We work with guests who live safely or are homeless as part of a weekly meal program run by the University City Hospitality Coalition (UCHC). In addition, WILA partners with the Homeless Advocacy Project, an organization that provides legal services directly to people affected by homelessness where they live and eat. Survey and reception, client counselling, access to government and social services, community involvement, legal analysis. We work with leading immigration organizations in the Philadelphia area and beyond, including HIAS, Nationalities Service Center, and Innovation Law Lab, to help clients navigate immigration procedures. Depending on the needs of the partner and the project, PLIRP members may meet with a client several times during the semester to gather information and complete a visa application, spend a few hours in a clinical setting to make a presentation on their rights, or research country conditions on behalf of a refugee claimant. Penn Carey Law`s Civil Practice Clinic puts students in charge of questionable civil lawsuits. Community Legal Services of Philadelphia provides affordable legal advice to help low-income Philadelphia residents gain equal access to justice and legal representation. This organization also advocates for tenants` legal rights and conducts community education activities on legal issues that may affect local tenants. The CRC is looking for interested staff and volunteers. To be added to our mailing list, please email Paul Sindberg (sindberg@pennlaw.upenn.edu). Penn Carey`s law students are highly engaged in a variety of activities outside the classroom. With over 100 student organizations and magazines, you have many opportunities to connect with the community and other classmates.
Student organizations host 200+ events a year – from conference planning to volunteering with one of the many public benefit organizations – and foster a vibrant and engaging atmosphere. Penn Carey`s law students are passionate campus and community leaders while enjoying the social and recreational opportunities the university and city have to offer. Community engagement, working with vulnerable clients, legal analysis, legal research, legal writing, collaboration, policy advocacy and public speaking. Our students provide a wide range of pro bono legal assistance, but only under the supervision of lawyers from public interest legal organizations. These lawyers have expertise in many areas of law and may be able to offer their services for free or at low cost. Students interested in participating in the ACCCAC clinic should contact this year`s Recruitment Chairs, Anya Chen (anyachen@pennlaw.upenn.edu) and Emily Cooley (cooleye@pennlaw.upenn.edu), if they have any questions in the fall semester. CASACC is a year-round commitment and we are not accepting candidates in the spring semester. For prison legal education: Volunteers work with people incarcerated at the facility during each lesson, as well as several other Pennsylvania law students. The course is collaborative and student-focused: volunteers work with student partners to examine important aspects of legal research and writing and discuss relevant legal issues. Transportation for the trip is funded. In addition, students attend a face-to-face seminar twice a week that uses readings, films, exercises, and video simulations with real actors to explore lawyer theory, which is designed to strengthen students` overall advocacy skills.
Short story writing, legal research and writing, collaboration with community partners around the world, and impact litigation strategy. The Youth Advocacy Project (YAP) brings together law and social work students to support youth accused of adults in the Philadelphia area. Under the supervision of the Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project, YAP Fellows produce comprehensive, strengths-based reports to minimize each youth`s exposure to the prison system. We place our work in the broader movement for a more humane approach to responding to harm in the community. We connect law-trained law students with lawyers from partner firms or organizations such as Philadelphia VIP and Community Legal Services. Students and lawyers work together to represent low-income clients in housing disputes with landlords. Our projects include or include connecting Penn law students with local attorneys to prevent evictions, affirmative representation of tenants by tenants suing their landlords in Fair Housing Court for lack of repairs, helping tenants resolve issues over the phone using our Community Legal Services Tenant Helpline, and supporting the research for organizations such as the Philadelphia Rent Control Coalition. This year, we will also develop and present workshops on your rights for tenants at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Interested students can apply at the beginning of the fall semester. To ask questions or receive an application form, please email EAP Chief Counsel Kristen Marino (krmarino@pennlaw.upenn.edu) and Will Tunney (wtunney@pennlaw.upenn.edu). Full client representation is limited to 2L and 3L, but first-year students can apply to become 1L representatives and gain early insight into the unemployment benefit system while supporting 2L and 3L.