Job Title: Spring Volunteer Law Clerk - Bay Area Regional Office
Job Responsibilities:
- Interview clients and consumers to gather relevant information and assess their needs.
- Provide information on self-advocacy to empower clients in handling their legal and civil rights.
- Conduct legal research and writing to support ongoing cases and advocacy efforts.
- Perform legislative analysis and writing to assist in policy development and reform initiatives.
- Represent clients at mediation and administrative hearings involving school districts, universities, regional centers, Social Security, and other entities.
- Offer assistance to individuals with psychiatric disabilities who are incarcerated in psychiatric institutions, ensuring the enforcement of federal, state, constitutional, and statutory rights.
- Aid clients in filing charges of discrimination with the . Office of Civil Rights for the Department of Education, . Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the . Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
- Participate in the investigation of serious, systemic, and potentially life-threatening abuse and neglect in state and private facilities serving people with psychiatric and developmental disabilities.
- Conduct trainings on legal matters and engage in multicultural outreach to educate and inform diverse communities.
Education and Experience Information:
- Open to students who have completed their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year of law school.
- Preference is given to work-study and clinical students.
- Attorneys are available to assist students in developing grant proposals.
Salary Information:
- Although a limited number of paid positions are available, the volunteer position primarily caters to students seeking academic or experiential credit rather than monetary compensation.
Additional Information:
- The organization is a nonprofit public interest law firm established in 1978 under federal mandates to protect the legal, civil, and service rights of persons with disabilities.
- The organization serves individuals with developmental disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and mobility and communication disabilities across California.
- The organization has been involved in significant class actions and individual litigation concerning access to community-based healthcare, deinstitutionalization, voluntary mental health treatment, fair housing, and discrimination issues under various acts and laws.
- The organization is committed to education and outreach to under-represented communities with disabilities, providing students with a challenging and rewarding experience.
- Summer law student internships typically last 10 weeks, beginning the first business day in June, with a workweek.
