic violence clinic; immigrant justice clinic; and disability rights law clinic.

The Practitioner-in-Residence Program is a program designed to train lawyers or entry-level clinicians interested in becoming clinical teachers in the practice and theory of clinical legal education.  Many graduates of the Practitioners-in-Residence program have gone on to tenure-track teaching positions at other law schools. Practitioners can serve in these positions for up to three (3) years.  Practitioners supervise student casework, co-teach weekly clinic seminars and case rounds, and engage in course planning and preparation with the clinic’s tenured faculty. They also teach a course outside of the clinical curriculum.  The Practitioner-in-Residence Program provides full-year training in clinical theory and methodology and a writing workshop designed to assist Practitioners in the development of their clinical and doctrinal scholarship.

Interested? Check the listing at PSLawNet for more information!

The National Center for Lesbian Rights is looking for a highly skilled, enthusiastic, articulate, and motivated Youth Project Director/Staff Attorney based at its national office located in San Francisco. NCLR wants someone with a law degree and a minimum of 3-5 years of legal or professional experience that prepares the applicant to lead NCLR’s Youth Project work in juvenile justice, child welfare, and other settings.

NCLR 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. Since its founding nearly 35 years ago, the National Center for Lesbian Rights has asserted bold and strategic national leadership at critical moments in the struggle to win marriage and family rights, expand immigration and asylum efforts, support youth safety, create and promote a positive sports culture, as well as work on elder law and transgender law.

Sound interesting to you? Check out the listing at PSLawNet!

The NYCLU is looking for a Legislative Counsel who, under the supervision of the Legislative Director, will play a key role in the organization’s efforts to promote and defend civil rights and civil liberties in the legislative and public policy arenas.

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is one of the nation’s leading advocates on behalf of constitutional rights and liberties. Founded in 1951, as the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, the NYCLU is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization with 48,000 members statewide.

Interested? Check out the listing at PSLawNet!