Post-Graduate Fellow

The Legal Aid Association of California (LAAC) is now accepting applications for LAAC to sponsor a Postgraduate Fellowship Applicant to submit applications to the Equal Justice Works, Skadden (if appropriate) and Borchard postgraduate legal fellowships. LAAC will sponsor a Fellowship Applicant to apply in the fall of 2008 for a fellowship period that would start in Fall 2009, should be the fellowship application be successful.

LAAC is the statewide membership organizations for the almost 100 legal services nonprofits around the state that provide free legal assistance to low-income and other underserved Californians. As the "unified voice of legal services," LAAC advocates on legal services issues on behalf of member programs at a state level, provides training to legal services nonprofits and staff, and works to build a statewide community by providing websites, listservs and other communication tools.

LAAC's structure includes its Sections, which are coordinated groups of specific types of providers around the state that work together to ensure training and advocacy on their unique issues.

LAAC's Senior Legal Services Provider (SLSP) Section consists of over 40 legal services nonprofits throughout California that provide legal assistance to senior citizens. The Section plans and implements training and recently has identified two major policy or advocacy needs: (1) statewide strategic planning on the projected future explosion growth in the senior client community and related policy responses needed and (2) advocacy for increasing funding and other resources for senior legal services providers.

LAAC will now sponsor a student who will be a 3L in the 2008-09 academic year as a postgraduate Fellowship Applicant to design and implement a full-time Statewide Senior Legal Services Advocacy Project, to work directly with all of the nonprofits involved in the SLSP Section to undertake their policy and advocacy agenda.

Applicants must have past experience working directly with seniors or on senior issues and will be evaluated based on the following:

-Demonstrated commitment to the rights of low-income senior citizens;

-Excellent communications skills, strong academic performance, and work or volunteer experience in public interest and legal services settings.

-The ability to work independently;

-Organizational and legal research and writing skills.

-Ability and availability to produce a well-written Equal Justice Works Fellowship application by the September 16, 2009 deadline.

LAAC will accept applications for LAAC's Postgraduate Fellowship Applicant on a rolling basis through Monday August 4th. Please prepare a detailed cover letter describing your interest in LAAC and the Fellowship, as well as your past experience working with seniors or on senior issues. Send it along with your resume, list of three references, and a writing sample to careers@pic.org.

LAAC VALUES DIVERSITY AND IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER.
ALL INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS ARE URGED TO APPLY.