Please join the National Latina/o Law Student Association and the National Black Law Student Association for the 2012 Hill and Government Days to take place on February 8 and 9, 2012!
Please register at the following link: http://www.nblsa.org/hillandgovdaysregistration
Please find registration information at the following link: http://www.pennlalsa.org/index.php/conference
Google Policy Fellowship 2012
Application Due February 3, 2012
NHMC is excited to announce its participation in the Google Policy Fellowship Program– which supports students and organizations working on policy issues fundamental to the future of the Internet and its users.
Please sign up here to receive announcements about the Google Policy Fellowship.
For more information, please visit http://www.google.com/policyfellowship.
Program Overview
The Google Policy Fellowship program was inspired by Google’s Summer of Code with a public policy twist. The Google Policy Fellowship program offers undergraduate, graduate, and law students interested in Internet and technology policy the opportunity to spend the summer contributing to the public dialogue on these issues, and exploring future academic and professional interests.
Fellows will have the opportunity to work at public interest organizations at the forefront of debates on broadband and access policy, content regulation, copyright and trademark reform, consumer privacy, open government, and more. Participating organizations are based in either Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA, Ottawa or Toronto, Canada and include: American Library Association, Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, Center for Democracy and Technology, Citizen Lab, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Creative Commons, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Future of Music Coalition, Internet Education Foundation, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Media Access Project, National Hispanic Media Coalition, New America Foundation, Progress and Freedom Foundation, Public Knowledge, TechFreedom, and Technology Policy Institute. More information about the host organizations and the areas of focus for the fellows are outlined here.
Fellows will be assigned a lead mentor at their host organizations, but will have the opportunity to work with several senior staff members over the course of the summer. Fellows will be expected to make substantive contributions to the work of their organization, including conducting policy research and analysis; drafting reports and analyses; attending government and industry meetings and conferences; and participating in other advocacy activities.
Who should apply?
We’re looking for students who are passionate about technology, and want to spend the summer diving headfirst into Internet policy. Students from all majors and degree programs who possess the following qualities are encouraged to apply:
Fellows will receive a stipend of $7,500 for 10 weeks during the summer of 2012 (June-August). Exact dates of the fellowship will be worked out by the fellow and host organization.
NHMC Fellowship Focus Areas
Fellowship Location: Washington, DC
Please note that NHMC will only consider candidates enrolled in a law degree program. The Google Policy Fellow at NHMC will be supervised by an attorney.
The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) is a non-profit, civil rights and media advocacy organization, with a three-part mission: to improve the image of American Latinos as portrayed by the media; to increase Latino employment in all facets of the media industry; and to advocate for media and telecommunications policies that benefit the Latino community and other communities of color. Established in Los Angeles in 1986, NHMC is currently headquartered in Pasadena, California, with a second office in Washington, D.C.
American Latinos comprise over 16% of the U.S. population, yet are still largely under and misrepresented on mainstream media. NHMC is the most sought-after and credible Latino media organization at the national level, often serving as the only voice focused on ending media bias and evening the playing field for Latinos in media.
NHMC’s Pasadena office focuses primarily on diversifying the employment ranks of media companies, and building a pipeline for Latinos to enter the media and entertainment industry through various programs, such as the National Latino Media Council Writer’s Program, which NHMC administers, and regular interaction with top executives at the four major broadcast networks and Comcast Cable, as stipulated by Memoranda of Understanding that the Coalition holds with those entities.
In Washington, D.C., NHMC staff is often called to testify before Congress and the federal agencies on various media and telecommunications policies that impact the American Latino community. NHMC submits public comments to the FCC record on a variety of policies.
NHMC’s main priority is combating hate speech in media in creative, First-Amendment-friendly ways. Other projects include examining how to accomplish universal, affordable and open broadband internet, diversification of the media industry and consumer protection.
The Google Policy Fellow will work closely with NHMC’s DC-based Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs and its Policy Counsel, to advance NHMC’s agenda. The Fellow will work on complex legal and policy issues, and may be called upon to draft FCC pleadings, internal memoranda, press releases, blog posts, editorials and other documents as needed. The Fellow will be invited to attend meetings with decision makers at the FCC and in Congress, as well as meetings with media reform and civil rights activists.
To learn more about the National Hispanic Media Coalition, please visit www.nhmc.org.
PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS ARE DUE ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 17. WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL ENCOURAGE YOUR FIRST-YEAR LAW STUDENTS TO APPLY.
Arent Fox is pleased to announce the 7th Annual Diversity Scholarship
Program. The firm will award three first-year law students, one in each
of our three offices (Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC), a
$15,000 scholarship and a position in the 2012 Summer Associate Program.
_CANDIDATES MAY ONLY APPLY TO ONE OFFICE. _
For consideration, the full application package must be received before
the January 17th deadline. Please note that law school grades must be
forwarded once available.
The application and eligibility requirements are available online:
http://www.arentfox.com/firm/diversity/index.cfm?fa=scholarship [1]
Thank you,
THE ARENT FOX ATTORNEY RECRUITMENT DEPARTMENT
Arent Fox LLP | Attorneys at Law
1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036-5339
202.715.8503 DIRECT | 202.857.6395 FAX
tracy.libby@arentfox.com [2] | www.arentfox.com [3]
FIRST-YEAR LAW STUDENTS.
Arent Fox is seeking applicants for its 7th Annual Diversity
Scholarship Program. The firm will award three first-year law students
$15,000, one in each of our three offices (Los Angeles, New York and
Washington, DC). The scholarship recipients will also join Arent Fox’s
2012 Summer Associate Program. _CANDIDATES MAY ONLY APPLY TO ONE
OFFICE._
Arent Fox will accept program applications from first-year law students
beginning December 1, 2011 through January 17, 2012. For consideration,
the full application package must be received before the January 17th
deadline. Please note that law school grades must be forwarded once
available.
The application and eligibility requirements are available online:
http://www.arentfox.com/firm/diversity/index.cfm?fa=scholarship [4]
The American Health Lawyers Association will be hiring a 1st or 2nd year law student of diversity to intern at the Association’s headquarters in Washington, DC during the summer of 2012. The 8-week health law internship will provide extensive legal research and writing projects as well as networking opportunities with leading health law attorneys in the industry. The intern will attend AHLA’s Annual Meeting in Chicago (June 26-27, 2012) where he/she will be able to take advantage of excellent CLE programs on hot topics and timely health law and policy issues.
The attached job description contains further details about qualifications, salary, and duties. Interested students must email a formal cover letter and resume to Cynthia Conner, Vice President of Professional Resources at cconner@healthlawyers.org by Monday, February 6, 2012. No phone calls please.
AMERICAN HEALTH LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
1620 Eye Street, NW, 6th Floor
Washington,DC20006
Duration of Internship:
June through Mid-August, 2012. Preferred start date early June, 2012.
Stipend:
Nominal monetary stipend will be provided throughout the eight week period (paid bi-monthly). This payment is based on an approximate 30 hour work week.
Qualifications:
Duties:
Benefits:
Aside from writing, researching and editing, the law student intern will also:
To apply for this internship, please send a formal cover letter and resume to Cynthia Conner, Vice President of Professional Resources at cconner@healthlawyers.org.
The Rochester Legal Diversity Clerkship Program is co-sponsored by the MCBA (through its Diversity
Committee), the Rochester Black Bar Association (RBBA), and the Greater Rochester Association for
Women Attorneys (GRAWA). This program seeks to increase diversity in the legal profession in the
Rochester area by attracting qualified first-year law students from historically under-represented groups
within the legal profession, including racial and ethnic minorities, to work in paid positions with
Rochester area law firms and other legal employers.
The sponsoring bars and participating employers believe that a diverse work force provides better
service to clients and a better work environment for attorneys and staff. These organizations are
committed to recruiting, retaining and promoting attorneys who contribute to the overall diversity of
the legal community in Rochester. The purpose of the Rochester Legal Diversity Clerkship Program is
to provide Rochester-based work experience to law students of diverse backgrounds, with the long-term
goal of increasing the diversity of the legal community.
The clerkship typically lasts eight to ten weeks and the participating organizations pay their standard
1L rate which has ranged from $500 – $1000 or more.
Program Specifics:
1. Application: Eligible first year law students are required to submit a formal application,
current resume, undergraduate and law school transcripts, a personal statement and the
designated writing sample on or before the deadline for submissions.
2. Interview: Based on the application materials submitted, qualified candidates are
invited to Rochester on a Saturday for an interview conducted by members of the
Diversity Committee. Students must secure their own transportation to Rochester for
the interviews.
3. Selection Process: After the interviews, the Diversity Committee ranks students based
on the criteria described above, and then selects the students who will receive offers,
along with alternates
4. Offers: Selected students receive an offer of placement with a particular organization
and are given three days to accept the initial offer* (there is no discussion of monetary
terms at this point). If an offer is declined, the position will be extended to an alternate
until all positions are filled. Offers are based on random assignment, but a preference
for a public interest/sector position (instead of a private firm) will be accommodated to
the extent possible. Students who decline offers will not be given the option of an
alternate placement.
Application available at: http://www.mcba.org/Members/CommitteesSections/diversity/Clerkshipprogram/
* The participating employer may have additional requirements in connection with the offer.
2012 Southern Education Leadership Initiative
Nonprofit Sector Internships
The Southern Education Foundation (SEF), www.southerneducation.org, is the South’s oldest education philanthropy, tracing its origins back to 1867. Its mission is to advance equity and excellence in education for low income students and communities in the South, the region that is home to the nation’s poorest people. The South has the lowest levels of education attainment and achievement, the highest dropout rates, and provides the least need-based financial aid for higher education. It has the greatest need for new leaders to develop community partnerships and corrective public policies that will improve education equity, quality, and opportunity at all levels.
Recognizing the need for new outstanding leaders in education and the nonprofit sector, SEF initiated in 2004 the Southern Education Leadership Initiative. The Initiative provides highly motivated and diverse upperclassmen and graduate students opportunities to develop as leaders, engage in their communities, acquire practical job skills, and learn about contemporary education issues. Students spend the summer in trainings and working at a leading nonprofit sector organization. During this experiential learning opportunity, they examine strategies for improving education, addressing community needs, and putting theory into practice. Over the last eight summers, SEF has placed over 135 students in nearly 70 nonprofits and foundations throughout the region focused on providing advocacy, grant-making, policy analysis, research, community organizing, and direct service in education. Students are given summer placements that pair well with their experience, educational interests, career paths, and developmental needs. Students may be asked to relocate for the summer.
Interns are selected through a highly competitive process—only the most committed and hardworking students will be able to participate. Each intern is required to participate in a pre-placement Orientation meeting in Atlanta, work full-time during the course of his/her internship on challenging substantive projects, and present lessons learned from the internship to his/her peers and SEF at a Closing Meeting in Atlanta. The trainings offer the interns a chance for structured reflection and peer learning.
Interns receive:
· Experience: an opportunity to work for eight weeks in an organization concerned with equity and excellence in education e.g., a policy institution, community-based organization or philanthropic institution;
· Stipend: a living expense stipend of $4,000 (for undergraduates or graduating seniors), or $4,500 (for graduate students who will have completed at least one term by June 1, 2012);
· Travel: all airfare/car mileage expenses associated with traveling to and from SEF trainings to summer placement site (assistance also provided by SEF in making travel arrangements and locating summer housing if needed);
· Orientation: trainings that expose students to research in the field, stress the importance of civic engagement, teach strategies for making change, and provide opportunities to meet and learn from inspiring leaders involved in education policy and practice;
· Internship Placement: guidance and supervision provided by seasoned sector leaders to work through the summer intensively on challenging research, education policy, and nonprofit program related projects; and
· Closing Meeting: the opportunity to present their work to their peers, reflect, brainstorm how to take the lessons learned from this experience back to their communities, and become part of a network of emerging leaders in the sector.
For more information see: www.southerneducation.org > Programs > Southern Education Leadership Initiative
“Once Social Change Begins, It Cannot Be Reversed:”[1]
Occupy Wall Street and the Latin@ Voice:
Ernesto Papaleo
Chair of Social Action, NY/NJ Metropolitan Area LALSA
Latinos in the United States of America are currently in a crisis of profound importance. We have become targets for not only being Latino, but for being American. Finding ourselves in a position where our “American-ness” has been attacked, we have become less American, and find it harder to become one.
For Latinos in the United States in 2011, the American Dream has become a nightmare. Latinos find ourselves increasingly overrepresented in the low-skilled, low-wage workforce. Almost half of male high school dropouts are Latinos. The wage gap among Latinos and whites is dramatically widening, while wage gaps among whites and other minorities has changed very little. Furthermore, the influx of immigrants continually lowers wages for the average male worker.[2]
Meanwhile at our nation’s capital, our crisis is further amplified. Our lack of representation leaves others making decisions upon our behalf. Our severe under-representation at various law making bodies of our country has led to the impasse of comprehensive immigration reform and the DREAM Act, but the passage of laws that encourage racial profiling, such as SB1070. Who knows our needs better than us? How can we expect a group of overwhelmingly non-Latinos to pass a bill that could afford thousands of immigrant children the path to conditional permanent residency through education and military service? Why isn’t a Latino the chief proponent of the DREAM Act?[3] Furthermore, the DREAM Act is quickly becoming a political bargaining chip: Senator Harry Reid preserved his seat and political career when he promised the reintroduction of the DREAM Act to Congress regardless of midterm reelection, garnering Latino votes.[4]
This all comes as an unfortunate irony. The Latino vote is often considered a “swing” vote, sought for in every recent presidential election. We are forced to choose a candidate who best represents our needs, but after Election Day, neither political party will represent us. We exchange votes for promises, but once the candidate has moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, we are forgotten. Let us not forget our votes as a nationwide community have profound consequences, themselves: we are also voting on behalf of many of our undocumented brothers and sisters who have no voice, and who will be also affected by the candidate we select.
Presently, Barack Obama is campaigning in swing states with high Latino populations. Although he garnered 67% of the Latino vote in the past election, his administration is on shaky ground with Latino support. From October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011, the Obama Administration claims to have “deported” 396,906 illegal immigrants: the highest in the administration’s history. Just less than half of these deportations were for civil infractions, such as overstaying a visa, and not for any violations of criminal statutes.[5] Our President is trying to play both sides of the immigration debate. He is trying to appease the right with statistics, while defending himself by publicly by stating that these numbers are “deceptive” because of his administration’s definition of “deported.” [6] President Obama has further worries with regard to our voting power. The number of eligible Latino voters will increase from approximately 18 million in 2008 to 22 million in 2010.[7]
Obama took the reigns of this country at a low point in our nation’s history. Just three months before taking his oath, our country experienced its worst economic downturn in recent times: an economic depression.
One example of the litany of ways our country is hurt as a result of the financial crisis was in the housing market. The housing market’s hitting of rock-bottom demands economic reforms from Washington. Housing is a human right. Today, we should not be demanding affordable housing, but equal access to housing. The present state of the real estate market is felt across all Americans.
It is especially felt by Latinos. Latinos are the racial group hardest hit by the economic downturn of 2008. From 2005 to 2009, inflation-adjusted median wealth fell by 66% among Hispanic households and 63% among black households, compared with just 16% among white households. The sharp decline in home values was the main cause of decrease among all groups, but clearly Latinos have been hit the hardest.[8]
Home equity of Latino households was sliced in half, from $99,983 to $49,145, and Latino home ownership fell from 51% to 47%. The areas hardest hit by the real estate market bubble of the 1990’s and early 2000’s featured an over-representation of the Latino population, particularly in California, Florida, Nevada, and Arizona.
How did the other groups fare? Among white homeowners the median value of their home equity declined from $115,364 in 2005 to $95,000 in 2009. Among black homeowners home equity declined from $76 to $59,000 in 2005. For blacks and whites, home ownership rates were pretty much stagnant during this time. The drop among black home ownership dropped from 47% to 46%, and white home ownership remained consistent at 74%. So when the housing market hit rock-bottom, home ownership among whites remained the same at three-quarters of the population, while Latino ownership declined to 47%.[9] These effects are but one of the many causes of the Occupy Movement.
Occupy Wall Street should be about us. Addressing the housing crisis is just one of the many issues that the Occupy Movement has challenged. As Latinos, we have much to gain from economic reform in this country, most importantly, economic and social equality. The Occupy movement has manifested the present failure of political representation in the United States. The movement is a reaction to our political climate that reveals our potential to make public statements that can impact national policies. Like all great movements of the past, we can convert our private troubles to public issues. The federal government has failed us as a form of representation. There has been no serious bipartisan attempt to even entertain the idea of a form of loan/debt relief and forgiveness. As law students, we will begin our professional careers worth a negative amount. The Occupy Movement allows us to be our own representatives.
It is a fact that there are severe wage disparities among white Americans and people of color. The fact that we make less, and then are taxed continues to perpetuate this economic oppression. By keeping us working at lower wages, corporations can continue maximizing profit, while our basic work and health needs are not addressed. Furthermore, the cutting of public education funding is nothing short of class warfare. Denying our nation’s children the necessary resources for them to advance contradicts traditional American notions of social mobility. Ideologically, the culture of capitalism is pitting us against ourselves: it is creating a divide between documented and undocumented Latinos. This rift should not exist. There should be a firm unity among our population. The plight of one is the plight of all. Each one of our experiences contributes to the universal American Latino experience.
Latinos, the poor, and the uneducated are enthusiastically sought after and recruited for military involvement, yet defending our country cannot provide a path to conditional permanent residency until the DREAM Act is passed. It is unfortunate that Latinos and the poor are put on the front lines of our military to defend a country that doesn’t show the same enthusiasm for their education. Latinos make up 16% of the military.[10] Websites like “www.elnavy.com” provide resources for potential recruits and their families, as well as highlighting the achievements of high-ranking Latinos to manifest what successful careers in the military look like.[11] Our nation’s military advertises and recruits in many Latino and Spanish language publications. In these times of economic hardship, it is no wonder why the military has not had a hard time recruiting. The military provides a steady salary, job security, medical benefits for spouses and family, and even college tuition through the G.I. Bill once enlistment is over.
Where do we fit in as students of the law? Unfortunately, our studies do command most our time. However, if there is anything that we have learned from the Occupy Movement thus far, it is that organization is crucial. Sure we can head downtown and march with our brothers and sisters in the street. However, Bloomberg’s infamous early morning raid to “clean” Zucotti Park (which took but 7 hours, while it took weeks for his administration to clean our streets of snow in December of 2010) has demonstrated that the park has served its purpose. The “romanticized” endeavor is complete. The movement has matured. Now it is time to be proactive. Our position as law students puts us in a unique situation to do so. We have one foot in the practice of the law, and the other still in academia. Our goal should be to make legal resources accessible to those that need it most. We should be using the different resources at our respective schools to reach out to our communities. Let’s turn our schools inside out: make our school’s clinics, workshops, and programs accessible to our communities.
We should not stand by idly while history unfolds before us. We should be involving ourselves wherever we see fit. The Occupy Movement can be our movement too. Let us take it up on its offer to change America.
[1] Cesar Chavez
[2] National Poverty Center, “The New Face of the Low-Wage Workforce,” Policy Brief #8, January 2007. http://npc.umich.edu/publications/policy_briefs/brief8/policy_brief8.pdf
[3] Dick Durbin, Sen.-D, Illinois
[4] Garcia Blase, DeeDee. “How Latino Voters Will Choose in 2012” The Guardian, 26 October 2011.
[5] Los Angeles Times. “Obama Administration Reports Record Number of Deportations.”
[6] Washington Times. “Obama Defends Handling of Illegal Immigration,” September 28, 2011.
[7] Garcia Blase, DeeDee. “How Latino Voters Will Choose in 2012” The Guardian, 26 October 2011.
[8] Pew Research Center. “Wealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs Between Whites, Blacks, Hispanics.” July 26, 2011.
[9] See id.
[10] La Voz Bilingue. “Honoring America’s Heroes” http://www.lavozcolorado.com/detail.php?id=6096
[11] See www.elnavy.com
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) offers the MALDEF 2011-2012 Law School Scholarship Application. A copy of the Application is attached and also available for downloading at www.maldef.org. The deadline for this year is December 16, 2011.
Since MALDEF’s founding, the civil rights organization has awarded scholarships to law students who will further MALDEF’s mission of advancing the civil rights of the Latino community in the United States. In recent years, MALDEF has annually awarded 5-10 scholarships of $5,000 each.
MALDEF’s Law School Scholarship Program is open to all law students who will be enrolled at an accredited United States law school in 2011-2012. Applicants are evaluated for their academic and extracurricular
achievements, for their background and financial need, and, most importantly, for their demonstrated commitment to advancing Latino civil rights in their careers.
MALDEF hopes to significantly increase our applicant pool this year, particularly from diverse geographic areas throughout the United States.
You may also find the scholarship application at http://www.maldef.org/leadership/scholarships/index.html.
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