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Week of March 30, 2009

LAW OFFICES IN-HOUSE CLINICAL PROGRAM

Applications for the Summer semester of the in-house clinics are due TODAY at noon and are available on the table outside of the 3rd floor cafeteria or in the Law Offices, room 600. They can be turned into the Law Offices in room 600. For more information on the in-house clinics, please visit our website: http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/clinic/areas.html.

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:

Fall 2009 Semester: U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

Office of the Chief Counsel, Dept. Of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

Externs will gain experience in immigration law in the areas of citizenship, asylum, and immigration benefits; will draft briefs on visa petition appeals and research issues in immigration law and criminal law; and will also have the opportunity to assist with federal litigation, primarily mandamus actions. The extern will rotate among the various departments within USCIS to observe citizenship, adjudications and asylum interviews.

If you are interested, please submit a copy of your resume and transcript by April 27, 2009 to:

Debra Gordon
Associate Regional Counsel, USCIS
101 W. Congress Pkwy.
Chicago, IL 60605
312/239-5942
debra.gordon@dhs.gov

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


Fall 2009: Externships with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Division of Legal and Compliance Services

This externship will provide practical experience working closely with attorneys in an in-house legal department for a not-for-profit social service organization. Catholic Charities offers a broad range of services from locations throughout Cook and Lake Counties.

Law student externs will gain experience in legal research and writing, court filings and legal intake. Externs will work with in-house counsel on a variety of corporate law, litigation, employment and real estate issues.

The Catholic Charities office is located at 721 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, and is easily accessible via public transportation.

If you are interested in this externship opportunity, please submit a copy of your resume and a cover letter indicating the hours you are available to work during the Fall semester by April 24, 2009, to:

Karen O'Mara
komara@catholiccharities.net

If you are accepted by Catholic Charities, please notify Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) to receive credit for this externship.

Fall 2009: Externships with U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division

Students will assist in the representation of the U.S. Government in deportation, removal, and bond proceedings; provide advice and support to the various components of ICE; draft motions and briefs for practice before the U.S. Immigration Court, Board of Immigration Appeals, and U.S. District Court; and prepare memoranda dealing with complex and novel legal issues.

Qualifications:
– 2L or 3L
– Previous or concurrent coursework in immigration law helpful
– United States citizenship required

To apply, interested students should submit a resume, transcript, and writing sample to:
occchiapplications@fins3.dhs.gov or via regular mail to:

Lynn K. Hollander, Assistant Chief Counsel
U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security – ICE
55 E. Monroe St., Suite 1700
Chicago, Illinois 60603

All electronically submitted documents must be in MSWord or Adobe Acrobat format.
Applications must be received no later than May 8, 2009.

Interviews will be conducted in person and/or by telephone. All externs must successfully complete a security background check.

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

Fall 2009 Semester: Intellectual Property (IP) Legal Externship for IP Certificate Participants
2L and 3L applicants must have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.28.

A well-known Chicago-based national firm will select a qualified Kent IP Certificate student for a Spring externship in their IP division.

To apply:
Submit your resume and transcript to Prof. Gross by Tuesday, April 7, at noon. Professor Gross will then forward the information to the participating firm to make its selection.

For more information about intellectual property externship opportunities generally, please contact Professor Vivien Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu).
 

Fall Externships – Cook County Domestic Relations Court (4 credit hours)

Open to 2L and 3L students who have either taken Family Law or Family Law Clinic or who will be concurrently enrolled in either of these courses while doing the externship.

Enjoy this exciting opportunity to be a legal extern to a judge in the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County at the Daley Center. You will not only be able to observe and participate in the day-to-day operations of a busy domestic relations courtroom but will also assist your judge in researching law, drafting orders, and resolving disputes.

There are currently two judges who are seeking a student extern for Summer and Fall. If you are interested in either a Summer or Fall externship, please contact Professor Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) as soon as possible to set up a meeting and to submit your resume and transcript.
 

Fall 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.

 
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.


Fall 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).


Fall 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 for Fall, interested students should e-mail a cover letter, resume and writing sample by Friday, April2 24, 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.

 
Fall 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, April 13, 2009.

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

 
Fall 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 Monday, April 20, 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.


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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