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Week of November 2, 2009

IN-HOUSE CLINICS

Applications for the Spring 2010 In-House Clinics are now available on the table outside of the third floor cafeteria and in the Law Offices reception area - Room 600. The due date will be announced at a later date, but they are usually due a few days before spring registration starts. The areas of practice are: Criminal Defense, Employment Discrimination/Civil Rights with Some General Practice, Health and Disability Law, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, Mediation, Immigration Law, Family Law, Center for Open Government, Intellectual Property and Business Transactions. If you have any questions about the clinical program, please email Tracy Kish.

LEGAL EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM

What is the 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. Most public sector externships enable you to obtain a 711 license and appear in court.

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 major corporations like Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and Rush University Medical Center.

Students interested in criminal law have externed at the U.S. 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.

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.

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

LEGAL EXTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
FOR CREDIT ONLY

Spring 2010: 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 Friday, November 13, 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.
 

Spring 2010: 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).
 

Spring 2010 – For Credit Externship: Office of Special Deputy State's Attorney

On April 7, 2009, the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division for the Circuit Court of Cook County appointed the Honorable Stuart A. Nudelman (Ret.) to represent the State of Illinois as its Special State's Attorney in defending claims made by five post-conviction petitioners on collateral review. Petitioners have pleaded constitutional deprivations that include allegations of police brutality and systemic torture occurring at or around Area 2 Headquarters in the City of Chicago from the time period of 1973 through 1991. The number of cases assigned to the Office has since grown.

Post-conviction proceedings are attacks filed by criminal defendants in an attempt to overturn their conviction and/or sentence. They are quasi-civil proceedings which are related to, but separate from the criminal case. A post-conviction petition is addressed to issues collateral to those before the trial court and the appellate court on direct appeal. Review is limited to challenges of constitutional deprivations such as ineffective assistance of counsel, claims of actual innocence (supported by new evidence), and prosecutorial misconduct.

  • Externs will be assigned to one or more of the following kinds of case projects:
  • Outlining petitioner's claims;
  • Reviewing trial and appellate transcripts;
  • Doing legal research for appellate opinions on direct review and post-conviction appellate opinions;
  • Preparing and drafting discovery and subpoenas to be issued for discovery;
  • Drafting memoranda regarding factual particulars of witness affidavits;
  • Researching pertinent cases under Post-Conviction Hearing Act on claims filed by petitioner;
  • Updating omnibus order on post-conviction case law;
  • Abstracting deposition testimony; and
  • Accompanying Assistant Special Prosecutor(s) to court for court appearances.

Qualifications:

1. A minimum 3.2 GPA.
2. Completed course work in Evidence and at least 1 semester of Trial Ad.
3. As this is a 4-credit hour program, it requires 16 hours of fieldwork for the State's Attorneys Office and participation in Chicago-Kent's Legal Externship Program.

Please submit your resume and transcript no later than November 9, 2009 to:

Mr. Myles O'Rourke
Suite 1400
55 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60601

Screening and selection of externs will be completed prior to the start of the Spring semester to ensure timely registration.

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

CORPORATE LAW EXTERNSHIP

Spring 2010: Accenture/DLA Piper Commercial Law Externship
(4 credit hours)

2Ls and 3Ls
G.P.A. 3.2

This corporate externship will expose a student to the daily operations of the Legal Department at Accenture, a commercial management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company for half of the semester (7 weeks); and to the corporate/commercial law practice area at DLA Piper, a leading global law firm, for the remaining 7 weeks.

At Accenture, the extern will be assigned to a client services group (e.g., Products, Resources, Communications & High Tech, Financial Services) and 1-2 areas of specialty (e.g., Employment, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Compliance, etc.), thereby gaining experience in legal research, drafting and internal client management. At DLA Piper, the extern will be assigned to one or two of the following five departments and will participate in research, drafting or project management assignments: Intellectual Property, Mergers & Acquisitions; Litigation, Insurance and Reinsurance, and Real Estate.

All interested applicants should submit their resume and transcript to Professor Gross by no later than Wednesday, November 4, 2009. Professor Gross will then forward the materials to Accenture and DLA Piper, who will make their selection as quickly as possible to comply with law school pre-registration timelines.

If you have any questions, contact Professor Gross at vgross@kentlaw.edu.

 

Spring 2010: Externships with Chicago Transit Authority Legal Department

CTA Legal Department is a general in-house legal department doing employment law, labor law, corporate law, policy and appeals, 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, please submit the following:

  • A current resume;
  • Two writing samples, each of which is no more than ten pages; and
  • An official law school transcript.

Please submit these materials by email to Nancy Isaac at nisaac@transitchicago.com or by mail to:

Ms. Nancy Isaac
Chief Administrator
Office of the General Counsel
Chicago Transit Authority
567 West Lake Street
Chicago, IL 60661

All applications must be completed and submitted as soon as possible, but by no later than Tuesday, November 10, 2009.

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

Spring 2010: Disability Law For Credit Legal Externship Opportunity

Equip for Equality (EFE) is a private nonprofit, statewide organization whose mission is to advance the human and civil rights of people with disabilities. EFE provides legal representation in individual cases, and engages in impact litigation and public policy advocacy seeking systemic change. Externs can work in one of three programs: (1) Special Education Clinic – assisting families with obtaining the education and support that their children with disabilities need; (2) Abuse Investigation Unit – investigating abuse and neglect of people with disabilities and providing individual assistance and advocating for systemic change; and (3) Community Living Team – representing people with disabilities on a wide range of issues, including discrimination, community integration and self-determination.

Interested students should submit a resume and cover letter to Barry Taylor via e-mail at barryt@equipforequality.org. The cover letter should indicate your preference, if any, for one of EFE's three legal programs.

Please notify Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) immediately if you have been selected.
 

Spring 2010 Semester: Externships with 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 Adelaida Otero at 312/814-5197, aotero@atg.state.il.us.

If you are interested in externing at the Illinois Attorney General's Office during the Spring 2010 semester, you must submit your application by Friday, November 6, 2009.

To receive law school credit for Kent's Spring Externship Program, please contact Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) to set up a meeting.
 

Spring 2010 Semester: 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 Friday, November 6, 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.
 

SPRING 2010 EXTERNSHIP: 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: 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 contact Professor Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) if you are accepted or for more information about this externship opportunity.


SPRING 2010: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) LEGAL EXTERNSHIP FOR IP CERTIFICATE PARTICIPANTS
2L and 3L applicants must have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.35

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 Thursday, November 5, 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).

 
Spring 2010: For Credit Externship with New Trier Partners, LLC

New Trier Partners, LLC ("New Trier") is a privately owned Chicago-based real estate private equity firm. New Trier seeks to achieve above market, absolute risk-adjusted returns by acquiring and actively managing commercial real estate assets in select U.S. markets. New Trier currently has over $100 million of commercial real estate assets and development projects under ownership and management.

Externship responsibilities will include:

• Drafting transactional and business documents (drafting experience strongly recommended);
• Assisting with due diligence;
• Legal research;
• Corporate entity compliance; and
• Monitoring arbitration and litigation cases.

Qualifications: 2L or 3L. Some training or experience at a law firm is strongly preferred. Understanding of basic business and real estate concepts is helpful.

If you are interested, please submit a copy of your resume and transcript by no later than Friday, November 6, 2009 to:

Mr. Robert G. Goldstein, Esq
New Trier Partners, LLC
6815 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, Il 60712

or via e-mail to:

vlamarca@newtrierpartners.com

If you have any further questions, please contact Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu).


SPRING 2010: 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 time frames 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 Friday, November 6, 2009 to:

Ms. Leticia Magdaleno
U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
Citigroup Center
Suite 1475
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 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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