O P I C S
1L Pro Bono Project
Fall 2012
What is the 1L Pro Bono Project?
Participating in the 1L Pro Bono Project is a great way to serve the community, gain exposure to the world of lawyering opportunities, begin making connections in the community, and accumulate hours towards the Pro Bono Pledge, if you choose. We have located law-related volunteer opportunities that are either about five hours per week or per project and do not require you to have completed law school courses. Students list which opportunities they are interested in, and we do our best to match students with the projects that they want.
What kind of work will I do if I volunteer?
Students are needed to assist with a wide variety of projects including: doing intake, answering a hotline, interviewing clients, investigating cases, conducting outreach in the community, teaching human rights law to high school students, and policy research. Some are one-time projects and some ask for a recurring commitment. The projects involve on a wide range of substantive law.
I’m interested! What do I do next?
Below is a complete list of organizations and a description of the projects. If you are interested in signing up to participate in a project, please go to http://apps.law.georgetown.edu/forms/index.cfm?formid=390. After taking a realistic look at your work load and other obligations, fill out the form by September 20, 2012 and list the organization for which you want to volunteer in order of preference. If you want to volunteer for more than one placement or project, please indicate that, too. We ask volunteers to rank their preferences so we have some way of finding the best fit. If you are equally interested in volunteering for more than one placement or project, please indicate that so we can try to match volunteers with their highest choice of projects.
How do I Find out about my Placement?
You will be notified of your placement by e-mail by Friday, September 28. The email will contain the contact information to get you started. Please note that, however, that some placements will be made on a rolling basis before September 28th because the projects are rapidly approaching. Additionally, some organizations ask that we send them a list of applicants, and they screen the applicants and choose who they want to volunteer. If the organization you are matched with is one of those organizations, you will be told where to send your resume and any other information the organization requests. If for some reason you are not chosen to volunteer with that organization, please contact Rachel Strong at for another placement.
Anything else?
You are welcome to stop by Room 352 anytime to speak with Rachel Strong, the Assistant Dean for Clinical and Practicum Programs, about the 1L Pro Bono Project, the Pro Bono Pledge or other volunteer opportunities or email .
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECTS
AARP-LEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE ELDERLY: For 35 years, LCE has championed the dignity and rights of Washington, D.C.'s elderly by providing free legal and social work services to those in need — empowering, defending and protecting vulnerable seniors. LCE's staff and volunteers assist more than 5,000 elders each year, with monetary benefits totaling over $5 million. More than 90 percent of older neighbors receiving help from LCE are persons of color, and three out of four are low-income women.
· Project 1: AARP-Legal Counsel for the Elderly Homebound Elderly Law Project.
Needed: 2 volunteers on a weekly basis. AARP-Legal Counsel for the Elderly needs up to two students to work on the Homebound Elderly Law Project ("HELP"). This project provides free civil legal services to homebound seniors. Unlike other legal services positions, HELP does not specialize in one particular area of the law. Consequently, students could learn about creditor issues, landlord-tenant problems, public benefits, estate planning, and property tax foreclosure lawsuits. Specific projects may vary each week but could include placing telephone calls to clients and public benefits agencies, drafting letters, conducting legal research, and accompanying the attorney on home visits. Ideally, students would volunteer for several hours each week in one block of time.
· Project 2: AARP-Legal Counsel for the Elderly Community Outreach.
Needed: up to 10 volunteers once or on a recurring basis. Volunteers will conduct outreach events around the city, giving presentations to groups of seniors (or community members in general) about five or six public benefits, including property tax exemptions, the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Program, food stamps, and the rent control program. If audience members ask for help completing specific forms, the students could either refer them individually to a legal services organization or plan a clinic with LCE attorneys.
ABA DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT: The American Bar Association (ABA), as the national representative of the legal profession in the United States, is committed to promoting fairness and justice, particularly when a life is at stake. Since 1997, the ABA has sought a nationwide suspension of executions because of its concerns that U.S. death penalty jurisdictions fail to comport in crucial respects with due process, ensure fairness, or provide adequate safeguards to minimize the risk that innocent persons are executed. In 2001, the ABA established the Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project (Project) to educate high-level decision-makers and members of the Bar on systemic problems with the death penalty, and to encourage jurisdictions with capital punishment to suspend executions.
· Project: Comprehensive assessments on the operation of capital punishment within several U.S. jurisdictions.
Need: 4 volunteers for a research project. Currently, the Project is undertaking a series of comprehensive assessments on the operation of capital punishment within several U.S. jurisdictions. Each “State Death Penalty Assessment” evaluates a state’s laws, procedures, and practices in order to compare those laws, procedures, and practices with a series of ABA capital punishment-related policies—the better to ensure that a state’s death penalty is both fair and accurate. Areas covered in the State Assessments include (1) law enforcement identification and interrogation procedures; (2) preservation and testing of DNA and other types of evidence; (3) crime laboratory and medical examiner practices; (4) prosecutorial and defense services; (5) direct appeal and state post-conviction procedures; (6) jury instructions in capital cases; (7) clemency proceedings; (8) judicial independence; (9) the treatment of racial and ethnic minorities; and (10) the treatment of mentally retarded and mentally ill offenders. Each State Assessment culminates in the release of a report in the evaluated jurisdiction. More information about the Project and its work may be found at http://www.americanbar.org/moratorium.
The State Assessments provide jurisdictions with an independent and accurate view of any problems that may exist in their capital punishment systems. In addition to describing particular deficiencies, the State Assessments also specify how jurisdictions can and should improve their laws, procedures, and practices. In conducting each State Assessment, the Project works with notable members of the legal community in the studied jurisdictions. Students will research on one or more of the subject areas described above. Students who contribute to the State Assessments will have their contributions noted in the Project’s State Assessment Report, which will be widely distributed to judges, lawmakers, executive branch entities, and the media at the time of publication.
ADVOCATES FOR JUSTICE AND EDUCATION: Provides representation, advocacy and support to the parents of public school children with special needs. The mission of Advocates for Justice and Education is to educate parents, youth, and the community about the laws governing public education, specifically for children with special needs. They seek to empower youth and parents to be effective advocates on behalf of their children to ensure that they receive an appropriate education.
· Project 1: Work at the Advocates for Justice and Education Office.
Needed: 2 volunteers on a weekly basis. Volunteers come in on a day where they could work at least 4-5 hours to assist the attorneys in the office with intake, drafting letters, and short quick research assignments.
· Project 2: Assist at the D.C. Office of Administrative Hearings.
Needed: Unlimited volunteers once or on a recurring basis. One volunteer is needed for each shift (M-W-F) from 9a.m.-12p.m. Volunteers assist at an advice and counsel clinic within the D.C. Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) Resource Center. Lawyers provide on the spot legal advice to unrepresented parents and students who appear before administrative law judges for school disciplinary hearings. Students would assist with conducting the intake and providing basic general information to parents and students while they wait to speak with the attorney. OAH is located at 441 4th Street NW. Volunteers for this project may need to undergo a short training on working with juveniles and a background check.
AILA (AMERICAN IMMIGRATION LAWYERS ASSOCIATION): AILA is the professional bar association for attorneys and law professors who specialize in general immigration law or its many subspecialty practice areas.
· Project 1: Volunteer at the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Dreamer Day) Workshop September 29.
Needed: up to 20 volunteers for a one-day workshop. Volunteers will assist with the Deferred Action Childhood Arrival (Dreamer Day) Workshop taking place on September 29th at Carlos Rosario International Charter School in Washington, DC. Students will do one or more of the following: be paired with an attorney when they meet with the participants, assist the participants with form preparation prior to meeting with the attorney, act as interpreters, direct the flow of participants from one station to another, or assist with administrative tasks at the workshop. Volunteers should arrive at 9:30 am and plan to stay until approximately 3 pm.
· Project 2: Work at AILA’s Offices.
Needed: 1 volunteer on a weekly basis. Volunteer needed for a recurring engagement (4-5 hours every week) to help AILA with their National pro bono programs, while at the same time gaining an introduction to the Immigration Bar and concepts of immigration law (in a pro bono context). The Volunteer also might have an opportunity to assist with local pro bono event(s) in the DC metropolitan area, as deemed feasible/approved.
AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE: American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) employs volunteers to expand and develop human rights learning in D.C. public and private schools. In pairs of two, they conduct weekly classes using AFSC’s Human Rights Learning Curriculum, which is based on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Volunteers for this project may need to undergo a short training on working with juveniles and a background check.
· Project: Teach Human Rights in DC Public Schools.
Needed: up to 10 volunteers on a weekly basis. Volunteers are expected to teach at least one class a week. The 2012 Human Rights Learning Internship Program will start in September 2012 and conclude in June 2012. It will include a half day of training, one day class observation (if possible), and additional weekly training sessions throughout the semester. Potential participants should have in interest in human rights and a strong desire to work with diverse populations of middle and high school students.
ARCHDIOCESAN LEGAL NETWORK (ALN) OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF WASHINGTON: The ALN provides first-rate access to legal services to low-income individuals in the District of Columbia and Maryland in the following areas: family law, employment rights, landlord/tenant and related housing matters, public entitlements, consumer/bankruptcy, wills & probate, guardianship and conservatorship matters. The ALN is in convenient walking distance from Georgetown Law Center. It is located at 924 G Street, N.W., near the Gallery Place and Metro Center subway stations.
· Project 1: Work at the ALN Offices.
Needed: 1 volunteer on a weekly basis. The volunteer will commit to going to the ALN office for 5 hours a week to assist in the office. The ALN has a prominent Georgetown alum who has devoted himself to assisting and, in some of the cases, directly representing the ALN’s clients in employment law cases (i.e., wrongful terminations and discrimination matters). The ALN needs a law student to assist him in legal research, following-up with clients concerning various aspects of their cases and also drafting documents. This attorney enjoys working with law students from his alma mater, since he is semi-retired from being a partner at several law firms.
· Project 2: Conduct Intake of ALN Clients.
Needed: up to 10 volunteers once or on a recurring basis. Volunteers will conduct in-person intake of potential clients from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Fridays. Volunteers will work directly with staff and volunteer attorneys on making determinations as to whether or not potential clients are suitable for placement with volunteer attorneys and law firms. This is an opportunity to meet experienced lawyers, such as from law firms and the government, who wish to help low-income residents by volunteering at the ALN. Volunteers write brief descriptions of some of the clients legal concerns and then go over their matters with a staff attorney concerning how the program can best be of help to them.
CAPITAL AREA IMMIGRANTS’ RIGHTS (CAIR) COALITION: Provides advocacy, education, representation and outreach to the immigrant community of the Washington metropolitan area.
· Project 1: Staff a Detention Hotline.
Needed: up to 12 volunteers once or on a recurring basis. Volunteers will staff the Detention Hotline (Any language abilities are welcomed but not necessary) Detainees wishing to contact the CAIR Coalition may call the detention hotline for free from M-F 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Volunteers will staff this hotline on a 2-hour slot basis. The volunteer will be in charge of answering the phone and helping detainees connect with their attorney free of charge using our conference system, conduct phone intakes, or provide information about our upcoming jail visits, procedures, and follow up messages.
Hotline Hours:
§ Monday: 3 shifts available (9-11AM, 11AM-1PM, 1PM-3PM)
§ Tuesday: 3 shifts available (9-11AM, 11AM-1PM, 1PM-3PM)
§ Wednesday: 2 shifts available (9-11AM, 3-5PM)
§ Thursday: 2 shifts available (9-11AM, 11-1PM)
§ Friday: 2 shifts available (1-3PM, 3-5PM)
· Project 2: Conduct Jail Visits.
Needed: unlimited volunteers once or on a recurring basis. Volunteers, under the supervision of attorneys from CAIR Coalition in Washington, D.C., will visit the federal immigration detention facilities in Virginia (Hampton Roads, Farmville, Rappahannock) and meet with a few hundred immigrant detainees and assist conducting Legal Orientation - “Know Your Rights” – Presentations and individual intakes. As a volunteer of the program, students will be able to speak to individual detainees and assist the organization conduct legal intakes. This one-day only volunteer opportunity provides students the opportunity to observe the conditions and understand the reality and limited options for incarcerated immigrants. The visits are not scheduled yet but will be communicated to volunteers after the volunteer has been trained.