Job Title: Winter Law Clerks - Bay Area Regional Office
Job Responsibilities:
- Interviewing clients and consumers to gather necessary information and understand their legal needs.
- Providing information and guidance on self-advocacy to empower clients to manage their own legal affairs.
- Conducting legal research and writing to support ongoing cases and legal initiatives.
- Performing legislative analysis and writing to assist in the development of policy recommendations.
- Representing clients at mediation and administrative hearings at various institutions, including school districts, universities, regional centers, and Social Security.
- Assisting individuals with psychiatric disabilities who are incarcerated in psychiatric institutions to ensure their federal, state, constitutional, and statutory rights are upheld.
- Helping clients file charges of discrimination with the . Office of Civil Rights for the Department of Education, the . Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the . Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
- Assisting in the investigation of serious, systemic, and potentially life-threatening abuse and neglect in state and private facilities that serve people with psychiatric and developmental disabilities.
- Conducting training sessions on legal matters and engaging in multicultural outreach efforts.
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 at the organization are willing to assist students in developing grant proposals.
Salary Information:
- The positions available are paid, though a limited number of paid positions are available.
Additional Information:
- **Members Only** is a nonprofit public interest law organization established in 1978 to protect the legal, civil, and service rights of persons with disabilities.
- The organization is involved in class actions and individual litigation regarding access to community-based healthcare, deinstitutionalization, voluntary mental health treatment, fair housing, and discrimination issues under various acts and California law.
- Positive systemic reform has been achieved through public policy and legislative work in the area of abuse and neglect against persons with disabilities.
- The organization is actively involved in education and outreach to under-represented communities with disabilities, making it a challenging and rewarding experience for students.
- Although a limited number of paid positions are available, preference is given to work-study and clinical students.
