| Position Description: |
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The Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts (CLCM) is a private, not-for-profit legal advocacy program that offers a range of legal assistance to low-income and disabled children and youth of the Commonwealth with an emphasis on northeast Massachusetts. Education is one of the agency’s priorities, and to that end CLCM attorneys represent children, from age 3 to 22 years old, in various education-based disputes. Agency staff also engages in system reform and other policy-based endeavors in an effort to improve academic success and enhance opportunities for disadvantaged children and students with disabilities, particularly those from communities of color.
CLCM seeks a full-time education staff attorney/Bart Gordon fellow to lead a new education advocacy initiative assisting low-income children in Lawrence, MA. The position is for 1-2 years beginning in September, 2017. The attorney will provide individual legal representation for Lawrence area students before local schools and school boards, administrative agencies, and the courts. Legal advocacy will include representation of clients in regular and special education matters, including helping disabled students access appropriate services; representing students in school exclusion and other discipline matters; engaging in homelessness advocacy; and, assisting ELL students as needed. The attorney also will engage in various non-case related activities including community outreach, training parents and service providers on education related issues, and systems reform work designed to enhance the effect of our agency’s direct service efforts. The advocacy will require collaborations with staff of numerous youth-serving programs in the northeast region. |
| Minimum Qualifications and Skills: |
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Qualifications: Spanish language proficiency or fluency is required. Applicants also should possess a demonstrated commitment to public interest law and/or a passion for advocating on behalf of low-income children and/or students with disabilities. Knowledge of special education and school discipline law is preferred. Please note, only recent law school graduates or attorneys with 0-2 years experience will be considered. |
| Application Deadline |
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09/01/2017 |
| Application Requirements |
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- Resume
- Other (Writing Sample & Cover Letter)
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| Other |
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References |
| Who should be contacted for further information on this opportunity? |
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Jay McManus |
| Email |
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j.mcmanus@clcm.org |
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| Website |
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http://www.clcm.org |
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