Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV) is hosting a one-year fellowship
sponsored by Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps to focus on mitigating the
negative consequences of prior criminal convictions for low-income clients by
removing legal barriers to employment for active jobseekers who are
unemployed or underemployed. The ultimate measure of success in this program
is whether clients secure a job – or a better job – following the removal of a legal
barrier to employment.
Fellowship Description: The Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Employment
Opportunity Legal Corps Fellow will provide assistance on:
-- Expunging, sealing, or correcting criminal records
-- Restoring a driver’s license, allowing individuals to secure or travel to a job
-- Assisting clients in obtaining or restoring an occupational license
-- Helping clients secure or update necessary identification documents for
employment purposes
-- Partnering with other social service or job training programs to provide
holistic support to clients
-- Instituting a follow-up process to collect client employment and wage
information after services are rendere
The ideal candidate will have the following:
-- The ability to undergo and pass AmeriCorps-mandated criminal
background checks (only conviction for murder and/or presence on sex
offender registry are automatic bars to service; other criminal convictions
are allowable at the host site’s discretion)
-- A demonstrated commitment to public interest work and strong desire to
assist indigent clients
-- Strong writing, communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills
-- The ability work collaboratively in a variety of contexts
-- Prior experience in managing independent projects or assignments
-- Law school clinic, externship, summer or other relevant practice
experience
-- A valid driver’s license
-- The ability to begin the fellowship no later than September 30, 2015.
-- Virginia state bar membership or eligibility to practice in Virginia under
limited permission rule preferred (the latter is available as a result of bar
membership in another state )
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume and references to James Ferguson, Executive Director, at 4080 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, or e-mail materials to [email protected] no later than September 9, 2016. The subject line should be: AmeriCorps Fellowship – [Your Last Name]. The letter of interest should clearly refer to the Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Fellowship position. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted. The Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Fellow is scheduled to begin the term of service no later than September 30th, 2016.
Insuring equal justice