|
The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is seeking full-time interns for its 2010 Summer Program. EBCLC is the community-based clinical for Berkeley Law School (University of California, Boalt Hall) during the academic year. EBCLC provides free civil legal services to low-income clients of Alameda County, California. During our summer session EBCLC welcomes students from all law schools.
What is the East Bay Community Law Center?
The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is a nationally-recognized poverty law clinic founded by Boalt students in 1988 with the dual mission of providing high quality legal services to low-income clients and first-rate clinical education to law students.
The six practice groups at EBCLC are:
- Clean Slate (community reentry/criminal records remedies)
- Health: HIV/AIDS Project and Medical-Legal Partnership (multidisciplinary)
- Health: Immigration (administrative/litigation)
- Housing & Eviction Defense (litigation)
- Income and Employment Support (administrative and regulatory/policy and community)
- Neighborhood Justice Clinic (multidisciplinary/self-help center)
Download Practice Group Descriptions (PDF)
Why should I intern at EBCLC?
Gain Hands-on Lawyering Experience: EBCLC offers you the opportunity to put your classroom learning to work and to gain a broad range of experience in the real-life practice of law. With extensive substantive law and skills training, you have primary responsibility for your cases or projects, including conducting client interviews, counseling clients, negotiating settlements, drafting pleadings and representing clients in administrative hearings and court proceedings.
Receive Close, High-Quality Supervision: You choose a practice group and are assigned to work with one of EBCLC’s clinical supervisors. Supervisors offer day-to-day direction on casework and projects, meet weekly to review your work, and organize unitwide “case rounds” for all students within a practice group. You receive mid-semester and end-of-semester evaluations.
Serve the Community: This is a very challenging time for the low-income community as legal needs are great and resources to address them are increasingly scarce. Law students continue to make a substantial contribution to meeting these needs!
Build Your Resume: Non-profit employers and private law firms know that students at EBCLC have received first-rate training and supervision. The National Association of Law Placement reports that private-sector employers place a high value on the lawyering skills students learn in clinical settings such as EBCLC.
What is my time commitment if I intern at EBCLC?
The summer session is ten weeks long, Tuesday, Tuesday, June 1, 2010 through Friday, August 6, 2010. Interns are expected to work 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday. Workloads in any given week may vary due to the nature of a live client practice, but you will not regularly be required to work more hours that anticipated.
What qualifications must I have to intern at EBCLC?
No specific previous training or coursework is required, however, a demonstrated commitment to serving low-income, minority and underrepresented individuals and groups, and/or previous experience in one of our practice areas or in public interest law is highly desirable, as is second language ability in Spanish, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, or Farsi. EBCLC staff will work with students to secure funding through fellowships from law schools and other public interest sources; however, we are unable to offer compensation for summer internship positions.
How do I apply?
Interested law students should submit a resume, 3 references (at least one of which is employment-related; please include current email addresses), a short writing sample (5-10 pages), and a cover letter describing their experiences and interests to:
- East Bay Community Law Center
- Attn: Summer Hiring Committee
- 2921 Adeline Street
- Berkeley, CA 94703
Candidates also may email their materials and/or questions to . We are currently accepting applications. Hiring decisions will be made on a rolling basis until positions are filled.
Summer Housing Information (PDF)
|
