New England Law | Boston

Return to the New England Law | Boston home page.
Center for Law and Social Responsibility
New England Law Opportunities
Center for Law and Social Responsibility Environmental Advocacy Project Criminal Justice Project Education Law Project Immigration Law Project Public Service Project Women's and Children's Advocacy Project Student International Experiences

Welcome to the CLSR Weblog.

Please browse around, catch up on our latest public interest law projects, peruse our links (including the one to our home site, New England Law | Boston), and add your comments. Before you start, we encourage you to become familiar with our Terms of Use.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

2009-2010 Fellow Selected

The CLSR has hired New England Law | Boston alumna Adonia Simpson as the 2009-2010 CLSR Fellow. Ms. Simpson will assist the Center in all of its areas of public interest law, and will make her primary focus immigration law. A 2009 graduate, Ms. Simpson has just finished her term as managing business editor for the New England Journal for Civil and Criminal Confinement and was active in the Immigration Law Association and Women's Law Caucus, among other activities.

Please see the CLSR News & Events page for additional information about our activities.

American Constitution Society Fellowship
The American Constitution Society (ACS), one of the nation's leading progressive legal organizations, seeks a talented, versatile and energetic recent law school graduate with a deferral option from a law firm (or other independent funding) to fill a one-year position in ACS's national headquarters. ACS has qualified as a pro bono legal organization for several firms already and would be happy to work with incoming associates on individual deferral arrangements.

The Fellowship will begin in September 2009. The Fellow will serve as part of ACS's Programs staff, which is led by a group of experienced attorneys who coordinate and facilitate ACS's rapidly expanding output of innovative, highly relevant legal and public policy work. The Fellow will work with existing Programs staff to assist in coordinating the work of ACS's Constitution in the 21st Century project, an ambitious multi-year effort to engage scholars, practitioners, public officials and law students in the articulation and dissemination of a progressive vision of the Constitution, law and public policy. In close coordination with the Programs staff attorneys, the Fellow will:

  • Assist in developing and planning ACS speaking programs on cutting-edge legal and policy issues, such as briefings at the National Press Club and on Capitol Hill, conferences and symposia around the country and the ACS National Convention;
  • Manage the listservs of the ACS Issue Groups (ACS's national network of legal practitioners, scholars, and activists), selecting and posting relevant materials and leading substantive discussions among Issue Group members;
  • Help draft program guides for ACS chapters and materials for the public such as short papers based on ACS Issue Briefs;
  • Maintain relations with public interest advocates, academics and private practitioners;
  • Perform legal research and writing projects as assigned, to further the work of the ACS Issue Groups;
  • Attend conferences, hearings or other events as assigned; and
  • Assist the Program team in other ways as the need arises.

The Fellowship is a one-year position. A law degree from a U.S. law school is required. The ideal candidate will be a recent law school graduate who has a strong academic record; excellent research, writing and oral communication skills; and strong interpersonal skills. He or she also will have demonstrated initiative, organization and attention to detail. Experience working on Capitol Hill desired.

ACS is an equal opportunity employer; women, people of color, people with disabilities, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are encouraged to apply. To apply, send a cover letter; resume; 5-10 page, self-edited writing sample; and three references to ACS via U.S. mail (ACS, 1333 H Street NW, 11th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005); email (jobs@ACSLaw.org with "Law Fellow Candidate" in the subject line); or fax (202-393-6189; Attn: Shannon Hiller). No phone calls please.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
Immigration Staff Attorney

By providing holistic legal services and engaging in national public policy advocacy, the Tahirih Justice Center (Tahirih) works to promote access to justice in the United States for immigrant women and girls who are fleeing violence. Tahirih is a Bahá'í-inspired non-profit organization that offers pro bono representation to women and girls seeking protection from such gender-based human rights abuses as domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, female genital cutting, honor crimes, and forced marriage. Winner of the 2007 Washington Post Award for Excellence in Non-Profit Management, Tahirih has a staff of 21 and is based in Falls Church, VA.

Position Summary: Tahirih is currently seeking to hire a full-time Staff Attorney fluent in Spanish to represent immigrant and refugee women in gender based asylum cases, claims brought under the Violence Against Women Act, and other related immigration matters, including T and U visas. The ideal candidate will have experience working with female victims of violence from multi-cultural backgrounds. Additionally, the candidate will possess a professional demeanor, be detail-oriented, self-motivated, and a team player. S/he must be committed to the promotion of justice for women and girls, and to the foundational values of Tahirih.

Primary responsibilities will include:

General
  • Conduct intake interviews
  • Represent clients before the DHS, Immigration Courts, and BIA
  • Train and mentor pro bono attorneys who co-counsel Tahirih cases
  • Supervise paralegal, and legal and other interns
  • Conduct trainings and outreach activities
  • Attend coalition meetings and network with like-minded organizations

Fundraising
  • Contribute to the development of grant proposals and reports
  • Occasionally attend meetings with potential funders
  • Provide client stories and articles for periodic Tahirih publications
  • Generally promote the Center and its work

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:
  • Experience representing immigrant women in asylum, VAWA, T visa, and/or U visa
  • Experience working with female survivors of trauma and those from diverse cultural backgrounds
  • Excellent legal analysis, written and oral communication skills
  • Admission to any bar, or eligibility for admission to any bar
  • Excellent Spanish speaking ability and significant knowledge of/experience in Latin America required
  • Meticulous organizational habits with an ability to manage large amounts of information, establish priorities, and meet deadlines;
  • Extremely responsible, self-initiating, and focused; and
  • Ability to multitask and work in a fast paced environment with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and personalities.

Annual salary and benefits: Salary ranges from $37,500 to $44,000, depending on experience (must have substantial relevant work experience to be considered for the higher end of salary range). Benefits include: 15 days of paid accrued vacation during the first year (20 days of vacation after the first year), additional week of vacation between Christmas and New Years, fully-paid health and dental insurance coverage, 403(b) plan, flex-spending account, in-house training programs, professional development stipend, and staff enrichment retreats.

Submissions: Please email a cover letter, resume, and a list of 3 references to:

Human Resources Department
Tahirih Justice Center
6066 Leesburg Pike, Suite 220
Falls Church, VA 22041

justice@tahirih.org

Fax: 703-575-0069

Please note: Candidates applying must have work authorization in the U.S.

The Tahirih Justice Center is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer which does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, disability or veteran's status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations. The Center's policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment.
Internships at the Multilateral Diplomacy and Humanitarian Coordination Unitmof the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

The Multilateral Diplomacy and Humanitarian Coordination Unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) offers five paid internships for a period of one year. The internships begin at different dates, all between January and April 2010.

The Multilateral Diplomacy and Humanitarian Coordination Unit:
The Multilateral Diplomacy and Humanitarian Coordination Unit’s role is to assist the action of the ICRC with a view to promoting respect for humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law in the international arena through the establishment of relations and/or coordination with other humanitarian organizations. In addition, the unit serves as a centre of expertise for the ICRC’s multilateral relations and co-ordination within the ICRC, monitoring the multilateral humanitarian environment and providing advice and support to field operations and training.

Job description:
Under the supervision of Diplomatic Advisers, the interns will be responsible for:

  • Assisting the unit with the day-to-day management of relations with international organizations and UN agencies (mainly IOM, IPU, OCHA, OHCHR, UNHCR, UNICEF, and WFP), regional organizations (African, American, Asian, European, and Middle Eastern intergovernmental organizations); and humanitarian coordination fora and NGOs (IASC, ICVA and SCHR consortia,
  • MSF, OXFAM…);
  • Preparing and attending conferences, seminars and bilateral meetings, which may involve research work and speech-writing, and in terms of follow-up, the drafting of reports;
  • Informing ICRC delegations in the field on a variety of international issues;
  • Representing the unit at internal and external meetings.

Qualifications:
We are looking for candidates that meet the following mandatory requirements:

  • A Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g. international relations, international law, international economics…).
  • An excellent command of both French and English (fluency in one and very good working knowledge of the other). You will be expected to be able to converse and write in both languages.
  • Age between 25 and 30 (born between the 1st of January 1980 and the 1st of January 1985).
  • Prior experience with an international organization, NGO or Red Cross or Red Crescent society (see non-exhaustive list above).
  • Available for 1 year, starting sometime between January and April 2010.

If you do not fulfill the above conditions, your application will not be considered.

Moreover, successful candidates will fulfill the following conditions:

  • A manifest interest for humanitarian action and the ICRC.
  • A demonstrated interest in international affairs and diplomacy.
  • The ability to think strategically; to express ideas clearly, both orally and in writing and to work independently and as part of a team.
  • Flexibility and the ability to assist with a variety of tasks based on the needs of the unit.
  • Additional languages, especially Arabic or Spanish, are an asset.
  • Experience with the issue "business and conflict" or "business and human rights" and/or prior experience within a transnational corporation, are also an asset.

Contract:
Recruited interns will be offered a 12-month paid contract. The positions are based at the ICRC headquarters in Geneva.

To apply:
Interested candidates should send their complete application (cover letter, resume/CV, and the 2010 internship application form), in either English or French to: internshipudh@icrc.org (quote reference number: DIMCOH2010).

Do not send any documents other than the three listed above.

Please be aware that ICRC has other internship programmes with a separate applications process (for further information see the ICRC website). No information on these will be provided by the Multilateral Diplomacy and Humanitarian Coordination Unit.

Deadline for the receipt of applications is July 31st 2009.

Late or incomplete applications, as well as those which do not meet the stated requirements, will not be considered. Therefore, please refrain from applying if you do not fulfil the mandatory criteria listed above.

Due to the high number of applications, no information on the selection process or personal queries can be provided. As the selection for the internship is based upon a highly competitive screening process, applicants meeting the basic requirements may not go through the entire selection process. Short-listed candidates will be contacted in late August / September for a phone interview. Thereafter, the remaining 16 candidates will be invited to a selection day in Geneva (Switzerland) which will take place in the second half of October 2009.

Please be aware that the ICRC is not in a position to cover any related travel or accommodation costs.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Immigration Law Projects - News and Events 2008-2009

Here's a quick run down of the ILP's accomplishments for the 2008-2009 academic year:


September 2008 - December 2008: Immigration Law Project takes on Asylum Case

Students Mary Chicorelli, Victoria Turner, Mark Scialdone and Olya Chervatyuk and Professor Dina Haynes meet with Bingham McCutchen attorneys (alum Jennifer Bonnetti '08) and their clients and write a final brief for immigration court.

October 24, 2008 LawMatters Event: Immigration: This Election’s Sleeping Giant - The (Un)intended Effects to November’s Election

Co-sponsored with Immigration Law Association
Anthony Drago, Jr., Esq., Chair Elect for the New England Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association
Rita Kantarowski, Director, International Rescue Committee Regional Resettlement, Boston office

November 2008: Human Trafficking Task Force

Student Stephanie Kul and Professor Dina Haynes attend Massachusetts Human Trafficking Task Force Meeting.

January - April 2009: Asylum Applicant Assistance

CLSR Fellow Susan Walton and students Evelyn Yung-Hsin, Eve Indredat and Jenny Abbott work with Professor Dina Haynes and Attorney Sam Karpel to complete asylum application and prepare clients for asylum interview.

February 2009: Human Trafficking Task Force Legal Section

CLSR Fellow Susan Walton, student Stephanie Kul, and Professor Dina Haynes summarize 2008 Reauthorization of the Trafficking Victim Protection Act and present their summary at the US Attorneys office at the first meeting of the Legal Section of the Massachusetts Human Trafficking Task Force.

February 24, 2009 LawMatters Event: Immigration Law Project Discussion

Students who worked on ILP projects throughout the semester discuss their work, its impact, and the approach to future ILP projects.

April 10, 2009 LawMatters Event: Workplace Raids: The Effect of Detention on the Family

Co-sponsored with Immigration Law Association
John Wilkshire-Carerra, Esq., Greater Boston Legal Services
Nancy Kelly, Esq., Greater Boston Legal Services
Dr. Alexandra Pineros Shields, Director of Immigrant Programs at the Irish Immigration CenterBoston, MA of

May 21, 2009: Professor Haynes provides Trafficking Victim Protection Act instruction

Professor Dina Haynes provides instruction and training to area federal and local law enforcement, US Attorneys, lawyers and victim service providers on the Trafficking Victim Protection Act.