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Week of March 2, 2009


For the LADR and Criminal Litigation Certificate Programs

Throughout LADR (the Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Certificate Program), you will learn legal doctrine, lawyering skills, professional values, and work in Chicago-Kent's teaching law firm, supervised by clinical professors who are expert practitioners and mentors. You will learn the art of lawyering through intensive skills and clinical training. Your experience will teach you how to become a competent, ethical, and socially responsible lawyer.

The Certificate Program in Criminal Litigation is designed to give students a comprehensive and balanced professional education to prepare them adequately for the practice of criminal law. The program will enable students who earn the certificate to successfully compete for one of the limited number of defender or prosecutor jobs that are available in the Chicago area. In addition this proposed certificate program represents an opportunity to synthesize the goals of Chicago-Kent's academic program in Criminal Law with those of Trial Advocacy and the Law Offices.

Both of these programs require students to submit an application. There are a limited number of spots available. You may contact Prof. Gary Laser, Room 631, for more information or pick up an application and curriculum memorandum in Room 600 or outside of the 3rd floor cafeteria.

APPLICATIONS FOR THESE PROGRAMS MUST BE SUBMITTED
BY 5:00 P.M. ON MONDAY, March 9, 2009

Please submit your application to the Law Offices Receptionist in Room 600.


LEGAL EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM

LEP is a 4-credit hour non-graded program which enables you to extern with a supervising attorney in a wide variety of legal areas – private or public, civil or criminal. Externships are available for the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. Some public sector externships enable you to obtain a 711 license and appear in court.

Why Extern?

To become a good lawyer and to supplement what you learn in the classroom, you need practical experience in real-world legal work. Most students aren’t fortunate enough to receive a paid clerking position — or even a volunteer opportunity — that teaches what they want to learn. LEP presents a unique and important opportunity to gain exposure to an area of the law in which you are interested and helps you significantly broaden your future employment opportunities.

Students interested in civil law may extern in a wide variety of places. For example, some have externed at the City of Chicago Corporation Counsel’s Office, Office of the Illinois Attorney General, Illinois Commerce Commission, Immigration Court of the U.S. Department of Justice, Internal Revenue Service, and Environmental Protection Agency, as well as not-for-profit corporations like Rush University Medical Center.

Students interested in criminal law have externed at the US Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Federal Defender, and at the offices of the State’s Attorney and Public Defender in Cook County as well as the surrounding counties.

Information about Summer/Fall 2009 Legal Externships and an accompanying application form are available in the Law Offices reception area (Room 600), in the Career Services Office, and in front of the Spakateria.

If you would like more information about externships, please e-mail Professor Vivien Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) to set up an appointment. There are many different types of opportunities in which you might be interested.

Listed below are some available for-credit externship placement opportunities:

Summer 2009: Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

The Department of Enforcement of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is currently seeking interested first, second and third year law students to apply for its Externship Program for the 2009 Summer session. The selected student will work approximately 32 hours a week from May 2009 through July 2009 and must receive school credit to be eligible to participate in the Program..

The Department of Enforcement was created through the consolidation of NASD and the member regulation, enforcement, and arbitration functions of the NYSE. It is the largest non-governmental regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States and is dedicated to investor protection and market integrity through effective and efficient regulation.

The Externship Program for the Department of Enforcement is designed for students who have an interest in securities law and regulation. Externs will perform research, writing, investigative work and analysis as part of preliminary and formal investigations being conducted by FINRA. These investigations cover all areas of the securities industry including customer-initiated sales practice complaints, market manipulation, insider trading, member firm financial operations and trading violations. Externs will attend hearings and depositions over the course of the semester.

Interested students should submit a resume as soon as possible for the position entitled "Enforcement Extern – Chicago" via the FINRA website at: http://www.finra.org/CareerOpportunities/index.htm.

Please notify Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) if you are selected as an extern.

 
Summer and Fall 2009 Externships: Internal Revenue Service, Office of Chief Counsel
3Ls preferred

Applicants with prior expertise or experience in tax matters are preferred, but the IRS will consider all applicants. Applications should include a brief cover letter, resume, law school transcript and writing sample.

Contact:

Ms. Patricia Davis
Area Counsel
Internal Revenue Service
Suite 2300
200 W. Adams St.
Chicago, IL 60606

Please see Professor Gross, Room 617, if you are accepted or for more information about this externship opportunity.

 
Fall 2009 Semester: Externships with U.S. Attorney's Office
Northern District of Illinois

If you are interested in exposure to and possible participation in federal trial and appellate practice while assisting the U.S. Attorney's Office in handling its multitude of important cases, please pick up an application in Room 612 from Carole Ross, administrative assistant to Professor Gross.

Completed applications must be received at the Office of the U.S. Attorney by Friday, April 17, 2009. The reason for this accelerated date is because each accepted extern must go through a security clearance, which takes several weeks.

To receive law school credit for this externship, should you be selected by the U.S. Attorney's Office, you must enroll in the law school's Legal Externship Program. The law school's externship applications for Fall semester 2009 are available in Room 600 Law Offices reception area, outside of the cafeteria, and in the Career Services office.

Professor Gross will be happy to answer any questions you may have about either the Legal Externship Program and/or the externship position with the U.S. Attorney's Office.


Summer 2009: Externship with the Cook County State's Attorneys Office, Worker's Compensation Division

Exciting opportunity with the Worker's Compensation Litigation Unit of the Cook County State's Attorneys 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

To receive externship credit, please contact Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu).


Summer 2009: Externships with 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, interested students should e-mail a cover letter, resume and writing sample by Monday, March 23, 2009 to:

Ms. Ava Gould
Trial Team Leader
Commodities Futures Trading Commission
525 W. Monroe Street, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60661
agould@cftc.gov

Please notify Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) if and when you are selected as an extern.

 
Summer 2009: Externships with Chicago Transit Authority Legal Department

CTA Legal Department is a general in-house legal department doing labor law, corporate law, workman’s compensation and tort defense. Those students who are eligible for 711 licenses may appear in criminal and traffic court as well as arbitration proceedings.

If you are interested in applying and wish an application form, contact Ms. Barbara Dunigan, Executive Assistant, at (312) 681-2831, or email her at bdunigan@transitchicago.com for an application form.

All applications must be completed and submitted as soon as possible, but by no later than Monday, March 23, 2009.

Please notify Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) if and when you are selected as an extern.

 

Summer 2009: Externships with U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights

The United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), enforces several Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex disability and age. OCR also enforces the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act of 2001 that prohibits the denial of equal access or a fair opportunity to meet with, or discriminate against, any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. Successful extern candidates will work with OCR attorneys and investigators on one or more teams in the Chicago Office to resolve discrimination complaints.

The extern will observe and participate in complainant and witness interviews, participate in the drafting of all documents pertinent to an OCR investigation, including letters of notification, data requests and letters of finding. The extern may have the opportunity to participate in local on-site investigations and will assist with data analysis, engage in substantial legal research and be expected to adhere to the tight timeframes of the Department. The team attorney(s) with whom the extern will work will supervise the extern’s work. The extern coordinator, the deputy chief attorney and chief attorney will also be available to assist the extern.

If you are interested, please submit a letter of interest along with a copy of your resume and writing sample postmarked no later than March 27, 2009 to:

Ms. Leticia Magdaleno
U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
Citigroup Center
Suite 1075
500 W. Madison St.
Chicago, IL 60661

Applications may also be submitted by email to Leticia.Magdaleno@ed.gov.

Please notify Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) if and when you are selected as an extern.

 

Spring 2009 Employment Opportunity – Clerk to Special Master in Federal Court, (Northern District of Illinois)

A former federal judge has been appointed by the court to serve as a Special Master in three intellectual property cases. The judge seeks to hire a law clerk to assist him in those matters. Salary: $20-25 per hour.

3Ls are preferred (no 1Ls). Student must have a strong academic law school record and be enrolled in the C-K IP Certificate Program.

Please submit your resume and transcript to Prof. Vivien Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) . Prof. Gross will forward your material to the judge, who will make his own selection.

 
Summer 2009 Semester: U.S. Department of Justice – Immigration Court

An extern will assist a panel of seven immigration judges by writing legal memoranda, conducting in-depth legal research and analysis, and drafting judicial decisions. This position offers extensive exposure to asylum and deportation law and an excellent opportunity to improve research, writing and analytical skills.

Location:
U.S. Department of Justice
Executive Office for Immigration Review
Immigration Court
55 East Monroe Street, Suite 1900
Chicago, IL 60603

Qualifications:
– 2L or 3L
– Coursework and/or experience in immigration law preferred
– United States citizenship required

Application: Please submit a cover letter, resume, copy of recent transcript (unofficial is accepted), and unedited writing sample (5-10 pages) via email or mail (Attention: Greta Hendricks, Judicial Law Clerk) to the address listed above. Applications must be received by March 2, 2009.

Interviews will be conducted in person.

Inquiries should be directed to Greta Hendricks at (312) 353-7313, ext. 232 or greta.hendricks@usdoj.gov.

To receive credit, please contact Professor Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu).

 
JUDICIAL EXTERNSHIPS: FALL 2009 SEMESTER

CURRENT 1L APPLICANTS MUST HAVE A MINIMUM G.P.A. OF 3.33
CURRENT 2L APPLICANTS MUST HAVE A MINIMUM G.P.A. OF 3.28

Judicial Externship is a 4-credit hour Pass/Low Pass/Fail program open to students who have completed at least their first full year of law school and want to do legal research and writing for a federal appellate, district or magistrate judge or a designated Illinois appellate or circuit court judge.

Judicial Externship enables a student to become involved in particular legal problems through research and writing, and to contribute to the resolution of those problems by writing memoranda and drafting opinions. Depending upon the judge, an extern may have the opportunity to observe the day-to-day routine of a judge and discuss with the judge or the judge's law clerk those legal problems which attorneys face in their profession, as well as the specific problems confronted in the courtroom.

Take advantage of this prestigious learning opportunity while enhancing your marketability in the legal world.

Application Process

Applications for the Fall Judicial Externships are available in the Law Offices reception area (Room 600), in the Career Services Office, and in front of the Spakateria.

Completed applications for Fall Externships should be submitted to Ms. Carole Ross, Secretary to Professor Gross, Room 612 of Law Offices, by Wednesday, March 18th, at 5:00 p.m.

 

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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