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Friday, April 26, 2013

Short-Term Consultant at UNHCR in D.C.

Short Term Consultant, Unaccompanied Children Interviewer
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Washington, DC

Background:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.

Since 2011, the number of arriving unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico has significantly increased in the U.S.  UNHCR is concerned by the lack of comprehensive data concerning the influx of UASC coming to the United States and seeks to determine the specific root causes and “mechanics” of such movements from Central America and Mexico to inform the design of a regional strategy to prevent and respond to the protection needs of these children in a more comprehensive and effective manner.
To meet this goal in part, UNHCR will conduct research focused on examining the triggering events and/or characteristics of the movements of UASC through in-depth interviews with 400 UASC, 100 each from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.  The interviews will be with children in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), released to sponsors in the U.S., in the custody of Mexico’s El Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) and NGO shelters in Mexico. UNHCR seeks to hire a short-term paid consultant to assist in conducting these interviews.

Scope of work:

This position is a short-term (10 week) consultancy from approximately May 20, 2013 to July 26, 2013. During this period, the consultant will travel to multiple locations within the U.S. and northern Mexico to assist in interviewing approximately 200 children in ORR custody, released to sponsors, and in DIF custody or at Mexican NGO shelters.  The consultant, as part of a two-person interview team, will serve primarily as support to the interview team leader during the interviews and be responsible for note-taking.  And after a period of training by the interview team leader, the consultant will then conduct a portion of the interviews him- or herself.  The interviews are to be completed within a ten week timeframe according to the itinerary prepared ahead of time.  The consultant will assist the interview team leader with communication and coordination with UNHCR in Washington throughout the duration of the travel period, including any logistical needs and an email or phone call update for each site where children are interviewed. 

The consultant will perform other duties as needed, including drafting updates to assist UNHCR in reporting on the project and participating in a final de-brief with UNHCR personnel to share lessons learned upon the completion of the interviews.

Essential Job Functions
• Travel to various locations across the United States and into northern Mexico.
• Work as part of a two-person team to interview roughly 200 UASC.
• During the interviews lead by the interview team leader, input the interviewee’s answers into electronic survey.
• Serve as the lead interviewer in a portion of the interviews.
• Communicate with UNHCR on a regular basis regarding the progress made while in the field interviewing.
Requirements
• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree with relevant experience; JD or graduate degree preferred
• Spanish fluency
• Demonstrated knowledge and interest in immigrant rights and children’s rights
• Able to work well on a team
• Experience as an interviewer preferred
• Prior experience working with unaccompanied alien children in ORR custody strongly preferred  
To apply send a letter of interest, resume, completed Form P-11 (available at http://www.unhcrwashington.org/site/c.ckLQI5NPIgJ2G/b.6770627/k.EC45/Vacancies.htm), and two references to Nicole Boehner, boehner@unhcr.org

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. We are seeking to fill this position immediately.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Work-Study Eligible Research Assistant

Research Assistant Needed by Professor Siegel
Work-study eligible research assistant needed for legislative analysis on criminal justice-related issues in May and June for approximately 10 hours per week. Researcher must be an extremely thorough and careful reader, with precise writing skills and ability to rapidly and succinctly distill legislation and judicial opinions. Please email cover letter, resume, transcript and writing sample (authored without assistance or editing, maximum of 3 pages) to Abbagail Geroux at abbagail.c.geroux@nesl.edu.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Michael Varone (2013) Received Ethics Award

Michael Varone, class of 2013, received the ACC Northeast Law Student Ethics Award.
Mr. Varone was nominated by the Center for Law and Social Responsibility based on his Public Interest Clinic work in the area of domestic relations and social security cases. Mr. Varone showed incredible poise and intregity in the face of an opposing attorney who blatantly misrepresented a series of events leading up to the trial. In another case, Mr. Varone balanced a succesful outcome for his client and the ethicial issues he faced when the opposing client was unrepresented. The opposing client continually asked for Mr. Varone's advice and seemed to lack sufficient capacity to settle the case.

Mr. Varone continued his commitment to professionalism and ethics in the Criminal Procedure II clinic where he recieved high praise for his skill at trial and attention to detail in all aspects of the case.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Students Attend 26th Annual Cover Retreat in March

Five students and Professor Dina Haynes attended the 26th Annual Robert M. Cover Retreat which brings together public interest minded law students, academics, and practitioners.  Hayat Bearat, Tristan Brown, Benjamin Jones, Christina Liwski, and Racheal Michaud enjoyed a weekend filled with exciting discussions, interesting topics, and opportunities to relax and enjoy time away from the law school environment.

“We listened to various keynote speakers and panel discussions and were able to select which workshops we wanted to go to. The workshops covered so many areas of practice that I was able to go to international human rights, labor laws in Mexico, and women in the legal profession workshops.” Hayat Bearat ‘2015.

Graduating student Benjamin Jones stated “The Retreat is a tradition that I plan to continue after I graduate-next year as a practitioner. The contacts I left the woods with have proven directly on point with the public interest efforts I am pursuing upon my return to my home state of Maine.”

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Post-Graduate Fellowship at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem

Post-Graduate Fellowship Fall 2013


The Neighborhood Defender Service Of Harlem (NDS) is a community-based, holistic public defender office located in Harlem. NDS represents residents of Northern Manhattan who are charged with crimes who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. Clients are represented by teams composed of lawyers, investigators, social workers, and team administrators. NDS also provides pre-arrest representation to clients under threat of arrest. NDS adheres to a client-centered approach to representation that emphasizes a heightened responsiveness to clients' needs prior to arrest, while a case is pending, and after the case concludes.

NDS seeks to hire a recent law school graduate for a two-year post-graduate fellowship position. The fellowship will begin in September 2013 and continue through August 2015. Third year law students graduating in the Spring of 2013 are eligible to apply.

NDS Fellows will assume the responsibilities of a Staff Attorney, representing clients on misdemeanor cases. This includes appearing in court at clients' arraignments, regular court appearances, plea negotiations, hearings, and trials. NDS Fellows interview clients and their families in the office or the local jails, conduct legal research, and write pre-pleadings, motions and pre-sentencing memoranda on behalf of clients. NDS Fellows will also spearhead and coordinate work performed by team members (investigators, social workers, team administrators).

NDS is looking for recent law school graduates with a demonstrated commitment to criminal justice and/or social justice issues. In addition, the job requires energy, enthusiasm, a commitment to excellence, and an unwavering commitment to clients. Applicants must possess a demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and effectively through writing, and must have a high level of organizational skills in order to represent many clients. Fluency in Spanish is preferred, as is prior clinical, externship or internship experience in a public defender office.

NDS is prepared to offer a generous compensation package, including a competitive base salary as well as health, 401(k) and vacation benefits.
Interested applicants should email a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to NDS at ndsfellow@ndsny.org with the subject line, "NDS Fellowship Fall." For more information about NDS, please visit our website at www.ndsny.org.

Neighborhood Defender Service, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Professor Engler Spoke at Civil Gideon Symposium

Professor Russell Engler spoke at Toward a Civil Gideon: The Future of Legal Services, a symposium on Saturday April 6th.  The symposium discussed the crisis of unrepresented civil litigants and how the legal system is not meeting current needs. The event was hosted by the Harvard Law and Policy Review, which published Professor Engler’s article on the topic, and may be found at http://hlpronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Turner-v-Rogers-and-the-Essential-Role-of-the-Courts-in-Delivering-Access-to-Justice.pdf.

At the Symposium, Professor Engler identified the high incidence of unmet legal needs, the desperate shortage of lawyers handling civil cases for litigants who are indigent or of moderate means, the resulting flood of unrepresented litigants in the court, and the manner in which unrepresented litigants get steamrolled by the court process and forfeit important rights. 

Professor Engler offered a vision of a civil right to counsel that serves as a component of a more comprehensive Access to Justice strategy. Professor Engler closed his prepared remarks by urging us to think of a civil Gideon as standing for the basic proposition that “if something important is at stake, and nothing but a full right to counsel can protect that interest, then a full right to counsel should exist.”

Third-year Student Benjamin Y. Jones who attended the event stated, "I walked away with a new found commitment to addressing systemic issues affecting the poor in our legal system - shocked by the numbers of unrepresented litigants and unbalanced proceedings."

Professor Engler has written numerous articles and has spoken on the concepts of Access to Justice and civil Gideon. He is the director of Clinical Programs at New England Law | Boston and affiliated with the school’s Center for Law and Social Responsibility, providing guidance to students seeking experiential learning at New England, with a particular focus on those considering public interest careers.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Public Service Internship Announced

Public Service Internship in the Family Court
with Senior Partners for Justice Spring 2013


Senior Partners for Justice, a unique pro bono initiative at the Volunteer Lawyers Project, is pleased to offer an internship program for law students who want to provide critical assistance to low-income clients while gaining hands-on experience in the family court.

About Senior Partners For Justice

Founded in 2002 by Hon. Edward M. Ginsburg, a retired justice of the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court, Senior Partners for Justice (www.spfj.org) includes practitioners of all levels of experience, from retired attorneys and judges to new bar admittees and law students, who handle family law and other matters pro bono for low-income clients who would otherwise go unrepresented.

About The Internship Program


Interns are placed in the Suffolk, Middlesex, and Norfolk Probate and Family Courts, working directly alongside courthouse staff. This is an unpaid, non-credit internship, but it offers invaluable experience and a flexible schedule that can fit around other commitments. 
We ask interns to spend at least one full day (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or two half days, preferably mornings, at their courthouse each week. 
The nature of the internship is a little different at each court:

• At Suffolk (located near North Station and Government Center), interns staff the very busy Register’s office and have the chance to help the Lawyer for the Day and observe court proceedings.

• At Middlesex (located in East Cambridge, at the Lechmere stop of the Green Line), interns rotate between different departments, gaining broad exposure to areas including Divorce and Paternity.

• At Norfolk (located in Canton, accessible only by car), interns work directly with the court staff members who assist unrepresented litigants, and they have a chance for more one-on-one interaction at a less busy court.

Orientation for the Summer 2013 Internship will take place the week of May 27th.  The actual program will begin the following week, on June 3rd, and conclude the week of August 9th.

All participants in the internship program will receive support from the Senior Partners staff and invitations to trainings, luncheons, and other events through Senior Partners and VLP. It has been strongly suggested by students in the past that incoming interns take a family law training with our office. This training would provide a foundation for the work you will be doing in the courts. The list of family law trainings is available on our website at www.vlpnet.org.  

Registration

You can apply for the internship on the Career Services Symplicity Site. The Job posting number is 8152.

Developments in Immigration Law & Removal Defense


A Continuing Legal Education Seminar sponsored by the National Immigration Project and Boston University School of Law's Civil Litigation Clinic

Thursday, May 2, 2013
9:00AM - 5:00PM
Boston University School of Law
Barristers Hall
765 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02215

This one-day training will focus on challenging and overcoming removal. Topics will include: fundamentals of case analysis and evidence, challenging DHS-issued removal orders, advanced and appellate strategies for prosecutorial discretion and motions to suppress and terminate. Panels on provisional waivers and Supreme Court updates on immigration consequences of crimes will also be offered. Finally, an optional lunchtime discussion will provide the latest developments in comprehensive immigration reform.

The CLE seminar will be held the day before the day-long National Immigration Project's Annual Membership Meeting, which is scheduled for Friday, May 3, 2013, from 9am-5pm, also at Boston University School of Law. The meeting is FREE and open to seminar participants as well as prospective, current and renewing members.
Program, Faculty and Registration information available at: http://nationalimmigrationproject.org/seminars.htm

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Fellowship Opportunity in D.C. in Immigration

Fellowship Opportunity



A senior Democrat from the Midwest is seeking a fellow for the Washington, DC office.  The Fellow will assist the Counsel with immigrant advocacy, deportation policies and community and constituent services.

Agency Name:  U.S. House of Representatives
Position Title:  Immigration Fellow
Location:  Washington, DC

Description of Responsibilities:  The Fellow will work closely with the Member's Counsel to help monitor the implementation of removal policies, the application of prosecutorial discretion in individual immigration cases and the adjudications of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).  The work will include intervention in meritorious discretion and DACA cases and working with government agencies to ensure that all worthy cases are properly considered for discretion.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Interviewing callers with inquiries regarding immigration issues and responding to such inquiries by providing immigration policy information, making referrals where appropriate and screening cases for possible intervention with executive agencies;
• Identifying sensitive and/or emergency immigration cases that demand swift response;
• Preparing official correspondence with regard to deportations, removal policies and individual case intervention;
• Managing and tracking the progress of multiple cases;
• Coordinating our deportation policy efforts and individual case interventions with attorneys, advocates and other allies;

In addition to the above, the Fellow will be expected to conduct research, policy analysis, and assist with immigration policy development and messaging and other duties as assigned.

Experience:  The Fellow must be familiar with immigration policies in general, including deportation and removal policies and practices as well as prosecutorial discretion.  Must have excellent writing skills, organizational and client service skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure.  Must have ability to remain calm and professional at all times.   Spanish language proficiency strongly desired.  Background in immigration law preferred.  Knowledge of Congress and Chicago ties are a plus.
 
Point of Contact:  Please send a cover letter and resume to IllinoisDemFellow@mail.house.gov.  No phone calls or walk-ins, please.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

CPHTP and CLSR: Public Health Policy In Action

THE CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND TOBACCO POLICY AND THE CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Present:


“PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY IN ACTION: FROM STUART STREET TO NYC,
THE TOBACCO PRODUCT DISPLAY RESTRICTION”


Date: April 10th, 12-1pm (feel free to stop in late or leave early if classes conflict)
Place: 154 Stuart Street, Room 303
Food: Viga sandwiches and refreshments

About the Event:


You’ve seen the headlines – “NYC first in the nation to require tobacco products be hidden from sight" - and heard the critics. Now learn the story behind this public health policy and what it takes to develop, author and support similar policies. New England Law | Boston alumnae and Center for Public Health and Tobacco Policy Staff Attorneys Whitney Dodds and Sarah Herbert offer firsthand accounts of the process behind developing this (and other) policy: They will describe the policy’s legal justification, the complex drafting process, anticipated legal challenges, the importance of public understanding and support and the Center’s role in it all.


About the Display Restriction Bill:


NYC’s recently introduced tobacco product display restriction requires retailers to keep all tobacco products out of sight. Products may be stored in a drawer, behind a curtain or in another convenient manner. Tobacco sales to adults may continue, but the messaging accompanying tobacco displays may not. The purpose of the bill is to reduce the youth smoking rate and it is supported by research demonstrating the impact of youth exposure to tobacco marketing at the point of sale.




Full-time Immigration Position in Baltimore

Description:

The Immigration Attorney is responsible for providing legal counsel to low-income refugees, immigrants, and their families on immigration matters. Solicits clients by contacting sources or agencies that provide services to refugees and immigrants; makes initial contact with clients including a needs assessment and develops an attainable legal plan for the client.

Provides legal counsel to immigrants and refugees clients including interviewing clients, advising clients as to their legal rights, drawing up legal documents, preparing legal briefs, contacting Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), representing clients in INS or other Courts. Supervises and coordinates activities of law students who may be assisting clients, and assists with representing the Agency to a variety of organizations.

Requirements:

Law degree from an accredited law school required. Licensed to practice law in at least one State or a Federal District Court. Knowledge of immigration law. Excellent communication, analytical, leadership, and interpersonal skills. Ability to set priorities and exercise good judgment. Ability to work with clients from diverse cultures. Spanish or other foreign language skills preferred.

- J.D. Required
- Current driver's license w/ no more than 3 points
- License to practice Law in at least one state or D.C
- Supervisory experience is preferred
- spanish or other foreign language skills preferred

The Job posting can be found here: http://www.catholiccharities-md.org/careers/current-opportunities.html. Please Contact Professor Dina Haynes at dhaynes@nesl.edu before applying to the position.