LL.M. Program at David A. Clark School of Law Accepting Applications

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law is accepting additional applications for its LL.M. program with concentration in Clinical Education, Social Justice and Systems Change.  Current openings are in our Juvenile and Special Education Clinic and Housing and Consumer Law Clinic. 

Master of Laws (LL.M.) Degree Program With Concentration In Clinical Education, Social Justice, and Systems Change

UDC David A. Clarke School of Law—well known for its leadership in clinical legal education and for its public interest mission—is pleased to announce fellowship opportunities in the following clinics:
Juvenile & Special Education Law Clinic Took Crowell Institute for At-Risk Youth And Housing and Consumer Law Clinic.

LL.M. Program Description

The two-year LL.M. program includes coursework in clinical pedagogy, public interest law, and systems change.  LL.M. candidates will work under the supervision of the Law School’s experienced faculty to supervise and teach J.D. students enrolled in our clinics.
By the end of the second academic year each LL.M. candidate will produce a culminating project in the form of a scholarly work of publishable quality or project designed to impact systems change.  

LL.M. candidates will receive a stipend of $49,667, plus health benefits.The program will begin on August 1, 2013. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

Juvenile and Special Education Law Clinic Took Crowell Institute for At-Risk Youth

Clinic faculty and law students represent children and parents/guardians primarily in special education matters, with a focus on children with unmet special education needs who are facing school discipline, delinquency, or criminal sanctions.  The Institute engages in system reform projects aimed at reversing the school-to-prison pipeline.

Candidates should be a member of the DC Bar, or eligible to waive in.  At least two years of experience representing children charged in delinquency matters preferred.  Experience handling school discipline and special education matters is desirable.

Housing and Consumer Law Clinic

Clinic faculty and law students represent individuals and small groups in affirmative habitability actions, illegal rent increase, eviction, predatory loan, foreclosure, and fair housing matters.  The Clinic also handles cases on behalf of consumers against merchants, and homeowners against contractors in disputes involving sales and services.

Candidates must be a member of the DC Bar and have a minimum of two years relevant practice experience.

Admissions Process

Please submit the following:
1. A response to the following questions in no more than 1,000 words (two pages):
In your area of concentration, what systemic problems have you identified? 
How do you envision using the law to transform the system?
2. Resume
3. Writing Sample
4. Law School Transcript (official)
5. Two letters of recommendation from persons with personal knowledge of your capabilities and commitment to social justice.

Please send materials, except transcript, electronically to kforman@udc.edu.
Please enter LL.M. Application in the subject line.
Mail transcript to:
Karen Forman, Associate Dean
Public Interest, Clinical and Graduate Programs
University of the District of Columbia
David A. Clarke School of Law
4200 Connecticut Ave., NW
Building 52
Washington, DC  20008
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
Questions? Please contact:
                  Karen Forman
                  kforman@udc.edu

Friedman Clinical Fellowship Program Applications Due June 12th

         The George Washington University Law School is accepting additional applications for its Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics' graduate clinical fellowships for the academic years of 2013-15.  In
recognition of the generous gift of Philip Friedman, the Fellows are known as Friedman Fellows.  Friedman Fellows obtain LL.M. degrees while examining and engaging in clinical legal education and public interest law.

About the Program:

         The 2013-15 Friedman Fellowships begin in the summer of 2013.  Each fellowship is affiliated with a specific law school clinic.  Although the various clinics provide the fellows diverse responsibilities and
experiences, each provides the Fellow with opportunities to co-teach and co-supervise, under the supervision of experienced clinical faculty, the law students enrolled in the clinic.

         The Friedman Fellowship program enables every Fellow to learn about clinical education and public interest lawyering through the practice of engaging in each, teaching and supervising law students engaged in
 these endeavors, and participating in a program of study in which these are the primary topics of inquiry.  In the process, Fellows receive mentorship and support from the clinical faculty and administration, and the law school in general.

         Fellows enroll in two year-long courses in Clinical Teaching and Scholarship taught by the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and other clinical faculty.  As part of this course sequence, Fellows
receive specific instruction and guidance in teaching and supervising law students, and in writing a publishable thesis.  During the two years, Fellows also enroll in two or three other law school classes, and receive an LL.M. degree upon completion of the coursework and thesis requirements of the LL.M. program.

Eligibility:

         We are currently seeking applications from candidates with strong academic, clinical, and lawyering experience related to transactional law and community economic development.  Fellows receive an annual stipendbetween $45,000 and $50,000, tuition remission for the LL.M. program, health insurance and other benefits, and possible student loan deferment.  Fellows must be members of a state bar.  Candidates who
are not members of the D.C. Bar must be eligible for immediate waiver into the D.C. Bar.

         Applicants should send letters of interest, resumes, a list of references, and a complete law school transcript by Wednesday, June 12, 2013 to Associate Dean Phyllis Goldfarb.  The preferred submission method is by email to clinicadmin@law.gwu.edu. In the alternative, applications can be mailed to:

 the Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics
 c/o Executive Assistant Norma Lamont, The George Washington University
 Law School, 2000 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20052

The George Washington University Law School is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer. The University undertakes special efforts to employ a diverse workforce.

New England Law Alum and Faculty Weigh in on the Retroactivity of Padilla in Massachusetts

Laura Mannion Banwarth ’09 is one of the attorneys representing the appellee in Commonwealth v. Kempess Sylvain before the Supreme Judicial Court, which heard arguments on May 6, 2013.  The case presents the issue of whether Massachusetts will continue to apply retroactively the United States Supreme Court's decision in Padilla v. Kentucky, 130 S.Ct. 1473 (2010), in light of the recent decision in Chaidez v. United States, 586 U. S.___, 2013 U.S. LEXIS 1613 (February 20, 2013). http://www.ma-appellatecourts.org/search_number.php?dno=sjc-11400.

Professors Lawrence Friedman and David Siegel jointly wrote an amicus brief arguing in favor of retroactivity of Padilla in Massachusetts.

Clinical Teaching Fellowship at Cardozo Law School

Cardozo Law School seeks to hire a full-time clinical teaching fellow focusing on international human rights, with the rank of lecturer, in the Law School’s Human Rights and Genocide Clinic. The position, known as the Clinical Teaching Fellow, will start August 1, 2013 or later.  The appointment is for one year, but reappointment for a second term is also possible. Reporting to the Director, the Fellow will work on human rights cases, with a particular focus on international criminal law; supervise student work on clinical case projects; develop existing case projects; develop future case projects in partnership with NGOs, international criminal tribunals, and UN Agencies; work with the Director to develop teaching materials and teach in the clinic; and manage aspects of a website related to the Clinic. In particular, the Fellow will focus on developing the Clinic’s international criminal law case projects. The position is ideal for a candidate interested in the substantive areas of international criminal law/the development of international institutions/human rights and/or interested in clinical teaching.

The Human Rights and Genocide Clinic is a semester-long Clinic in which students represent individuals seeking asylum and individuals and institutional clients in international human rights case projects.  The overall objective of the Clinic is to provide students with first-hand experience in the range of activities in which lawyers engage to promote respect for human rights and the diverse ways the law is utilized to promote social change.  In order effectively to bridge theory and practice, the Clinic is divided into two pedagogical components: first, a weekly doctrinal seminar, and second, case-work and skills training.  The Clinic seminar emphasizes a critical analysis of the legal framework relevant to the Clinic’s case work on human rights and mass atrocity prevention in the areas of international human rights, minority rights, international criminal law, humanitarian law, and transitional justice.  

Qualifications:

Candidates must have: 1) JD or equivalent; 2) strong academic background; 3) significant experience in international human rights/criminal law 3) strong international human rights background as exhibited by human rights work and/or LL.M in international human rights; 4) experience or interest in teaching; 5) proven management or organizational skills.  Fluency in English is required, and another language, preferably French, is desired.


Each candidate should submit a cover letter, resume or curriculum vita, a list of references, and a legal writing sample.  We are receiving applications on a rolling basis.  Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until filled.   Please submit your application electronically by email to: Symona Boyd at sboyd@yu.edu.

Any New England Alum should contact Professor Haynes at dhaynes@nesl.edu before applying.

Food and Drug Law Institute 2013 Writing Competition

The Food and Drug Law Institute 2013 Writing Competitions -Due June 7th


The Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) sponsors the H. Thomas Austern Memorial Writing Competitions for law students interested in food and drug law. There are two competitions - one for papers with a maximum of 40 pages, and one for papers between 41 and 100 pages. Papers longer than 100 pages will not be accepted.
 

ELIGIBILITY

Entrants must be currently enrolled in a J.D. program at, or be a 2012-2013 academic year graduate from, any of the nation's ABA-accredited law schools.

 
TOPICS & REQUIREMENTS  

Papers should provide an in-depth analysis of a current legal issue concerning food, drugs, animal drugs, biologics, cosmetics, diagnostics, dietary supplements, medical devices or tobacco. FDLI welcomes the submission of papers prepared for course work, but entrants must edit their papers to address competition requirements. Entrants should access the FDLI website for suggestions of suitable topics.
  

PAPER REQUIREMENTS 

 
Noncompliance with these requirements will affect evaluation and may result in disqualification.
• Papers for the short paper competition shall not exceed 40 pages in length, including appendices (if any) and footnotes, which may be single-spaced. The maximum number of pages for the long paper competition is 100 pages (41-100 pages).
• Submission must include a cover page that includes paper title and a 250 word or less abstract.
• Papers may not include any identifying information.
• Submissions shall be typewritten, double-spaced on 8½ x 11 inch paper.
• The submission must be a WORD® document, printouts of which should conform to all other paper requirements. 
• Papers shall include footnotes, not endnotes. Text and footnote type shall be in 12-pt. Times Roman font.
• Papers shall have one-inch margins (right, left, top, and bottom).  

JUDGES   

Committees of practicing attorneys and law professors with relevant food and drug expertise will judge the papers. The following factors will be considered:
• Thoroughness and depth of legal analysis
• Originality and difficulty of topic
• Evaluation of judicial precedents, statutes, and regulations
• Discussion of conclusions and future impact
• Quality of legal research
• Writing style
• Conciseness; quality will be valued over quantity
• Form and quality of citations
• Conformity with rules of competition
 
About H. Thomas Austern  
These writing awards honor the memory of H. Thomas Austern, who practiced food and drug law for more than 50 years at the firm of Covington & Burling. As a result of his work on the drafting and negotiation surrounding the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and his many scholarly contributions, Austern became known as the "Dean of the Food and Drug Bar." Austern served on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Food Drug Cosmetic Law Journal from its inception until his death in 1984, and was a strong supporter of FDLI since its founding in 1949.

http://www.fdli.org/resources/academics/h-thomas-austern-memorial-writing-competition

BBA: Public Service Panel and Reception on Tuesday May 28th

Giving Back and Paying Forward: A Public Service Panel and Reception
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Boston Bar Association - 16 Beacon Street, Boston, MA

Description:
Please join us for a roundtable discussion featuring three esteemed members of the Boston legal community.  Maureen Monks, Associate Justice of the Middlesex Probate and Family Court, Manisha Bhatt, Senior Attorney in the Family Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services and Susan M. Finegan, Pro Bono Partner at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. will each discuss how their commitment to pro bono and public service work has shaped their careers, as well as the many ways in which all of us can incorporate giving back into our personal and professional lives.  A reception to directly follow panel.

Sponsoring Section/Committee(s):
• Family Law Section
Speakers:
• Hon. Maureen H. Monks
     o Middlesex Probate and Family Court
• Manisha Hemendra Bhatt
     o Greater Boston Legal Services
• Susan M. Finegan
     o Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C.

Summer Fellowship Information Sessions at Northeastern University School of Law

Northeastern University School of Law is hosting two informational session this Summer about public interest fellowships.

Monday June 24th at noon- Equal Justice Works Information Session with Rhadika Singh Miller, Senior Program Manager of Law School Relations in room 230 at Docker Hall.

Monday July 8th at noon- Skadden Fellowship Information Session with Susan Butler Plum, director and Liza Hirsch a Northeastern alum and Skadden Fellow at Massachusetts Law Reform Institute in room 230 at Docker Hall.