Civil Legal Internship Announcement

About the organization: Founded in 1968, DC Law Students in Court (LSIC) is a hybrid of legal education and non-profit organization, serving both low–income DC residents and third-year law students. As a legal services provider, LSIC provides free, high-quality legal assistance to approximately 3,000 low-income DC residents in the areas of landlord-tenant law, small claims/consumer issues, and criminal law.  As a teaching institution, we provide clinical education to third-year law students from DC law schools (American, Georgetown, and George Washington).

Responsibilities: The Civil Legal Intern will assist the administrative staff, law students, legal fellows, and supervising attorneys with the following projects and activities:

·         Develop outreach relationships by contacting organizations, arranging for “Know Your Rights” presentations, and facilitating the development of the presentations.

·         File documents with the D.C. Courts

·         Investigating cases by:

1.       Going to government agencies to learn about properties – this may include RAD, D.C. Recorder of Deeds, and others.

2.       Inspecting clients’ properties in search of housing code violations. Investigations may take place in all areas of D.C.

3.      Contacting clients to ask follow-up questions.

·         There is potential for interns to testify in hearings and trials.

·         Assist law students in their litigation of cases by helping with research, preparing trial binders, and organizing case files.

·         Assist the organization administratively by sorting and uploading mail into our database, scanning documents into our database, answering phones and other tasks as necessary.

Qualifications and Skills:  The ideal candidate will be personable, enthusiastic, and flexible; able to work independently, computer savvy, a quick learner who easily adapts to changing priorities. Candidates should be able to interact with a diverse population and flexible to varied daily work assignments. Preferred candidates will have a demonstrable interest in public service.

Internship Details: 32 hours/week (minimum). 3-4 month minimum commitment preferred. Preferred Start date: mid-January 2014.

Compensation: This position is unpaid.

How to Apply: Please e-mail a cover letter and resume to Gabriella Lewis-White, Clinical Legal Fellow, at glewis-white@dclawstudents.org.  Please include "Civil Legal Intern" in the subject line.