Posted May 21, 2009
Conwell Community Corps helps Temple Law grads find jobs, serve Philadelphians
|
For 2009 law school graduates hoping to start careers in public interest law, the recession's cascading effects have been doubly chilling. Fund-starved agencies have been cutting jobs and programs, making an already competitive job market even tougher. Even worse, the contraction of the economy has pushed more of the clients served by non profits closer to the edge of disaster. At Temple's Beasley School of Law, a new program is helping on both fronts. The Conwell Community Corps (CCC) provides 10 recent Temple Law graduates with full-time, paid, six-month legal positions at Philadelphia area public interest agencies addressing a wide range of urgent community needs, from home foreclosures and civil liberties to education and immigration. "We want to give back to our community in the spirit of Russell Conwell, the university's founder," said Maureen Olives, director of Temple Law's Public Interest Programs. "We have a lot of need in the Philadelphia area, we have an incredible public interest community and we have graduates who need to develop real-world experience and contacts. This was a perfect opportunity." Launched late last year, the first cohort of CCC Service Fellows from the Temple Law class of 2008 is currently working at the program's participating employers: the American Civil Liberties Union, Community Legal Services, the Education Law Center, HIAS and Council Migration Service of Philadelphia, the Homeless Advocacy Project, the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project, Philadelphia VIP, the Support Center for Child Advocates and the Women's Law Project. |
More job help for Law grads Although administrators urge Temple Law graduates to make studying for bar exams the top post-commencement priority, they acknowledge that job anxiety may be a distraction. In addition to the Conwell Community Corps, Temple Law has many programs to help grads find jobs and networking opportunities, including some that are new for 2009. Here's a selection of the new tools: Solo practice seminar. The Philadelphia Bar Association and Temple Law will present a free seminar in September for law school grads interested in starting their own practices. Criminal court appointments. For grads interested in taking criminal cases by court appointment in the Philadelphia Municipal Court and Court of Common Pleas, Temple Law has made arrangements for training sessions conducted by the Defender’s Association of Philadelphia in September, as well as mentoring by Temple faculty members. LL.M. degrees. Temple Law offers LL.M. degrees in Taxation, Transnational Law and Trial Advocacy, as well as a general LL.M. that can be individually designed. Scholarships will be available for unemployed 2009 graduates. Philadelphia Bar Association memberships. Temple Law has offered to pay for Philadelphia Bar Association memberships for unemployed 2009 grads. Participating in meetings and volunteering for projects is a great way to network. |
|
"It has been a really positive experience," said David Lapp J.D. '08, who has been working on education law reform efforts for the Education Law Center. Lapp conducted research on how other states fund special education, spoke with legislators in Harrisburg and even testified to the Pennsylvania House Education Committee. "I've met lots of wonderful people and have had the opportunity to network," he said. "I'm grateful to the attorneys at the Education Law Center and to Temple Law for offering this program." The gratitude is shared by the agencies that have hired CCC Service Fellows. Philadelphia VIP, a non profit that provides free civil legal services to low-income Philadelphians through pro bono referrals, was swamped with hundreds of mortgage foreclosure cases when Service Fellow Colin Weidig J.D. '08 joined the staff. "People were facing the loss of their most important asset," said VIP Managing Attorney Stefanie Fleischer Seldin. "Colin and the Conwell Community Corps saved lives by saving homes. And he saved our agency too, because we were completely overwhelmed and understaffed. It was like manna from heaven." Temple Law's programs in public interest law are universally recognized as among the nation's best. The fall 2008 issue of National Jurist places Temple Law 17th on a list of the top 75 public interest law programs in the country. "The Conwell Community Corps and our other superb public interest law programs reflect our recognition that we are a partner with our community, and not just a presence in our community," said Temple Law Dean JoAnne A. Epps. "It also reflects our desire to instill in our grads a recognition that public service is a noble cause." The application process for the second group of CCC Service Fellows will begin in October 2009, with jobs starting in January 2010. |
|