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Week of July 9, 2007

 

LEGAL EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM FALL 2007

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 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 now 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.

 

For Credit Externship Opportunities

 
Fall 2007 Semester: Illinois Attorney General’s Office

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office provides excellent opportunities for law students to improve their skills and knowledge in a wide range of subject areas, including consumer protection, government representation, civil rights, environmental enforcement, antitrust, complex civil litigation, civil and criminal appeals, and criminal law enforcement.

Working closely with attorneys in the Chicago office, externs investigate facts, review documents, research legal issues, and draft legal memoranda, correspondence, and pleadings. Students who qualify for a 711 licensed may appear in court under the supervision of an Assistant Attorney General.

For further information, and to download an application form, please visit the Illinois Attorney General’s website at: http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/about/index.html. Inquiries may also be directed to Ruta Stropus at 312/814-5328, rstropus@atg.state.il.us.

If you are interested in externing at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office during the Fall 2007 semester, you must submit your application before August 1st. In addition, to receive law school credit for Kent’s Fall Externship Program, please contact Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) to set up a meeting.

 
Fall 2007 Semester: City of Chicago, Department of Consumer Services

The Department of Consumer Services regulates consumer-oriented businesses, inspects retail establishments, investigates consumer fraud complaints and enforces the Chicago municipal code. All violations are prosecuted by department attorneys. Externs could be involved in helping with trials. They would also be exposed to consumer law and government work environment. Because the Department prosecutes at the administrative level, a student need not have a 711 license to assist attorneys at trial.

Interested students should submit a cover letter, resume and transcript to:

Ms. Rosemary Krimbel
General Counsel
Deputy Commissioner
Department of Consumer Services
Suite #208
50 W. Washington St.
Chicago, IL 60602
rkrimbel@cityofchicago.org

In addition, to receive law school credit for Kent’s Fall Legal Externship Program, please contact Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) to set up a meeting.

 
Fall 2007 Externship: Office of the State’s Attorney, DuPage County

Externship available with the Prosecutor’s Office for DuPage County. Students who are eligible for a 711 license will also have the opportunity to prepare and participate in trials. If you are interested, please apply immediately. Professor Gross (Room 617) has the requisite application form.

 
Fall 2007 Externship: U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Division of Enforcement
(Students should be 3Ls by Fall Semester)

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, interested students should 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

and notify Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) if and when they are selected as externs.

 
Fall 2007 Externship: Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago)

Extern will work closely with the Civil Rights Coordinator and staff attorney on resolving cases of discrimination reported to CAIR-Chicago. Essential duties and responsibilities include the following:

  • assist in documenting incidents of religious discrimination by counseling and interviewing complainants regarding their incidents
  • research laws and policies on employment, student conduct, and immigration procedures, as well as criminal offenses and other areas as seen fit
  • legal writing: drafting arguments, memos and complaints
  • participate in representing complainants in dispute resolution, EEOC mediation, filing complaints and law suits
  • assist in maintaining the Civil Rights Online Center
  • updating databases containing information about abuses reported to CAIR-Chicago

The Civil Rights Department handles cases that range from prejudiced gestures to full blown discrimination. Our clients are Muslims as well as non-Muslims who have had Islam imputed upon them. Externs may work on any of the following projects:

  • Citizenship Delay project - seeks to address the lengthy delays Muslims are facing in applying for citizenship;
  • Police Misconduct project - addresses incidents where police officers have discriminated or used excessive force against Muslims;
  • Prison project - secures the rights of Muslim inmates to practice their religion freely, and ensures that inmates are treated humanely;
  • Airport Profiling project - helps Muslims who have been discriminated against at airports; and
  • Employment Discrimination project - helps Muslims discriminated against based on religion at the workplace. http://www.cairchicago.org

Interested students should submit a resume and transcript to:

Dina M. Rehab, Outreach Coordinator
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago)
28 East Jackson Boulevard, Suite 1410
Chicago, IL 60604
E-mail: outreach@cairchicago.org

In addition, to receive law school credit for Kent’s Fall Externship Program, please contact Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) to set up a meeting.

 
Fall 2007 Externship: Worker’s Compensation Litigation Unit, Civil Division, Cook County State’s Attorney's Office

Exciting opportunity with the Worker’s Compensation Litigation Unit of the Cook County State’s Attorney's Office, Civil Division. The extern will assist in those matters and cases leading to and currently in litigation. Students who are eligible for a 711 license will also have the opportunity for in-court experience.

If you are interested, please contact:

Mr. Curtis A. James
Assistant State’s Attorney
312/603-5691

  
Fall 2007 Externship: Resurrection Health Care

Resurrection Health Care is seeking for-credit legal externs. Resurrection Health Care (RHC) is the parent corporation for a comprehensive health care system that provides services throughout the Chicagoland area through 8 hospitals, a long-term acute care hospital, 7 skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers, 4 retirement communities, and numerous community clinics and health care providers.

Externs can choose to work in either of these areas:

Office of Legal Affairs
Resurrection Health Care
7435 W. Talcott Avenue, #345
Chicago, IL 60631

Externs will work closely with the system General Counsel and other attorneys and will engage in a broad range of legal activities, including research and legal analysis, writing, preparation of legal documents and contract review.

Office of Claims and Insurance
Resurrection Health Care
Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital
1127 N. Oakley Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622

Externs will work closely with systems Claims and Insurance directors, communicate with outside counsel as needed, and will participate in case management, discovery, and various phases of pre-litigation work.

If you are interested, please submit your resume and a cover letter that specifies (a) the semester for which you are applying, (b) for which RHC department you are applying, and (c) which days of the week you would work at RHC, if known. Please send your materials to Julie Roknich, Assistant General Counsel, via email at julie.roknich@reshealthcare.org, or at 7435 W. Talcott Ave., #345, Chicago, IL 60631.

 
Fall 2007 Externship: City of Chicago Law Department’s Building and Land Use Litigation Division

Outstanding externship for students interested in municipal law, real estate or real-world litigation experience.

The division handles fire, building, health and zoning code violations and prosecutes cases both in Circuit Court and at the City of Chicago’s Department of Administrative Hearings.

Externs have pre-tried building code enforcement cases and handled administrative hearing cases. This is a great opportunity to improve your litigation, negotiation and writing skills.

To apply, please forward your resume to Patti Gregory-Change via email at pgregory@cityofchicago.org.

 
Fall 2007 Externship: Litigation Technology

Adjunct Professor Mike Rogers, in his capacity as President of Ronin Consulting, Ltd. is interested in interviewing qualified Kent students for a Fall 2007 externship. Students will learn how to organize and present civil and criminal cases with computers and will work on real cases that are set for trial or on their way to a trial. In appropriate circumstances students will participate in mock trials against real trial lawyers, participate in jury focus groups, create story boards for trial presentations, create demonstrative trial presentations and set up and run trial technology during trials.

The externs will work on cases that range from medical malpractice or complex commercial litigation to first degree murder, and will work extensively with video capture software, Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat Professional, CaseMap, TimeMap, SmartDraw, PowerPoint and Sanction.

Students must have completed Evidence, Trial Ad 1 and Litigation Technology. If accepted, the extern would enroll in the 4-credit hours Legal Externship Program.

Applications for this externship must be submitted directly to Professor Vivien Gross, Room 617. Interviews will occur thereafter. Students should have a portfolio of demonstrative presentations ready to display at the time of the interview.

Chicago-Kent Law Offices was established in 1976. The program is a fee-generating teaching law firm that provides clinical practice experiences under the close supervision of teaching attorneys. The program delivers outstanding legal services to its clients and provides high-quality clinical education to more than 150 students each semester. Practice areas include employment discrimination and civil rights, general practice, criminal defense, health law, family law, small business program, alternative dispute resolution, tax law, and an advice desk program at the Daley Center.

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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