April 2008
The Legal Aid Society in New York City, the nation's oldest and largest provider of legal services to low income families and individuals, seeks to sponsor third year law students, judicial law clerks and, where appropriate, recent law graduates, for fellowships in public interest law, such as Skadden, Equal Justice Works, Soros/OSI, Kirkland & Ellis, Echoing Green, Liman and the Berkeley Foundation. The Society will also consider sponsoring applicants for other fellowship, internship or funded programs that are brought to our attention.
Using the broad-based legal expertise available in its civil, juvenile and criminal practice areas, the Society offers clients cross-discipline strategies for resolving legal issues. The Society's Civil Practice represents clients on civil matters, including housing, public benefits, disability, employment, health, family, domestic violence, immigration, and elder law issues. The Society's Juvenile Rights Practice represents clients who range in age from infants to 21 in neglect/abuse, juvenile delinquency and PINS proceedings. These clients also have a broad array of civil legal services needs. In the Criminal Practice, the Society provides innovative individual representation and affirmative law reform advocacy aimed at solving underlying problems in the criminal justice system.
In addition to direct representation of clients in state and federal administrative and judicial proceedings at the trial and appellate levels, Legal Aid staff members also pursue complex class action and law reform litigation, and provide community education and policy advocacy, in collaboration with the Society's Civil Practice Law Reform Unit; Homeless Rights Project; Immigration Law Unit; Health Law Unit; Low Income Tax Clinic; Community Economic Development Project; HIV/AIDS Representation Project; Domestic Violence Project; Disability Advocacy Project; Juvenile Rights Practice Special Litigation and Law Reform Unit; the Juvenile Rights Practice Education Advocacy Project; Criminal Practice Special Litigation Unit; Prisoners Rights Project; and the Criminal Practice's Juvenile Offender and MICA projects.
The Society seeks projects that will facilitate this comprehensive delivery of legal services to low-income New Yorkers, utilizing creative new legal approaches and service delivery models. Applicants for fellowships may develop projects in a wide range of poverty-related issues, but should be prepared to work with the Society to identify projects that will best meet client needs and further the development of comprehensive, multi-disciplinary legal services.
Applications process: Submit, by e-mail entitled "Fellowship Application," a cover letter describing your areas of interest, experience and proposed project, if any; resume; a writing sample; an academic transcript and references. Please identify your primary preferred practice areas and address your application to Marie Richardson, at mrichardson@legal-aid.org. (Only e-mailed applications will be considered)
Applications for fellowships for Fall 2009 should be submitted to The Legal Aid Society by July 15, 2008.
The Legal Aid Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, people of color, gay and lesbians, transgender persons, veterans and people with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.