AkronLawJobs No. 9767 Overview: The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland (Legal Aid) is looking for dedicated, hard-working, and public-interest minded students to work in Legal Aid’s four Northeast Ohio offices for our 2019 summer associate program. Legal Aid summer associates commit to working at least 11 weeks. Legal Aid is a non-profit law firm focused on the areas of consumer rights, disability, domestic violence, education, employment, family law, foreclosure, health, housing, immigration, public benefits, and tax.
Duties: Summer associates will be assigned to work in one practice area and will receive the opportunity to learn how to be excellent poverty law attorneys. Generally, summer associates will interview clients, draft court pleadings, research relevant legal issues, attend and assist with court hearings and trials, and gather and analyze evidence. They will observe oral arguments in a variety of courts, meeting afterward with the judges involved. Legal Aid also has a particular focus on community education, outreach, and advocacy for specific vulnerable populations. In addition to their substantive work, summer associates may be assigned to do legal work with one of these groups.
Qualifications: Legal Aid summer associate applicants should have completed their first or second year of law school prior to the summer of 2019. Special consideration is given to students with a demonstrated commitment to serving disadvantaged people and communities. If your resume does not reflect a commitment to public service due to personal financial constraints, please provide an explanation in your cover letter. Law students who speak Spanish and other languages are strongly encouraged to apply.
Funding: Due to limited financial resources, Legal Aid is unable to pay summer associates. However, traditionally summer associates are able to find outside funding, and applicants are encouraged to apply for summer funding through the following sources: 1) Summer grants/fellowships through your law school. 2) Equal Justice Works, Summer Corps Program: Awards $1,250 educational grants which can be applied to educational debt or future education costs. These are awarded on a first come, first served basis so be sure to apply the minute the application is available online at www.equaljusticeworks.org.
3) Equal Justice America: Visit www.equaljusticeamerica.org for 2019 award information and application details. 4) Work Study Funding: Some universities offer work-study funding for summer positions.
5) Please check with your law school’s financial aid office for options at your school. 6) These are just a few of the many funding possibilities. For more funding opportunities, visit the “Funding Sources” page under “Resource Central” at www.psjd.org. If you are considering applying for any funding sources, please indicate so in your cover letter.
Course Credit/Externship Credit: Legal Aid often supervises students seeking externship or other credit. Please indicate in your cover letter if you are working with a law school to receive course credit for this position. Contact Dean Alisa Benedict O’Brien at ab139@uakron.edu if you are interested in Externship Credit BEFORE applying
How to Apply: Forward your cover letter listing your top two (2) location preferences (Cleveland, Elyria, Jefferson, or Painesville), resume, writing sample, and a list of three (3) references with contact information to Jennifer Teeter, Executive Assistant listing “Summer Associate 2019” in the subject line of the e-mail.
Deadline: January 20, 2019