Spring Break 2013 Common Application

Transcription

1 Spring Break 2013 Common Application Application Due Dates and Requirements Application: Due 4:00 pm, Thursday, February 7th (*applications for PDS of DC are due by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, February 6th*). Caravan Placement/Waitlist Confirmed: Tuesday, February 12 th. Fifty dollar check deposit required by: Tuesday, February 19th, 5:00 pm. Submit completed application form and current resume to Lisa Kim, Assistant Director of Pro Bono Programs, Social Justice Initiatives: Student Group Caravan Hosting Organization Location NALSA Native American Rights Fund Anchorage, Alaska Columbia Health Law Community Health Advocacy New York, NY Association Society for Chinese Law San Jose State University/ Record Clearance Project San Jose, CA Midwest Society Wisconsin Judicare, Inc. Wausau, WI Columbia Law School Military Connecticut Veteran s Legal Center West Haven, CT Association BLSA New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice New Orleans, LA SIRR Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project Amman, Jordan WRSC Legal Services of New York New York, NY WRSC / SIRR Americans for Immigrant Justice (AIJ) Miami, Florida WRSC/ SIRR Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project El Paso, TX WRSC/ SIRR Las Americas- Immigrant Advocacy Center El Paso, TX WRSC/ SIRR Latin American Association Atlanta, GA WRSC/ SIRR New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice New Orleans, LA CJAN Bronx Defenders Bronx, NY CJAN California Appellate Project San Francisco, CA CJAN Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana (JJPL) New Orleans, LA CJAN Miami-Dade Public Defender Miami, FL CJAN Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia* Washington, D.C. 1

2 SPRING BREAK CARAVAN 2013 APPLICATION: Part I: Personal Information Name: Year in Law School: Address: Telephone: Financial Aid: In order to be eligible for a financial aid stipend from SJI, you must be receiving CLS-funded or federal grants or loans. If selected for a caravan, do you wish to receive a financial aid stipend? Please briefly indicate your eligibility based on the criteria above. (Please note that financial aid amounts detailed on the following pages are the minimum stipends that SJI can guarantee for each project. Amounts are subject to change, depending on availability of funds and total number of Caravan attendees.) Part II: Resume. Please attach a current resume to your application Part III: Caravan Preferences. Please list your top Caravan choices. Include only those locations which you would actually attend if selected, up to four. First Choice: Second Choice: Third Choice: Fourth Choice: Part IV: Additional information (attach extra pages if needed). Please outline your specific interest in each caravan that you have specified above (100 words or less): Do you speak/read/write any other languages? If so, please indicate language(s) and level of proficiency. Have you participated in a Pro Bono Caravan before? If so, list location. For CJAN Caravans: Do you have a particular interest in pursuing criminal justice as a career? For SIRR Caravans: Do you have a particular interest in pursuing immigration advocacy or asylum law as a career? For WRSC Caravans: Do you have a particular interest in pursuing labor law or employment law as a career? Do you have any particular health concerns that might affect your accommodations or placement? Will you be able to work regular business hours (understanding that different placements may have slightly different needs depending on what work they have that week) from approximately 9am on Monday, March 18 to 5pm Friday, March 22? What else should we know about you to support this application (previous experience with direct services, Indian Law, related experience, ties to the jurisdiction, etc.)? 2

3 PLACEMENT DESCRIPTIONS Native American Rights Fund Anchorage, Alaska Sponsored by Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) 3 Openings Project Details: The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) is the oldest and non-profit law firm dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, organizations and individuals nationwide with offices in Washington, D.C., Boulder, Colorado and Anchorage, Alaska. Interns will assist attorneys on projects relation to 1) substinence and natural resources, 2)the Voting Rights Act, or 3)the Indian Child Welfare Act. Additional Requirements/Preferences: 2Ls/3Ls only. Student Contact: Terra Hittson, terra.hittson@law.columbia.edu Minimum Financial Aid Per Person: $225 Community Health Advocacy New York, NY Sponsored by Columbia Health Law Association 2-8 Openings Project Details: High healthcare bills from providers out of a patient s insurance network have recently emerged as an issue impacting low income medical patients, and the NYS Department of Financial Services is considering legislation to address these bills. Volunteers will interview previous clients of Community Health Advocates (CHA) who used CHA s DIY materials to contest or mitigate out-of-network healthcare bills. From the information they collect, volunteers will make recommendations about how to improve these materials and also propose possible legislative fixes. Student Contact: Teresa Lii, ttl2111@columbia.edu Minimum Financial Aid Per Person: N/A San Jose State University/ Record Clearance Project San Jose, CA Sponsored by Society for Chinese Law 6-8 Openings Project Details: Students will be trained on expungement law, and assist two clients to complete petitions for dismissals of eligible criminal convictions in court. As part of training and background, speakers for an advocacy group, former clients and a criminal justice official will talk about the importance of work clearing criminal records. Students will be asked to share their perspectives and advice on law school with interested undergraduates. Student Contact: Allison McCarty, allisonmccarty@yahoo.com Wisconsin Judicare Inc. Wausau, WI Sponsored by Midwest Society 5-10 Openings Project Details: Students will travel and work with Judicare staff attorneys to conduct a series of Will Clinics for American Indians residing throughout Wisconsin. To prepare for the Clinics, students will receive training on Indian Law, Basic Estate Planning, the American Indian Probate Reform Act, and the procedures and processes for the Clinics. During the Clinics, students will travel with one or more staff attorneys to different reservations or tribal communities in Wisconsin to conduct a day long Will Clinic. Student Contact: Ian Fisher, ipf2105@columbia.edu Connecticut Veteran s Legal Society West Haven, CT Sponsored by Columbia Law School Military Association 2-4 Openings Project Details: Students will be trained in military discharge procedures. They will review client records and write legal memos outlining available administrative procedures and arguments available for each case. In addition, students will be asked to document best practices learned during this process. Additional Requirements/Preferences: Prefer veterans with an interest in Administrative Law; Students will need to provide their own laptops. Student Contact: Maggie Maurone, mca2151@columbia.edu Minimum Financial Aid Per Person: $50 3

4 New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice New Orleans, LA Sponsored by Black Law Student Association (BLSA) 4 Openings Project Details: NOWCRJ is dedicated to organizing workers across race and industry to build the power and participation of workers and communities. They organize day laborers, guest-workers, and homeless residents to build movement for dignity and rights in the post-katrina landscape. Students will be working with the STAND with Dignity initiative. STAND is a grassroots organization of low-income residents and workers in New Orleans with an emphasis on African-American New Orleans residents. They place pressure on the state and local government by releasing illuminating reports on the working and living conditions of the poor and by organizing the community. Additional Requirements/Preferences: Interest in racial justice; experience in community organizing or community outreach. Student Contact: Malaika Jabali, malaikajabali@gmail.com Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project Amman, Jordan Sponsored by Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (SIRR) 2-6 Openings Project Details: Travel to Amman, Jordan to perform direct service for refugees and do research on the international legal regime governing refugees. Students will perform screening interviews and provide advice to refugees to help them navigate the refugee process. Students will also meet with government officials and representatives of regional and international NGOs, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and other inter-governmental organizations in order to gather information and perform research about how to best advocate for refugees in the Middle East-North Africa Region and to discover and advocate for possible improvements that can be made in the international refugee system. Additional Requirements/Preferences: Students with an interest in immigration, international law, and/or refugee issues are encouraged to apply. All class years welcome. No language skills required; Arabic interpreters will be provided by the organization. Student Contact: Eduardo Gonzalez, eg2244@columbia.edu Minimum Financial Aid Per Person: $225 Americans for Immigrant Justice (AIJ) Miami, Florida Sponsored by Sponsored by Workers Rights Student Coalition (WRSC) and Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (SIRR) 4 Openings Project Details: AIJ is dedicated to protecting and promoting the basic human rights of immigrants of all nationalities. Students will likely work in detention cases with clients who may include asylum seekers, survivors of domestic violence and trafficking, and DREAM act students. Students may be involved in visiting the detention centers, taking statements from detainees, writing briefs and doing research. In general, student interns and pro bono volunteers at AIJ typically work on immigration defense litigation, including issues related to VAWA, family-based claims, asylum cases, and migrant workers, as well as on advocacy work. Additional Requirements/Preferences: Accepted students must provide name, social security numbers, date of birth, and a copy of a photo ID as soon as possible to be granted access to detention centers. Students should plan to bring their own laptop. Spanish skills are strongly preferred, though French/French Creole may also be helpful. Please note any interests in immigration law/policy and/or litigation. Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project El Paso, TX Sponsored by Sponsored by Workers Rights Student Coalition (WRSC) and Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (SIRR) 2-3 Openings Project Details: The office deals in two areas of immigration law: Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) applications (for undocumented victims of abuse) and U-Visas (for undocumented individuals who assist in the investigation of a crime). There would be general case work for VAWA and U-Visa clients, as well as tasks to update a border patrol memo regarding the standards for stopping, questioning and arresting persons at international border or ports of entry to the US and in the interior of the US. Additional Requirements/Preferences: The organization prefers Spanish-speaking students, but it is not required. 4

5 Minimum Financial Aid Per Person: $170 Las Americas- Immigrant Advocacy Center El Paso, TX Sponsored by Workers Rights Student Coalition (WRSC) and Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (SIRR) 2 Openings Project Details: Las Americas is a home-grown non-profit that provides legal services to the most vulnerable immigrants and refugees on the US-Mexico border for over 25 years. At Las Americas, students will learn about immigration law while making a direct impact in people's lives, in particular with our core constituencies: asylum seekers, battered immigrant women and those seeking family reunification. As a summer intern at Las Americas, you will perform the following tasks: legal research, brief and memorandum writing, visiting and interviewing detainees, client intakes, filing of immigration forms (for U Visas, VAWA, asylum and more), assisting in trial preparation, translating (if applicable). Additional Requirements/Preferences: 2Ls and 3Ls preferred, but 1Ls will be considered. Students should have an interest in immigration law and public service. Spanish-speaking a plus. Minimum Financial Aid Per Person: $170 Latin American Association, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia Sponsored by Workers Rights Student Coalition (WRSC) and Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (SIRR) 3-6 Openings Project Details: The Latin American Association (LAA) is an Atlanta-based non-profit organization whose mission is to help Latinos, especially immigrants and first-generation individuals, achieve their aspirations for academic, social and economic advancement. The organization provides general/family immigration services, comprehensive services for victims of domestic violence, and removal defense. Students who spend their Spring Break with LAA will assist in all three programmatic areas. Specifically, students will conduct legal research, draft legal memoranda, complete immigration applications, and gather supporting documentation from clients. Additional Requirements/Preferences: Ideally 2L or 3L students, though 1Ls would be considered. The organization also prefers Spanish speakers, and/or students who have taken immigration law, though it is not required. Legal Services NYC New York, NY Sponsored by Workers Rights Student Coalition (WRSC) 6 Openings Project Details: Spring Break Caravan volunteers will assist us in all aspects of our recovery work including, intake and case assessment, challenging FEMA appeals and accessing other disaster-related benefits. Students will also assist with LSNYC s community-based evaluation of distribution of relief and on-going recovery needs of low-income families to ensure an equitable recovery for all communities. This work will include follow-up surveys of hard-hit communities and data collection regarding relief aid. Students will work out of our Staten Island and Brooklyn offices, and will gain experience with client interviews and case analysis. Additional Requirements/Preferences: Students who speak Spanish, Tagalog, Mandarin Chinese, or Russian are preferred. Student Contact: Julie Braker, Julie.braker@gmail.com Minimum Financial Aid Per Person: N/A New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice New Orleans, LA Sponsored by Workers Rights Student Coalition (WRSC) and Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (SIRR) 7 Openings Project Details: This caravan at NOWCRJ will involve legal support to grassroots organizing projects that build power for immigrant workers, protect workers rights to organize, and provide support to directly-affected peoples fighting against the criminalization of immigrants by local and federal law enforcement and for dignified migration and employment. The current work of the legal department includes federal impact litigation and law reform cases, strategic membership defense against unlawful raids, deportation, and detention, administrative advocacy, and campaign research and support. Practice areas include immigrant rights, civil rights, workers rights, and criminal justice and immigration reform. Additional Requirements/Preferences: Preference for 2 and 3Ls but all are welcome. Interest in labor law, immigration law, criminal and racial justice is also preferred. Spanish-speakers are especially encouraged. If students speak any Chinese, Tagalog, Hindi, or other East or South Asian languages, please note that on the application and the organization can plan work in these languages. Volunteers must be committed to acting professionally and respectful to attorneys, clients, and community members. 5

6 Bronx Defender Services Bronx, NY 3 Openings Project Details: The Bronx Defenders are credited with pioneering the concept of the holistic defense. Clients defended by the Bronx Defenders aren t just given an attorney: they re assigned to a team, which includes not only attorneys but also social workers, to help them resolve not just their case but a host of problems. The focus is not just getting people out of jail, but keeping them out. The Bronx Defenders has criminal attorneys, family attorneys (who represent parents whose children have been taken away), and a housing attorney. Caravan participants will work on projects in one of 3 areas: criminal defense, family defense or civil litigation. Minimum Financial Aid Per Person: N/A California Appellate Project San Francisco, California Sponsored by the Criminal Justice Action Network (CJAN) Openings Project Details: Possible projects include: marshaling facts and research for habeas petitions, reviewing client files and transcripts as necessary to research and obtain critical life history records for the representation of a capital defendant, creating a life chronology of existing client records to assist attorneys and investigators representing a capital client, assisting with legal research concerning prison or records-gathering issues on an as-needed basis, drafting an update to CAP's website publication using the results of this research and/or drafting an advocacy letter on behalf of a client or clients, performing factual research concerning a California prison or jail or juvenile detention facility to assist with institucional afilare claims --ordering legislative materials, performing web research & legal research into lawsuits against the prison, contacting local newspapers & libraries for information, drafting an authoritative memorandum about that particular prison to be published on website, performing substantive research into an institutional failure related topic --e.g. prison gangs. Client advocacy: Performing legal research into a client and/or prison related issue; assisting client with pursuing a grievance or court case. Additional Requirements/Preferences: No specific experience requirements. Ability to speak Spanish, Vietnamese, or Arabic would be helpful but not required. Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana New Orleans, LA 4-5 Openings Project Details: JJPL litigates on behalf of youth throughout the state of Louisiana. Additinoally, the organization educates policy makers on the need for reform, coordinates with parents, youth and other concerned citizens to ensure their visibility and participation in the process, and actively implements media strategies to hold he state accountable for the treatment of its youth. Depending on needs at the time, students will provide a variety of support from client intake to legal research. JJPL s various projects include: Schools First Project; LGBTQ Project; Kids in the Adult System; Youth Organizing; Statewide Juvenile Justice Reform; New Orleans Criminal Justice Reform. Miami-Dade Public Defender Miami, FL 2-4 Openings Project Details: In addition to or in lieu of direct legal services-related opportunities, the week s assignments may involve the student volunteers participation in educational projects (such as a Q&A session with local high school students regarding the anniversary of the seminal Gideon vs. Wainwright decision) or community outreach workshops on sealing criminal records. 6

7 Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia Washington, D.C. 15 Openings Project Details: The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) provides and promotes quality legal representation to indigent adults and children facing a loss of liberty in the District of Columbia and thereby protects society s interest in the fair administration of justice. PDS is a federally funded, independent organization, governed by an eleven-member Board of Trustees. Additional Requirements/Preferences: Applications for this project are due by 5:00 pm on February 6th. Note: You do NOT need to complete a separate application; rather, if PDS is one of your top four choices, you must submit your entire application and resume by this early deadline. Minimum Financial Aid Per Person: $50 7