Fellowships
Fellowships Opportunities
Bay Area Legal Aid invites third-year law students and/or recent law school graduates to propose innovative fellowship projects for 2009-2011 for submission to the Skadden Fellowship Foundation, Equal Justice Works, Soros Justice Fellowship Program, Shartis Friese Fellowship and/or similar organizations. Project ideas should relate to one or more of BayLegal's four substantive priorities: affordable housing, access to health care, family law and domestic violence, and access to income and public benefits. As examples, we would consider proposals which address:
- The legal problems of new entrants into the work force such as former TANF recipients, including issues involving employment, supportive services, or hurdles to employment.
- Regional work on immigration relief for domestic violence survivors, for example, U Visa and VAWA self-petitions.
- Implementation and outreach around new protections in public and subsidized housing for domestic violence survivors.
- Affordable housing issues, such as the use of zoning, housing element, and related laws to expand the supply of affordable housing, addressing the loss of subsidized housing or the condition and safety of low-income housing
- The impact of California 's Domestic Partnership statute on custody, property and public benefits rights of low-income persons forming or dissolving domestic partnerships.
Bay Area Legal Aid provides free legal assistance in civil cases to very low-income residents of the region. Its mission is to provide service regardless of the client's disability, language, or residence within the Bay Area. BayLegal has successfully sponsored four Equal Justice Works fellowship applicants. Factors that will be utilized in evaluating candidates include:
- Demonstrated commitment to public interest law;
- Knowledge of or strong interest in the relevant issues presented in the fellowship proposal;
- Membership in a minority population, including the LGBT community, served by BayLegal and/or fluency in a non-English language spoken by many BayLegal clients;
- Excellent oral and written communication and legal research skills;
- Ability to work independently and as part of a regional team; and
- Anticipated or current California Bar membership.
Robert P. Capistrano
Director of Advocacy and Training
Bay Area Legal Aid
405-14th Street, 9th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612