The Legal Aid Society of Orange County-Community Legal Services will host a fellow over two years as part of the Equal Justice Works Crime Victims Justice Corps. The fellowship should begin on or about June 1, 2018 and end May/June 2020.
The Equal Justice Works Crime Victims Justice Corps is a legal fellowship program designed to increase capacity and access to civil legal help for crime victims. A cohort of approximately sixty fellows are placed at nonprofit organizations across the country to provide direct representation to victims of crimes, including human trafficking, fraud/identity theft, campus sexual assault, and hate crime, and immigrant victims of crime with meritorious claims for immigration relief, and outreach and education to community partners. All fellows will incorporate crime victims’ rights enforcement into their practice and will receive training from the National Crime Victim Law Institute and other training and technical assistance providers.
This program is supported by an award from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime, Award Number 2017-MU-MU-K131, and private funding.
Fellowship Description
The Equal Justice Works Crime Victims Justice Corps Fellow will:
• Provide direct legal services to victims of human trafficking
• Provide crime victims’ rights enforcement
• Conduct outreach and education activities, provide referrals, and leverage pro bono resources
• Contribute to programmatic reporting required under the federal award
• Collaborate with other Equal Justice Works Crime Victims Justice Corps Fellows
• Actively participate in mandatory in-person training programs including two-day Crime Victims Justice Corps Victim Law Boot Camp training on June 28-29, 2018 in Washington, DC; learning event at the end of the Fellowship; annual three-day Equal Justice Works Leadership Development Training in October/November 2018 and 2019 in Washington, DC; and training calls with the National Crime Victim Law Institute
• Provide training to pro bono attorneys so that they can help provide effective assistance and representation to trafficking survivors
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:
• Licensed to practice law
• A demonstrated commitment to public interest work and desire to assist crime victims
• Strong writing, communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills
• An ability to provide victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally competent legal assistance to crime victims/survivors
• An ability to work collaboratively in a variety of contexts and with multiple organizations to facilitate comprehensive services to crime victims/survivors
• Ability to begin the fellowship by on or about June 1, 2018 and serve for 2 years
• Those with legal experience in crime victims’ rights enforcement and victim service are strongly encouraged to apply
• Law school clinic, externship, summer or other relevant practice experience a plus
Send resume and cover letter to [email protected].
The position is open until May 14, 2018, but candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Interested applicants should contact Mary Lou Czerner with any follow-up questions.