Save the Date! 17th Annual Public Interest Auction

Friday, March 11, 2011 at 6:30pm

University of Baltimore Thumel Business Center, Baltimore, MD

Join the University of Baltimore School of Law and University of Baltimore Students for Public Interest Law (UBSPI) for the 17th Annual UBSPI auction! Enjoy live and silent auctions, tasty hors d'oeuvres, a beer and wine bar, and the opportunity to connect with fellow students and alumni, all while raising money for a good cause: summer fellowships at public interest organizations for UB Law students.

UB Students: $20 in advance $25 at the door 
Alumni/Friends: $25 in advance $30 at the door

(ticket sale information will be available soon)

We have begun soliciting local businesses and alumni to contribute to this year's auction.  If you are interested in helping us plan for this great event, please e-mail ubspi@ubalt.edu. 

Register for the 2011 Washington, DC / Baltimore Public Service Career Fair

Washington, DC / Baltimore Public Service Career Fair
George Mason University School of Law (Arlington, VA)
January 28, 2011

Click here to register!

The 2011 Washington, D.C./Baltimore Public Service Career Fair will be held at George Mason University School of Law. This growing event will feature individual interviews as well as table talk opportunities with students from six area law schools. Last year’s fair brought more than 75 employers and 400+ students together to meet and discuss public interest and government opportunities in the Washington, D.C. area. This event is limited to current law students from the participating schools, including the University of Baltimore School of Law.

My Public Interest Summer, Part 5

This past summer, UBSPI - in conjunction with MLSC and the University of Baltimore School of Law - funded 11 UB law students to work in public interest organizations throughout Maryland.  Their stories and experiences will be highlighted on Out in the Streets throughout the year.  For more information about our summer public interest grants, click here. 

This summer I interned at the Public Justice Center in the Tenants in Foreclosure project.  On a daily basis I would perform intakes on tenants whose landlords were facing foreclosure and inform them of the current federal and state law that protects tenants in foreclosure.  During the week I would meet with tenants to assist them in filing court documents and I would also draft motions for tenants who needed legal representation.   Some other exciting things that I did during my summer internship was assist tenants at evening workshops, help organize a Housing Summit for the top housing advocates in Maryland, and develop a direct mailing campaign to target tenants in foreclosure in Baltimore City and Prince Georges County.

The most rewarding experience for me this summer was to be able to calm the fears of tenants who believed that they were going to be evicted from their homes.  But the most important thing that I learned from my summer internship, after witnessing rent court and seeing the misleading notices that tenants receive, is that tenant advocacy is a much needed cause in Baltimore City.

--- Kathryn Silvestri, University of Baltimore School of Law

My Public Interest Summer, Part 4

This past summer, UBSPI - in conjunction with MLSC and the University of Baltimore School of Law - funded 11 UB law students to work in public interest organizations throughout Maryland.  Their stories and experiences will be highlighted on Out in the Streets throughout the year.  For more information about our summer public interest grants, click here.  

I had the fortunate experience of working with the Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center (MCVRC). For those unaware, the MCVRC is a non-profit legal service provider that aides victims of crime throughout the criminal justice system in Maryland.  The MCVRC not only aids victims in the courtroom, but also stands as an important resource for both victims and the community in general. Their services range from court accompaniment and representation to education, outreach, and mental health counseling.

My experiences were both challenging and fulfilling. My first assignment was to research, edit, and comment on a draft of agency regulations for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (CICB) - nearly all of which were adopted into the final draft. From there, I aided attorneys by researching for cases, editing legal documents, and investigating defendants' assets.  I also drafted and filled subpoenas and helped to institute 24 hour access for crime victims through an online intake interview that produces a document allowing victims of crime to assert their rights pro se in federal court all across US states and territories. My internship at MCVRC was far beyond simply filing papers - it provided me with real legal experience while I worked to make a difference.

In addition to my experiences, I should mention that the people with whom I worked were a true pleasure. From the legal team of competent and knowledgeable attorneys to the tireless and dedicated victim advocates, each provided me a sense of professionalism I had not experienced before. I learned a great deal from my co-workers and I personally recommend that any future public interest grantee should seek an opportunity to work with the employees at the MCVRC.

--- John Ozkirbas, University of Baltimore School of Law 

Apply for the University of Baltimore School of Law Public Interest Fellowship

Legal Aid's Chief Counsel, Shawn Boehringer, and Christina Sawyer, Esq, Baltimore City Domestic Law Unit Present:
 
Brown Bag Public Interest Fellowship Info Session
Wednesday, November 17th
12pm- 1pm, LC-207

 
The Public Interest Fellowship provides second year day and third year evening students a full-time, paid summer experience designed to lead to an offer of post-graduate employment.
The program gives students a $4000 stipend to intern for the summer and a forgivable loan for their full third year tuition and fees.
 
In exchange, the students commit to working for the placement (or other 501(c)(3) organization) upon graduation for a minimum of three years. Maryland Legal Aid Bureau and the Office of the Public Defender have partnered with UB to make this program possible. 
 
Interested?  Come to our meeting on Wednesday!
 
Applications for this fellowship due January 14, 2011 and will be available at the meeting.  You can also email ubspi@ubalt.edu to request an application. 

My Public Interest Summer, Part 3

This past summer, UBSPI - in conjunction with MLSC and the University of Baltimore School of Law - funded 11 UB law students to work in public interest organizations throughout Maryland.  Their stories and experiences will be highlighted on Out in the Streets throughout the year.  For more information about our summer public interest grants, click here. 

The Office of the Public Defender Juvenile Division in Baltimore City represents a wide range of clients and handles a massive caseload every year. I became interested in the Office of the Public Defender after spending two years working with youth on the Westside of Baltimore City and in Anne Arundel County. Following graduation from college I wanted to give back to my home town of Baltimore and serve youth who were wrapped up in the juvenile justice system. During that experience I encountered public defenders who were standing up for our clients and fighting for their freedom in the community and protecting their Constitutional rights. I knew that my talents were leading me to law school and from working with Baltimore City youth I was inspired to strive to be a public defender so that someday I too could stand up for those who were in need and protect their freedoms and rights.

During my summer in the Office of the Public Defender, I learned how trial attorneys prepare for cases on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The constant challenge of a continuous flow of clients, cases, and issues was exciting and I jumped into the swing of things immediately. I quickly became the “exception man.”  In Juvenile Court a Master is appointed to assist the Circuit Court Judges with the caseload. The Master’s decisions are not final and when a youth disagrees with the Master’s recommendation an exception is taken. I was assigned to write memos in support of clients’ exceptions. These issues included the proper method for video evidence authentication, issues of Double Jeopardy and Collateral Estoppel, and other mistakes of law that were prejudicial to the client. Many of the issues I had not taken classes on just yet – but I used what I learned and did careful and efficient research to educate myself and the attorneys on the issues.

In addition to daily trial preparation work our office took several trips out to the Department of Juvenile Services out-of-home placements. We went to places like Hickey School and Waxters. Some were secured by barbed wires and others were group homes to help youth with physiological issues and drug addiction. Those experiences were heartbreaking, disappointing, and hopeful. Heartbreaking because we visited youth who lost the right to be with their families in the community because of their behavior – the loss of liberty is no small punishment for any negative behavior. Disappointing because at facilities like Hickey where there was enormous potential to use buildings and the property itself in new and creative programs to help the youth of Maryland, many impressive spaces lay in waste waiting to be reclaimed or demolished. Hopeful because some of the youth showed a real and genuine interest in changing their lives for the better. I walked away for the Office of the Public Defender with a sense that I helped fight for Constitutional values. I helped keep families together. I helped keep in check a system of juvenile justice that is broken in many ways. But I know that there is more to be done and that once I finish school and pass the bar (as if that were as easy as it sounds) I could return and fight the good fight.

--- Gary Stapleton, University of Baltimore School of Law  

UBSPI Wine and Cheese Reception - Thursday, November 11

Please join us next Thursday, November 11 from 6-8 pm in the UB Law Moot Court Room for our Public Interest Wine and Cheese panel and reception.  This is our marquee networking event of the semester and is a great opportunity to meet working practitioners in the field of public interest law.  A panel will run from 6-6:30, followed by a reception in the lobby until 8.  Soda, beer, wine, and hors d'oeuvres will be served.  

Attorneys from the following offices and organizations will be in attendance to discuss with you career advice and options:

* Baltimore City Department of Social Services (Legal Services Division)
* Homeless Persons Representation Project, Inc. 
* Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
* House of Ruth
* Public Justice Center
* Mid-Shore Pro Bono, Inc.
* Office of the Public Defender
* Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education
* Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention
* Office of the Maryland Attorney General
* Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services
* Mecca's Place, Inc. 
* Maryland Legal Aid Bureau 
* United States Attorney's Office
* UB Law Clinics 

RSVP on our Facebook page (optional).  We hope to see you next Thursday for this great event!

Co-sponsored by SBA and PAD.   

Volunteer for Legal Aid's Pro Bono Day on October 30

As part of the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Week (October 24-30), the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau will host a Pro Bono Day clinic on Saturday, October 30 at its Baltimore City office from 10am to 2pm.  The organizers are looking for law students to volunteer and help with logistical support throughout the day.  The last two Pro Bono Days, held in October 2009 and May 2010, each served well over 100 people with more than 140 legal issues. 

If you are interested in volunteering, email Brett Schwartz at brett.schwartz@ubalt.edu by October 25 at noon.  The Legal Aid Bureau is located at 500 East Lexington Street in Baltimore. 

Legal services organizations statewide continue to see marked increases in the number of individuals and families coming forward to request legal assistance in all areas of the law.  This past summer, for example, close to 2,000 people walked through Legal Aid’s Baltimore City doors seeking legal assistance.  Now more than ever, the demand for services far outweighs the resources available.

UBSPI Co-Sponsoring Fundraiser Thursday (10/14)

Come out this Thursday, October 14 from 8-11pm at the Ropewalk Tavern in Federal Hill for a fundraiser in support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  The cost to attend is $4 if you are wearing pink or $7 otherwise.  All proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  Entry fee includes drink specials and food.

This event is sponsored by PDP and co-sponsored by UBSPI, SALSA, CLA, ILS, and the Moot Court Board.

My Public Interest Summer, Part 2

This past summer, UBSPI - in conjunction with MLSC and the University of Baltimore School of Law - funded 11 UB law students to work in public interest organizations throughout Maryland.  Their stories and experiences will be highlighted on Out in the Streets throughout the year.  For more information about our summer public interest grants, click here.

This summer I had the great opportunity to work for Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County (CLS).  CLS has three legal clinics and a pro bono and reduced fee referral program.  Its self-representation legal clinic is located at the Prince George’s County courthouse in Upper Marlboro, MD.  CLS also has a worker’s rights clinic and a Latino outreach family law clinic in Hyattsville, MD. 

I first wanted to work with CLS because I would be able to help my neighbors in my own county while using my Spanish language abilities in a legal context.  My main responsibilities were opening the Latino outreach clinic, conducting intake with clients, and researching legal issues as assigned by the attorneys at CLS.  I have gone from being very self-conscious in Spanish to being able to listen, understand, and help people with complex family and landlord-tenant issues using only Spanish. 

As I reflect back on my work, I am happy to have helped many of my neighbors seeking legal representation.  My desire to do public interest work has been piqued and I intend to continue working in the public interest field, both in English and Spanish.  I am very grateful to both CLS and UBSPI in helping me this summer.  Muchísimas Gracias!

--- Catrina Aquilino, University of Baltimore School of Law

Register for the 2010 Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair

Equal Justice Works is holding its 2010 Conference and Career Fair in Washington, DC from October 22-23.  The event, which will be held at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, will feature more than 130 public interest employers, practitioners, and leaders.  Though the period to apply for on-site interviews is over, there will still be a table talk fair where you can learn more about public interest organizations and employers and discuss possible internship and career opportunities.  

For more information about this great networking event, visit the conference site here. 

My Public Interest Summer, Part 1

This past summer, UBSPI - in conjunction with MLSC and the University of Baltimore School of Law - funded 11 UB law students to work in public interest organizations throughout Maryland.  Their stories and experiences will be highlighted on Out in the Streets throughout the year.  For more information about our summer public interest grants, click here.

This summer, I was lucky enough to work as a full-time law clerk in the Baltimore City Public Defender’s office, Felony Division.  I thought I knew what to expect, but wow! has it been eye-opening.  I have had such a wide range of experiences over my 3 months here.  I have done everything from the mundane law clerk tasks of copying and filing, legal research and a little bit of writing, to the much more intriguing trips to jail and investigation of crime scenes.  I was even able to help try a case by sitting at trial table with my attorney, passing questions I thought might be important, and answering our client’s questions as they arose.  I learned quite a bit from all of these experiences.

But for me, the best and most rewarding part of my summer spent here is exactly what drew me to this work to begin with.  It’s the feeling of helping people who you know truly need your help.  There are plenty of people who want to put criminals in jail, but not enough who want to help them attempt to preserve their rights, and navigate a very complicated system.  It is clear from the first time that you meet a client that they really need your help.  And it is an awesome feeling to know that the work you are doing helps them.  The biggest thing I have learned is that not all client’s goals are the same.  They all have different things in mind, and different outcomes that they want.  It’s very cool to try to help them get there.

I started working on a case when I got here that my supervising attorney had been working on for quite some time.  Our client is in jail, and has been there, awaiting trial, for over a year.  I don’t know if he committed the crime or not, but there are some serious issues in the case.  I remember after doing a good amount of work on this case finally going to jail to meet him for the first time.  I remember telling him about the issues we have found, the research I had done, and the strengths and weaknesses of our potential case.  I remember answering his questions as best I could.  When we were done, he told me he loved me, he thanked me for the work I was doing on his behalf, and then as I got up to leave, I put out my hand to shake his, and instead, he pulled me in for a pretty strong hug.  It was unexpected, but also welcome.  It was a very powerful experience for me, as has been my entire summer here at the Public Defender’s office.

---Matt Rogers, University of Baltimore School of Law

First General Meeting and Happy Hour Thursday (9/16)

Please join us this Thursday for our first general meeting of the semester.  Learn more about UBSPI, the events and activities that are planned for the year, and how you can get more involved in the work that we do:
 

Thursday, September 16

12pm or 5pm in the Business Center, Room 129

Following our 5pm meeting, we will head over to the Owl Bar for happy hour from 5:30-7:30.  The Owl Bar is located in the Belvedere at 1 East Chase Street.  See you on Thursday!

Summer Grant Opportunities

Let's be honest.  Public interest jobs are often some of the lowest paying in the legal profession.  The long hours, high stress, and lack of resources are often not compensated with high pay. UBSPI, understanding the financial challenges that students interested in public interest law face, provides funding to UB law students to intern during the summer at public interest organizations that otherwise could not afford to compensate them for their work.    

This past summer, UBSPI funded law 11 students to work at public interest organizations in Baltimore City and throughout Maryland.  Financial support for these grants comes from UBSPI's Annual Goods and Service Auction held each February, generous matching donations from the University of Baltimore School of Law, and grants from the Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC).

Throughout the year, Out in the Streets will feature the stories and experiences of the student grantees who interned in places such as the Public Defender's Office, the Homeless Person's Representation Project, and the House of Ruth Domestic Violence Legal Service Clinic.

Are you interested in becoming a public interest grantee next summer?  Stay tuned to the blog and look out for annoucements at school for UBSPI Summer Grant Information Sessions.  Grant applications will be made available in February 2011.  For more information, please contact us at ubspi@ubalt.edu.

*UPDATE* Click here to download the 2011 application, due March 25, 2011.  (You must be a member of the UBSPI TWEN page).  

Become a Fan on Facebook Today!

Visit UBSPI's Facebook page today and become a fan!  Find out about upcoming UBSPI events and volunteer activities and connect with other UB Law students dedicated to the field of public interest.  Click here to visit our Facebook page.  

A Message from the Dean

Dean Phillip Closius recently sent this message to UBSPI about the importance of public interest law in today's society and the need to support young lawyers in this field:

"Lawyers who work in the public interest frequently sacrifice personal income in order to benefit the greater good.   I believe that we could not think of ourselves as any kind of a just society without the dedication and self-sacrifice of public interest lawyers.   Given the many economic and cultural issues which confront modern America, the need for such attorneys is at an all time high.   At the University of Baltimore School of Law, our definition of law as a profession includes an obligation to support lawyers who work in the public interest.   We evidence this commitment by encouraging students with an inclination to practice in that area to do so and by exhorting those who do not to assist public interest lawyers financially.  Our duty to support public interest law has never been greater."  

Welcome!

Welcome to Out in the Streets, the official blog of the University of Baltimore Students for Public Interest Law (UBSPI). Recognizing the need for providing legal services to the underrepresented, UBSPI was founded in 1994 with the mission of encouraging UB law students to pursue careers in the field of public interest law by providing educational, networking, volunteer, and grant opportunities.  Over a decade later, that tradition of public service still continues.


The purpose of this blog is to keep students informed of public interest events and opportunities both at the law school and in the Baltimore community.  In addition to the Annual Goods and Services Auction held every year to fund summer internships, UBSPI plans on hosting a variety of events to bring together students and practitioners working in the field of public interest law.


Check back in the coming days and weeks for more information about UBSPI's events and activities.  The year ahead promises to be full of great opportunities to become involved.  If you have any questions or comments, we are always available at ubspi@ubalt.edu.


Welcome aboard!