Exellent Opportunity In Jacksonville

This semester, the Family Nurturing Center would like to recruit students to help at the Center. For students who are able to commit at least one year, they can appear on behalf of the Center at domestic violence hearings and provide new client orientations.

Available Court Days:
Duval Domestic Violence – Monday and Wednesday Mornings
Nassau Domestic Violence – Tuesday Mornings

Available Orientation Days:
Monday morning and afternoon
Wednesday morning
Thursday afternoon

For students who are only able to commit to the current semester, the Center has non-legal pro bono service hours available for the student who can lead study hours and work with children on reading Monday – Friday between 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. This opportunity can be customized (for example, two students may want to team up and volunteer together for one hour doing a story and snack for children ages 4-6 on Tuesdays).

The Center will have an open house for any interested students on Friday, Jan. 7th from noon to 1 p.m. in room 465. Pizza will be served! Students should R.S.V.P. to leigh@fncflorida.org

Miami Attorney Position now on Symplicity

GUARDIAN AD LITEM PROGRAM- 11TH CIRCUIT (FL)
http://www.guardianadlitem.org/

The 11th Circuit Guardian Ad Litem Program currently has an opening with the Criminal Court Project. Attorneys with the Criminal Court Project specialize in advocating for and protecting child victims during criminal court proceedings, including trials and depositions, and facilitating the exchange of information between the criminal and dependency court systems. Attorneys work with specially trained volunteers, and also recruit and assist pro bono attorneys representing child victims.

Qualifications
Applicants should be self-motivated, able to work effectively with a diverse staff; members in good standing of the Florida Bar; have strong oral and writing skills; and be proficient in web-based legal research.

For more information, log into Symplicity today. Deadline for applications is October 23, 2010.

Attorney Position Available in Miami

SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER (SPLC)

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) http://www.splcenter.org/ works to reduce the imprisonment of poor children and children of color and improve educational outcomes by advocating for juvenile justice and educational system reform. SPLC works to stop the abuse and neglect of children in the juvenile justice system, limit policies and practices that push children into the juvenile justice system, end school disciplinary practices that exclude students from public schools, and ensure that all child-serving systems are humane.

SPLC seeks a lawyer to work collaboratively with FYI’s director and staff to:
•Develop and execute campaigns to stop the overuse of incarceration and abuse and neglect of children in the juvenile justice system
•Litigate conditions of confinement class actions and take other legal action to protect children
•Work collaboratively with juvenile justice stakeholders, parents, elected officials, the faith-based community, and other advocacy organizations to reform Florida’s juvenile justice system

To learn more ... log into Symplicity today!!!

Application Deadline: 10/31/2010

Jacksonville attorneys and Jacksonville Area Legal Aid continue to make the news for all of the great things they are accomplishing. In a recent article, the economy's affect on child support payments has gotten some attention.

With many people experiencing job loss due to the economy, some parents have fallen behind in child support payments. They are at risk of having their driver’s license suspended or of being held in contempt of court for nonpayment, thereby exacerbating their problems. Jacksonville Area Legal Aid has been inundated with child support modification requests and simply cannot handle the caseload. Two Jacksonville area attorneys, Marla Buchanan, a Rogers Towers attorney and chair of the Family Law Section of The JBA, and Jamie Ibrahim, a family law staff attorney with JALA, have teamed up to combat this ever-increasing issue by creating a new group assistance opportunity, the Child Support Modification Clinic at JALA. The purpose of this clinic is to provide general guidance to persons who believe they have had a substantial change in circumstances since their most recent Child Support Order and would like to request a modification. Participants receive information on how to file their own petitions for .... click HERE for the full article.

Summer Volunteer Projects

Are you interested in diversifying your resume this summer? Check out two great opportunties from HandsOn Jax.

Earth Aid and Ambassadors for the Earth– 2 positions available.
Responsibilities would be to develop several environmental initiatives. This volunteer opportunity would focus on the partnership between Earth Aid and JEA, Beaches Electric, City of Jacksonville and other potential businesses and agencies. The main focus will be marketing the program, targeting and visiting businesses, schools and agencies in order to increase individual accounts on Earth Aid in Northeast Florida.

Children’s Disaster Preparedness Summer Program – 2 positions available.
Responsibility would include researching children’s summer programs through the City of Jacksonville, DCPS, non profit agencies, etc. to schedule Disaster Kids Presentations. Also, this position would include setting up and leading Disaster Kids Leader trainings.

If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please fax a cover letter and resume to Judith A. M. Smith, DM President & Chief Executive Officer, HandsOnJacksonville, at 904.332.6722.

Interested in Child Protection?

Children under the age of 18 are victims of human trafficking at alarming rates in the United States. If you are interested in learning how this serious issue affects Jacksonville’s children and meet with preeminent experts in the healthcare, law enforcement, child advocacy and legal communities, consider attending The Jacksonville Bar Association’s Special Needs of Children Committee proudly presents “CHILD EXPLOITATION AND SEX TRAFFICKING: FINDING LOCAL SOLUTIONS” All information including registration materials for the May 5, 2010 event can be located HERE.

Family Law Conference

Students are invited to attend the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts' 47th Annual Conference, titled Traversing the Trail of Alienation: Rocky Relationships, Mountains of Emotion, Mile High Conflict, at the Sheraton Denver Downtown, June 2-5, 2010. The program features 90 sessions, including four plenary sessions and six all-day pre-conference institutes, on topics from alienation to negotiation, research to practice or domestic abuse to child abuse and neglect.

Registration is available at a reduced rate, more than 40 conference scholarships are available, and students who attend will be paired with a mentor/ experienced practitioner for ongoing mentoring. For more information, to view the full conference brochure, apply for a scholarship or register online, see http://www.afccnet.org/

A presentation, ETHICAL ISSUES IN THE REPRESENTATION OF CHILD CLIENTS, is coming to Jacksonville next month. This presentation will be of interest to attorneys who come in contact with children in any area of law: tort, probate, family, dependency, and delinquency. This event will be held Friday April 23, 2010 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm in the Jury Assembly Room Courthouse Annex Building. The speaker is the esteemed Professor of Law Michael J. Dale, Nova Southeastern University. The Jacksonville Bar Association is applying for two hours of CLE credit for attendance at this presentation and a registration form will be available on the Jacksonville Bar website. For more information, contact the Jacksonville Bar Association. .

Upcoming CLE in Jacksonville

Special Needs of Children CLE
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

“If you practice in the areas of Labor, Immigration, Family, Adoption, or Criminal Law, you’ll want to Save The Date: May 5th, 2010 JBA’s Special Needs of Children Committee Hosts an All-Day CLE on Human Trafficking & Child Slavery: Not Just Somewhere Else” Click HERE for more information.

Looking For Inspiration? Consider Pro Bono Work

Florida attorneys have shown a committment to pro bono work. In a recent article, attorneys working for the Guardian ad Litem program in Tallahassee talk about their important work in representing children across the state. It's not too early to start now. Contact your local Guardian ad Litem office to learn how you can help a child today!

New Public Interests Positions In Symplicity

Area Legal Positions In Washington

Pro Bono Manager, Children’s Law Center
General Counsel, Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
Attorney Advisor, Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
Trial Attorney, Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
Attorney Advisor, Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
Staff Attorney, Children’s Law Center
Staff Attorney, Hogar Immigrant Services of Catholic Charities
Bilingual Domestic Violence/Family Law Staff Attorney, Ayuda
Case Manager, Ayuda.
Director of Advocacy, American Immigration Lawyers Association

Non-Legal Positions:

Program Assistant, ABA Commission on Immigration
Executive Assistant/Intake Coordinator, Children’s Law Center
Administrative Associate, DC Employment Justice Center
Development Consultant, Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment & Appeals Project
Health Access Project Investigator, Children’s Law Center
Pro Bono Program Coordinator, Women Empowered Against Violence, Inc.
Advocates Program Co-Director, Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project
Executive Director, Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project

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

Detention Attorney, American Friends Service Committee, Newark, New Jersey
Program Specialist, UConn Department of International Services & Programs, Storrs, Connecticut

Atlanta Fellowship Available - Childrens' Rights

The Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic at Emory University School of Law has a one year post graduate fellowship for recent law school graduates to work with the clinic on issues of child neglect and abuse. The fellowship honors late Juvenile Court Judge and former Barton Clinic Director, Robin Nash, and focuses on building the next generation of influential attorneys, judges, and community leaders specializing in juvenile law. The Robin Nash Fellowship will begin mid-August 2010 and continue through August 2011.

The mission of the clinic is to promote and protect the well-being of neglected, abused, and court-involved children in the state of Georgia, to inspire excellence among the adults responsible for protecting and nurturing these children, and to prepare child advocacy professionals. The clinic provides multi-disciplinary, child focused research, training, and support for the practitioners and policy makers charged with protecting Georgia’s children.

The Robin Nash Fellow will work under the supervision of the clinic director and faculty on a variety of projects that will include, as a minimum, the following:
• Assist with supervision of clinic students with weekly and on-going assignments.
• Research and write one law review article suitable for publication or another approved writing project on a topic relating to child neglect and abuse.
• Collaborate with clinic faculty on research and policy papers.
• Participate in on-going advocacy efforts in the Georgia General Assembly
• Assist with teaching the course Child Advocacy: The Law, the Policy, and the Players.

Qualifications: law school graduate within three years of graduation, extensive computer skills, research and writing skills, and proven commitment to public service in the area of child advocacy.

To apply: E-mail a resume, cover letter, statement of interest and commitment to long term child advocacy, transcript, (3) references, and writing sample to the address below.

Deadline: Applications will be accepted until the position has been filled. (Position posted November 2, 2009.)


For additional information or to apply, contact:

Sherry McPeeks, Administrative Assistant
Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic
Emory University School of Law
1301 Clifton Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30322
Phone: (404) 712-4643
Fax: (404) 727-7851
E-mail: smcpeek@emory.edu
Web: www.childwelfare.net

Children Need YOUR Help

The Florida Bar News recently published a heart-breaking article about the need for volunteers for the Guardian Ad Litem Program. With budget cuts across the board, volunteers are needed to help children in times of crisis. To read the entire article and access information about volunteering click HERE.

Interested in Family Law?

The Orlando County Bar Association invites law students to attend an upcoming CLE, Education Advocacy 101 for GALs. If you have an interest in the Guardian ad Litem program or practicing family law in Orlando, this is a great FREE networking event to consider attending. For more information, click HERE.

Networking Opportunity in Jacksvonille

"PRO BONO YOU CAN HANDLE" --Use Your Skills To Help A Jacksonville Child In Need

The Jacksonville Bar Association is sponsoring a CLE with the Special Needs of Children Committee & The Juvenile, Delinquency & Guardian ad Litem Section. This is a great opportunity to meet attorneys working for children in the legal arena as well as learn more about family law issues in general. Topics covered will include Players in a Dependency Case, Guardianship When the Ward is a Minor, Special Immigrant Status of Juveniles, Pitfalls for Attorneys Practicing Pro Bono for Children, New Deposition Rule for Children, and When Children Testify at Trial.

For more information including registration materials, click HERE. The CLE will be held on March 19, 2009.