2012 Law Student Summer Internship With Community Lawyers, Inc.
Community Lawyers, Inc. (“CLI”) seeks law students for its 8-10 week-summer internship program that focuses on providing legal assistance to low-income and moderate-income clients. The internship program is structured to strengthen the relationships between the private bar and legal aid organizations inSouthern Californiato increase the options available to legal services consumers.
The CLI Summer Internship Program allows law students to obtain first-hand working experience in the community-based legal services arena. In addition, students will be given the unique opportunity to build relationships with judges, attorneys and community leaders to increase the delivery of affordable legal services while bolstering their abilities to navigate the legal profession.
Interns will spend a portion of their summer delving into the practical aspects of legal service delivery in small law firms and non-profit legal aid offices. The responsibilities of interns will vary according to their individual interests and resulting placements, however, interns will generally be involved in client interviewing, community legal education, legal writing & research, and law office management. At the conclusion of the program, interns are expected to generate recommendations for greater collaboration between community-based lawyers and traditional legal service providers. Interns will also be called upon to deliver a comprehensive legal memorandum that addresses one of the myriad of legal issues that CLI must confront in its day-to-day operation.
CLI seeks independent, responsible, diligent, hard working and entrepreneurial law students who are interested in devoting their legal careers to serve low-income and moderate income-clients. This internship is ideal for any law student who wishes to establish a private law practice that services the needs of the underserved. The interests and skills of each intern will be evaluated to insure a “good fit” with assigned mentors and work sites. Finally, internship applicants are encouraged to secure a public interest summer internship stipend from their law school, a work study grant, or other summer fellowship.
The following factors will be considered in selecting an intern:
- Demonstrated commitment to public interest/community-based work;
- Academic & Extracurricular performance in law school;
- Outstanding communication skills;
- Bi-lingual proficiency is a plus, but not required;
- Legal writing & research skills; and
- Academic & Professional References (Three references are required).
The internship program will commence on Tuesday, May 28, 2012.
To apply for an internship program position, please send (1) a cover letter describing how this internship fits your career interests, (2) a resume, (3) a writing sample and (4) contact information for three professional references. Your application should be sent via electronic mail to the attention of Maria Theresa Calimag no later than Friday, April 6, 2012.