The New York City Legal Aid Society, the nation’s oldest and largest provider of legal services to low-income families and individuals, seeks to sponsor third year law students, judicial law clerks and, where appropriate, recent law graduates, for fellowships in public interest law, such as Skadden, Equal Justice Works, Soros/OSI, Kirkland & Ellis, Echoing Green, Liman Berkeley Foundation, and other law school and community fellowships. The Society will also consider sponsoring applicants for other fellowship, internship or funded programs that are brought to our attention.
Using the broad-based legal expertise available in its Civil, Juvenile and Criminal Practice Areas, the Society offers clients cross-discipline strategies for resolving legal issues. The Society’s Civil Practice represent clients on civil matters, including housing, public benefits, disability, employment, health, family, domestic violence, immigration, HIV/AIDS, Prisoners' Rights and elder law issues. The Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice represents clients who range in age from infants to 21 in neglect/abuse, juvenile delinquency and PINS proceedings and educational matters. In the Criminal Practice, the Society provides innovative individual representation and affirmative law reform advocacy aimed at solving underlying problems in the criminal justice system, including the problems of juvenile offenders, mentally ill and chemically addicted clients and parole violators. Special services are also provided to prisoners.
In addition to direct representation of clients in State and federal administrative and judicial proceedings at the trial and appellate levels, the Legal Aid Society also pursues complex class action and law reform litigation, and provide community education and policy advocacy. These services are coordinated by special litigation units in the Civil, Juvenile and Criminal Practices including Homeless Rights Project, Prisoners' Right Project, Immigration Unit and Health Law Unit.
The Society seeks projects that will facilitate the comprehensive delivery of legal services to low-income New Yorkers, utilizing creative new legal approaches and service delivery models. Applicants for fellowships may develop projects in a wide range of poverty-related issues, but should be prepared to work with the Society to identify projects that will best meet clients’ needs and further the development of comprehensive, multi-disciplinary legal services.
Submit, by e-mail entitled "Fellowship Application," a cover letter describing your areas of interest, experience and proposed project, if any; resume; writing sample; academic transcript and references. Please identify your primary preferred practice areas and address your application to Marie Richardson, at mrichardson@legal-aid.org. (Only e-mailed applications will be considered.)
Applications for fellowship applications with Fall, 2007 deadlines should be submitted to The Legal Aid Society by July 1, 2007.