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Public Interest Position - Paid Opportunity
There are at least two openings for current Chicago-Kent students
who are eligible for work study. The Advice Desk at the Daley
Center is now hiring students through a work study program
to work in paralegal/administrative positions. The candidates
will have an opportunity to work in a fast-paced, public interest
environment while helping to provide administrative and paralegal
help to make the Desk more efficient and therefore allow more
clients to receive pro bono legal assistance. Some of the
duties might include: greeting and identifying eligible clients,
filling out or updating forms, database entry and maintenance,
assisting elderly and disabled clients in retrieving their
court files or finding a courtroom, etc.
The Advice Desk provides interviewing, counseling, and
limited representation to indigent defendants who seek assistance
at the Circuit Court of Cook County. Approximately sixty
percent of the cases involve eviction defense and forty
percent involve tort, contract, personal injury and collection
matters.
This position pays $10 an hour. You must be eligible for
work study and your eligibility will be verified upon receipt
of your application. Please submit a letter of interest
to Prof. Ed Kraus (ekraus@kentlaw.edu)
in the Law Offices.
Advice Desk - Paid Opportunity
There are openings for current Chicago-Kent students who are
eligible for work study and have successfully completed at
least one semester of Advice Desk. We are hiring students
through a work study program to work in legal intern positions.
The candidates will have an opportunity to work in a fast-paced,
public interest environment while helping provide pro bono
legal assistance to indigent clients.
This position pays $12 an hour. You must be eligible for
work study and your eligibility will be verified upon receipt
of your application. Please submit a letter of interest
to Prof. Ed Kraus (ekraus@kentlaw.edu)
of the Law Offices.
LEGAL EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM SPRING 2006
Do you want to develop your legal skills, get practical
legal experience, see what it is like to work in a corporation,
firm or government agency and -- at the same time -- make
yourself more marketable to prospective employers? If so,
then consider doing a for-credit externship and signing
up for Chicago-Kent’s Legal Externship Program (LEP).
LEP is 4-credit hours, non-graded, and open predominantly
to students in their last three semesters of law school.
Externs interested in civil law may select to work in
corporations, firms or government agencies, specializing
in such diverse legal areas as immigration, tax, commodities,
securities, health care, medical malpractice, or general
corporate law. Externs in criminal law may choose to work
with the States Attorney's Office, Public Defender's Office,
or the U.S. Attorney's Office. Some externships offer the
opportunity to obtain a 711 license and appear in court.
More information about Legal Externships and an accompanying
application form are available in the Law Offices reception
area, Room 600 and in the Career Services Office.
If you want to know more about available externship opportunities,
please e-mail Professor Vivien Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu)
to set up an appointment.
Newest Opportunities:
Office of the State Appellate Defender – Winter/Spring
Semester
The Office of the State Appellate Defender is accepting
applications for unpaid intern/extern positions for the
Winter/Spring semester. The State Appellate Defender represents
indigent clients in criminal appeals. The intern/extern
position will require significant research and writing within
a flexible work schedule. Applicants should expect to prepare
research memos, assist in writing appellate briefs, and
obtain experience in other aspects of appellate advocacy.
Preference will be given to applicants with coursework or
experience in criminal law, criminal procedure, evidence,
and appellate advocacy. Please submit a resume, transcript,
and writing sample to:
Scott Main
Assistant Appellate Defender
Office of the State Appellate Defender
203 North LaSalle Street
24th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60601
To receive externship credit, please contact Professor
Gross at vgross@kentlaw.edu.
Illinois Commerce Commission
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) is the state regulatory
body responsible for overseeing investor-owned telecommunications,
electric, natural gas, and water/sewer utilities conducting
business in Illinois.
The ICC has openings for spring semester legal externs
in its Office of General Counsel. The Office of General
Counsel represents the technical staff of the ICC in administrative
hearings at the Commission, and represents the ICC in litigation
or appeals in courts of the State of Illinois. Counsel for
staff is primarily engaged in multi-party litigation involving
matters that are very technical in nature and impact the
rates and quality of service the public receives from utilities.
Utilities appearing before the commission are represented
by the largest law firms in the city. In addition, public
interest and consumer advocacy groups intervene as parties
in most major proceedings, which include: the Attorney General’s
Office for the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, the
Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and Citizen’s Utility
Board.
The extern will assist attorneys in the Office of General
Counsel in analyzing complex legal, evidentiary, economic
and technical issues. The product of such analysis will
be presented in a memorandum, and may be included in a motion,
brief or order. The range of issues is significant and may
include: federal and state jurisdictional questions, policies
underlying the effective creation and development of competitive
markets, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings,
rate and tariff design, rulemakings, concerns regarding
transmission and distribution system reliability, and regulatory
impact of emerging energy and telecommunications technologies.
Please forward resumes (via mail or fax only) to the following:
Sean R. Brady
Staff Counsel
Illinois Commerce Commission
Suite C-800
160 N. LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60601
Fax: 312/793-1556
In-House Legal Externship
The General Counsel of a small independent retail electric
supplier serving non-residential businesses throughout Illinois,
with headquarters in downtown Chicago, is willing to supervise
an extern for spring semester. The General Counsel oversees
all legal matters, running the gamut from drafting contracts,
reviewing contracts, regulatory filings with city, county,
state and federal agencies, litigation before the Illinois
Commerce Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
drafting and handling lawsuits against customers, negotiating
contracts, and pretty much everything else that comes up.
As a member of senior management, the General Counsel is
also involved in almost every aspect of business decisions
as well.
The right Kent student would have an excellent experience
working there. If he/she has a particular interest in energy
law, he/she would be able to gain invaluable experience.
If he/she is interested in learning how to be a “business”
lawyer, this would also be a perfect fit. If accepted, the
extern would enroll in the 4-credit hours Legal Externship
Program.
Any interested student should submit a resume and transcript
to Professor Vivien
Gross, Room 617, immediately.
Some Spring 2006 Externship Opportunities:
Refugee & Asylum Law Externship Program
The Refugee and Asylum Law Externship Program is a spring
semester practical training course offered by Heartland
Alliance’s Midwest Immigrant & Human Rights Center (MIHRC)
for law students interested in immigration law through Chicago-Kent’s
Legal Externship Program. In addition to the law school
externship meetings, students must attend weekly evening
classes and are assigned an asylum case to prepare for presentation
before the Chicago Asylum Office. Those classes are held
at MIHRC’s downtown office at 209 South LaSalle Street,
Suite 1818. The class schedule will be arranged once students
are selected.
Students will prepare cases of asylum applicants previously
interviewed and accepted by MIHRC. Each student will interview
and assist in the preparation of their client’s affidavit.
After researching domestic and international law, as well
as country conditions pertinent to the claim, students will
assemble an asylum application with supplemental documentation
and will draft a legal memorandum in support of their client’s
application. At the end of the program, students will file
clients’ applications with the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security and accompany their client to their interview at
the Chicago Asylum Office.
To apply to the Refugee & Asylum program, students should
submit a resume, short writing sample, and a cover letter
indicating their interest in the program and detailing any
relevant experience. All materials should be submitted by
December 9, 2005 to Elissa Steglich at esteglich@heartlandalliance.org.
Individuals selected will be notified by December 16, 2005.
Prior immigration law experience is not required. Fluency
in a second language is preferred, although it is not a
requirement for the externship.
In addition, students must also apply to Chicago-Kent’s
Refugee & Asylum Law Externship Program. Please contact
Professor Gross at vgross@kentlaw.edu
to do so.
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Division of Enforcement
The Chicago office of the Division of Enforcement is seeking
externs who will receive law school credit.
The Division of Enforcement investigates and prosecutes
alleged violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC
regulations. Violations may involve commodity futures or
option trading on domestic commodity exchanges, or the improper
marketing of commodity investments. The Division may, at
the direction of the Commission, file complaints before
the agency’s administrative law judges or in the U.S. District
Courts. Alleged criminal violations of the Commodity Exchange
Act or violations of other Federal laws which involve commodity
futures trading may be referred to the Justice Department
for prosecution. The Division also provides expert help
and technical assistance with case development and trials
to U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, other Federal and state regulators,
and international authorities.
Primary duties include conducting legal research, writing
memoranda, aiding in the preparation of court pleadings
and papers in the U.S. District Courts across the nation
as well as in an administrative forum; aiding attorneys
and investigators who are preparing to take investigative
testimony and depositions, working with exhibits, Freedom
of Information Act responses; aiding with the discovery
process and interacting with and/or interviewing customers
or investors with complaints.
To apply, e-mail a cover letter, resume and writing sample
to:
Ms. Ava Gould
Trial Team Leader
Commodities Futures Trading Commission
525 W. Monroe Street, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60661
agould@cftc.gov
To receive externship credit, please contact Professor
Gross at vgross@kentlaw.edu
immediately!
Asian Human Services
Asian Human Services, located in the Uptown neighborhood
of Chicago, has an opportunity for externs to work with
a practicing public interest attorney in the areas of family
law, domestic violence and immigration law.
Asian Human Services (AHS), Inc. exists as a community-based
non-profit organization which provides quality, compassionate,
culturally appropriate services to the pan-Asian, immigrant
and refugee community of metropolitan Chicago. AHS’s Legal
Department advocates for the needs of the pan-Asian immigrant
community through research, targeted programming, community
outreach, and client representation. The Legal Department
works in tandem with other programs at AHS to provide holistic
social services in the client’s native language. The AHS
Legal Department has given advice to or represented over
800 clients since September 2002 and has received awards
for its commitment to the underprivileged community of Chicago
by the State Attorney General.
Extern responsibilities include:
- accompany attorney to court for divorce trials, prove-ups,
orders of protection, etc.;
- write motions, petitions, briefs and other court documents;
- interview clients;
- perform legal research;
- file court papers at Daley Center;
- prepare grant proposal letters.
Interested students should send their resume to:
Molshree Sharma
Suite 700
4753 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL 60640
lawyer@asianhumanservices.org
To receive credit, please contact Professor Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu)
to set up a meeting.
Illinois Community College Board
The Illinois Community College Board is the state coordinating
board for the state’s 39 community college districts and
one community college center, and has statutory responsibility
for the statewide planning and coordination of the community
college system. The External Affairs staff works with the
colleges, state agencies, the legislature, and the Office
of the Governor to support the board in carrying out its
responsibilities.
Extern responsibilities include:
- review and analysis of pending legislation pertaining
to community colleges, both state and federal;
- support lobbying and related legislative activities
of the External Affairs staff (which may include at least
one trip to Springfield, IL to meet with legislators in
the Illinois General Assembly);
- research current community college issues nationwide.
Send resumes after November 25, 2005 to:
Brenda D. Pryor, Esq.
Associate Director for External Affairs – ICCB
James R. Thompson Center
100 West Randolph Street
Suite 2-010
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 814-8943 (fax)
To receive credit, please contact Professor Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu)
to set up a meeting.
City of Chicago – Regulatory & Aviation Litigation
The City of Chicago Regulatory & Aviation Litigation Division
is willing to take on an extern for the spring academic
semester. The position is open to 3Ls or 2Ls, but those
eligible for 711 licenses are preferred. The Division practices
in the areas of aviation, collections, environmental, financial/bankruptcy,
general regulatory, intellectual property, public utilities,
telecommunications and tax. Division attorneys practice
in federal and state court, as well as before various administrative
tribunals. The extern will have the opportunity to participate
in different types and stages of litigation. Students with
a 711 license may also have the opportunity to represent
the City in contested hearings. Externs must be available
16 hours per week, including 1 full day or 2 half days Mondays-Wednesdays,
and a full day (9:00 to 5:00) on Thursdays, as the primary
administrative court call is a Thursday call.
If you are interested, please forward your 1-page resume,
a legal writing sample, and a list of 2 references (with
telephone numbers, please) in 3 separate e-mails to avoid
blocking software to dmcdonald@cityofchicago.org.
For more information, please call Dori McDonald, Assistant
Corporation Counsel, at (312) 742-0306. To receive credit,
please contact Professor Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu)
to set up a meeting.
For a complete description of all clinical programs, please
visit the Law Offices' Home Page at http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/clinic.
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