SW’s campus will expand to include the building to the west of Bullocks Wilshire. Photo Credit: Liz Reinhardt

By Stephanie Herrick, 2L

Southwestern Law School prides itself on being an excellent Public Interest Law school. Public Interest can include working in areas of the law such as immigrant rights, children’s law, homelessness prevention, housing, consumer rights, disability rights, and any number of social justice issues that lawyers can be a part of litigating and creating policy for to advance the rights of individuals.

“There are several reasons why students should consider working for a public interest law organization,” Prof. Ronald Aranovsky, Chair of the Public Interest Law Committee, said. “Above all, the work is important. Large segments of our community need legal services to deal with important problems in their lives but cannot afford an attorney. Students who work in public interest firms help meet this need.”

Students should get involved in public interest legal work because it will benefit them as people as well as lawyers. “Working for a public interest firm can provide excellent training opportunities, including client interviewing and legal writing and research skills development as well as the chance to work closely with and learn from experienced lawyers,” Prof. Aranovsky said. Anyone who takes the time to give back to the community and help others should feel good about their work and know it was time well spent.

In addition, Southwestern has sought to further its commitment to public interest law by creating the Public Service Program. This program rewards students for the volunteer hours they give during their law school career.

Students can get credit for PSP hours either through on campus or off campus volunteer opportunities. A full list is available on the PSP TWEN site. Below are some of the opportunities students can get involved with right here on campus.

General Relief Advocacy Project (GRAP)

GRAP is a program that was developed by Public Counsel’s Homelessness Prevention Law Project. A Public Counsel attorney supervises the law school program but it is run by the students. Volunteers for GRAP advocate on behalf of pubic benefits recipients at the local Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services offices. The program includes a training that covers information about the reality of homelessness in Los Angeles County, the legal basis for GRAP, and what volunteers need to know when they advocate for clients in the field. Outings to the DPSS offices are then arranged on Friday afternoons once a month throughout the school year. Students ask clients about their needs and provide them with assistance. This assistance usually includes advocating for a client’s rights regarding receiving public benefits, helping clients through the process of applying for benefits, or giving legal referrals or other information, such as where to find homeless shelters and medical care. Students learn client counseling and negotiation skills when advocating on behalf of clients, and are given an opportunity to see what they can do using the legal knowledge and advocating skills they have acquired.

Sign up sheets for GRAP trainings and outings are available on the GRAP TWEN page.

Teen Court

Teen Court is a juvenile diversion and prevention program with the intent to reduce recidivism and encourage first time juvenile offenders to accept responsibility for their actions and to stay out of the juvenile court system. The hope for the program is that a juvenile offender will not continue their criminal behavior after participating in a judicial process in which a jury of their peers, which are other teenagers, decide the verdict and recommend disposition orders. Law students who participate visit local high schools to observe Teen Court trials and assist with jury instructions and jury deliberation. Students who participate in Teen Court have the opportunity to learn more about the juvenile delinquency system while making a difference in the community.

The trials are on Wednesdays or Thursdays from 3pm to about 5:30pm. Sign up sheets are available on the Teen Court TWEN page.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)

VITA is an IRS program that is run at Southwestern by the Tax Law Society. The purpose of VITA is to offer free income tax preparation to low income and elderly tax payers. Volunteer preparers will work on campus Saturday afternoons, February 6 through April 10, 2010. All preparers must pass a basic certification test through the IRS website. This experience gives students the opportunity to learn how to do their own taxes and those of their friends and family, as well as gives them practical professional skills that will be very useful upon graduation. Students who participate not only learn a great deal, but also help others in need.
For more information on training and participation, students should sign up for the Tax Law Society TWEN page.