Employers Are Watching

Whether you are interested in a firm position, public interest, or government, it is important to recognize that potential employers have their eyes on you and your virtual presence. This trend in investigating candidates before hiring is not limited to employers, as we have seen State Bar Associations (including Florida!!!) start reviewing websites including Facebook and MySpace.

Advice? Be careful about what you put out on the Internet. In this economy, you don't want to hurt your employment chances before you even begin looking ...

For some hints about this trend, click HERE.

Check Your Clock!!

The Pro Bono Fair is happening in the atrium TODAY from 11:30 - 1:00. See you there!

Pro Bono Fall Forum At Florida Coastal

Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 29th, when Pro Bono is holding its annual Fall Forum. Representatives of numerous public interest agencies in Northeast Florida will be attending to share information with law students about volunteer opportunities in their organizations. A few examples of organizations that will be participating include:

~ Jacksonville Area Legal Aid

~ Three Rivers Legal Services

~ Learn to Read

~ HandsOn Jacksonville

~ Women's Center of Jacksonville

~ City Rescue Mission.

The event is being held in the atrium from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please join Pro Bono to find out how you can make a difference in the lives of others.

Career Services Tip . . . Experience is key for distinguishing yourself!!!!

Have you participated in a pro bono project? Celebrate Pro Bono week by learning about the projects Coastal Law supports. Click HERE for more information.

Become Familiar With Foreclosures

Foreclosures are at an all-time high across the United States. The opportunities for new lawyers in this field will likely not disappear in the near future. To learn more about foreclosures and the legal representation during the "foreclosure crisis" click HERE. This recent report by The Brennan Center For Justice outlines how individuals and organizations are dealing with this growing area of law.

Preparing Your Federal Applications

If you are considering pursuing federal work, a little guidance never hurts. Take a moment and read "Six Common Myths of Federal Job Seeking" which contains some great tips in preparing and succeeding with your federal applications.

PUBLIC SERVICE DOES NOT STOP BECAUSE OF THE RECESSION. IT GETS BIGGER

Many of your classmates will be in Washington, DC this weekend learning more about public interest efforts across the country. If you missed out on the opportunity to attend the Equal Justice Works Conference this year, make sure you mark your calendars for next year's Conference & Career Fair. The Conference offers a fantastic opportunity to interview with public interest and government employers nationwide. For more information, click HERE.

Fellowship Opportunity - The 2010 Arthur C. Helton Fellowship Program

The American Society of International Law is pleased to announce the 6th Annual Arthur C. Helton Fellowship Program.

Law students, practicing lawyers, human rights professionals, scholars, and other individuals seeking assistance in conducting international fieldwork and law-related research are encouraged to apply.

The Helton application form and guidelines for a qualifying proposal, as well as general information, may be found at asil.org/helton, or through the ASIL Service Center at +1-856-380-6810. Applications are permitted from: October 12, 2009, and no later than February 12, 2010. Only the first 50 complete applications will be considered.

Destination: Atlanta

If you are a student interested in working in Atlanta during the Summer 2010, make sure to check out the new internship positing on Symplicity. This paid position is with Atlanta Legal Aid Society and accepting applications now.

New York Summer Opportunity

The HIV Law Project in New York is inviting law students from across the country to join a full-time externship program for credit. There are approximately 2-3 openings each semester in addition to our part-time interns, and students are encouraged to apply as early as possible to assist its legal team in providing comprehensive services to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).

Externs are being recruited for Spring 2010 and Fall 2010 full-time externs, as well as part-time interns within commuting distance, and full-time Summer interns.

HIV Law Project was founded in 1989 in response to a growing need for innovative legal services and advocacy programs for underserved, low-income people living with HIV/AIDS, particularly women and their families; people of color; undocumented and recent immigrants; members of the LGBT community; and the homeless.

The HIV Law Project is committed to working closely with all externs and providing work in a variety of legal areas, depending on our need and the interest of the student. Typically interns will work with each of the six attorneys on staff, including staff attorneys and directors.

Intern responsibilities include: 1) Assisting legal staff in representing clients in court on housing, immigration, discrimination, negligence, future planning, family law, welfare benefits, and social security issues; 2) Researching caselaw in said substantive areas for motions and other legal memoranda; 3) Working directly with clients, conducting initial client interviews, participating in case acceptance and strategy decisions, and providing advice and/or brief services under supervision of attorney; and 4) Attending court and hearings with legal staff to gain a better understanding of the legal system and laws in practice.

Interested students should have strong research, writing, and interpersonal skills; be comfortable with public speaking and engaging in advocacy efforts; and reliable, organized, team-oriented and eager to learn more about the court system. Fluency in Spanish or French is highly desirable.

The HIV Law Project is committed to ensuring that students in our extern program get the supervision and assistance they need to fill out any necessary paperwork and/or other supporting documentation for their academic institution.

Interested applicants may submit via email the following three materials: 1) cover letter, 2) resume, and 3) a short writing sample (brief or memorandum), to Ms. Yasmin Tabi, Esq., HIV Law Project. Applications are considered incomplete without these materials included.
Email: ytabi@hivlawproject.org

Getting Your Student Loans Forgiven.

This is a must attend for anyone with high student debt working for the government or a nonprofit. This free webinar explains how you can benefit from the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, the most significant law affecting public service in a generation.

From this interactive webinar, you will learn and be able to ask questions about:
How to qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness
How the new Income-Based Repayment plan works
How to figure out how much you can benefit

Space is limited, so participants are required to register at:

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2 – 3:15 p.m. EDT (1 p.m. CDT, 11 a.m. PDT)https://equaljusticeevents.webex.com/equaljusticeevents/onstage/g.php?d=666556842&t=a
Monday, Nov. 2, 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. EDT (10:30 a.m. CDT, 8:30 a.m. PDT)https://equaljusticeevents.webex.com/equaljusticeevents/onstage/g.php?d=667344325&t=a

New Trend In Interviewing

Public interest and government organizations alike have taken a new direction when it comes to interviewing candidates. The below article from the ABA Journal : Why Law Firm Interviewers Are Asking ‘Tell Me About a Time’ Questions is a great discussion about these new trends.

Law firms with fewer spots for new associates are getting serious about on-campus interviews, sending more senior people to meet with potential new hires and using behavioral questions to learn more about students’ personalities. The American Lawyer covered the more rigorous approach to recruiting in a story on the ways the recession has changed law firms.
Bruce Elvin, director of career and professional development at Duke University School of Law, is one observer who has noted a change. "We're seeing better-prepared interviewers, more senior people" coming on campus, he told the American Lawyer. “As for the interview itself,” the American Lawyer says, “it's no longer about whether you like the same sports teams, at least not at places like Vinson & Elkins and McKenna Long & Aldridge.” These firms continue to rely on law school rankings and grade point averages, but they are also using behavioral interviewing techniques to learn how students have performed in specific situations.
Behavioral questions often begin with the words “Tell me about a time” or, “Give me an example of a time." Law firms that rely on behavioral interviewing have identified the characteristics of successful associates and are using the behavioral questions to find out whether the person being interviewed has those traits, according to a 2005 article in the NALP Bulletin (PDF).

Law firms are often looking for these four behavior patterns, according to the NALP article: To access the list of four behavior patterns and learn how to succeed in your interviews, click HERE.

Top 10 Reasons To Become A Public Interest Lawyer

1. Camaraderie.

Public interest law offices are places where the lawyers, and also the support staff, have a shared mission, which produces a sense of unity.

2. Mentoring opportunities.

Solid peer mentoring is a business necessity, and attorneys at all levels benefit from working closely together and developing their skills.

3. Community.

Public interest lawyers are part of a large national and international community of like-minded souls who encounter each other through their work, through periodic conferences, and through social contacts.

4. Responsibility.

A large degree of responsibility is given even to beginners. Client’s lives are in your hands – you could be assigned a major court case as soon as your first day.

5. Flexibility.

Public interest lawyers have a greater degree of mobility, because many people see the relevant specialty not as a particular subject matter but as public interest law itself.

6. Money.

Yes, starting salaries are usually low. But senior lawyers at nonprofit organizations tend to earn a comfortable living. And don’t forget – 10,000 private sector lawyers have been laid off since the beginning of 2008. A government job may be a lot more secure than a job in a private firm. Further, legislation such as the College Cost Reduction & Access Act provides public service loan forgiveness and income-based repayment options, which can make entering public service quite easy.

7. Work-life balance.

You’re not a prisoner to the billable hour. You can have a life outside of your office

8. Be on the cutting edge.

Public interest lawyers get to work on urgent issues all the time. That’s the very nature of public interest work: it is law-reforming, a challenge to the status quo.

9. Fun.

It’s fun because when they are successful, public interest lawyers usually turn the tables on more powerful institutions, and it’s fun because upsetting the status quo forces you to be creative and innovative.

10. Help others.

Public interest lawyers represent vulnerable individuals and communities – they make huge differences in the lives of those who need help the most. A public interest attorney might enable clients to remain housed; limit the amount of time they spend in jail or improve the conditions of their confinement; help them to become employed or re-employed; enable them to go to school; prevent them from being cheated; enable them to enjoy physical security or an unpolluted environment; and in so many other ways. Most importantly, public interest lawyers also help clients understand how to exercise power, to advocate effectively for themselves even when the lawyers are no longer representing them.

The full text of the lecture appears here

New Jobs For October!

Log into Symplicity today to learn all of the details, qualifications, and application instructions for any of the below positions!

Washington, D.C. Area Legal Positions:

Notice of Judicial Vacancy, District of Columbia Superior Court
Real Estate Attorney, Office of the Attorney General, Government of the District of Columbia
Trial Attorney, Office of the Attorney General. Government of the District of Columbia
Staff Attorney, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington
Supervisory Program Specialist, Department of Health and Human Services
Counsel Policy/Analyst, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Pro Bono Coordinator, Kids in Need of Defense
Domestic Violence Staff Attorney, National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty,
Executive Director, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity
Domestic Violence and Family Law Attorney, Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center

Non-Legal Positions:

President, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Director of Immigration Initiatives and Projects, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.
Paralegal, Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland
Director of Finance and Administration, Advancement Project
Part-Time Consortium Coordinator, Consortium of DC Legal Services Providers
Program Assistant, Commission on Domestic Violence

Internships/Fellowships:

Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program, Georgetown Law University
Graduate Clinical Fellowships, Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics, George Washington Univ
2010-2012 Clinical Teaching Fellowship, Georgetown University's Center for Applied Legal Studies


Out-of-Town (Legal and Non-Legal Positions):

Welcoming Campaign Organizer, Long Island Wins, Port Washington, NY
Staff Attorney, American Gateways, Austin, TX

D.C. Networking Opportunity

Are you planning on attending the Equal Justice Works Conference? Make sure to RSVP for an event sponsored by The Young Lawyers Section of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia.

Friday, October 23, 2009

**6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.**

Networking Happy Hour

Medaterra Bistro and Bar
2614 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.

(located walking distance from the Omni Shoreham Hotel)

Members want to share the great city with you. Featuring great food and drink specials, this is a great opportunity to meet and mingle with colleagues, members of the bar, and employers from the Equal Justice Works conference.

Space is limited so register early for this FREE event! Register Online Now
Happy Hour Questions? Please contact Yousri Omar at yomar@velaw.com

Interested in Veteran's Rights?

Community Legal Services of Mid- Florida has started a program to give legal assistance to low-income veterans in Volusia, Flagler, Brevard and Putnam counties. The project aims to help low-income and homeless veterans with Veterans Administration claims, including disability compensation, pensions and other benefits, as well as family law, housing, bankruptcy and other legal issues. For more information, call 1-800-363-2357.

Is Debt On Your Mind?

You are not alone. Take a moment and read an article from The American Lawyer which discusses steps to overcome law school debt (even despite leftover undergrad loans and the shrinking job market!). To access the entire article, click HERE.

Public Interest Law and the Recession

For an interesting commentary on the state of the public interest legal community, take a moment and listen to a podcast about what is happening in the pro-bono and non-profit legal communities by some individuals familiar with the legal landscape. Speakers include:

Jonathan Smith
Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia
Paul Igasaki
Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Equal Justice Works
Susan Hoffman
Partner, Crowell & Moring
Matthew Pascocello
Assistant Director, Office of Career and Professional Development, American University's Washington College of Law

Clinic & Externship Applications

FACT: The best thing you can do to become marketable in this economy is to get experience.

Get some GREAT legal experience while in law school by taking advantage of opportunities with the Florida Coastal Clinic & Externship Program. The application form can be downloaded by clicking HERE and hard copies are available in the Clinic Office on the second floor.

The deadline for submitting applications is this Friday, October 9th.

Presidential Management Fellowship Now OPEN

The 2009-2010 Presidential Management Fellows ("PMF") Program application season is now open. Click HERE for more information about this incredible program.

The PMF Program is the premier program for leadership development in the public sector. Its purpose is to attract outstanding men and women to the federal service. Each year, the program draws Fellows from a variety of academic disciplines and career paths who have a clear commitment to excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs.The program provides a two-year federal government fellowship to individuals who have completed a graduate-level course of study at an accredited college or university. Since 1977, the PMF Program and its predecessor, the Presidential Management Intern ("PMI") Program, have been attracting outstanding graduate, law, and doctoral-level students to the federal service.The PMF Program is a passport to a unique and rewarding career experience with the federal government. It provides Fellows with an opportunity to apply the knowledge they acquired from graduate study. PMF assignments may involve public policy and administration, domestic or international issues, information technology, human resources, engineering, health and medical sciences, law, financial management and many other fields in support of public service programsNumbers per year: In recent years, the number of fellows has ranged between four hundred and six hundred.

Application period for the PMF Class of 2010 is open NOW through Thursday, October 15, 2009.

Happy October!