USF Public Interest Law Foundation

PILF Grantee of the Week July 14 - July 21: Anna Manuel Anna will be working for the UC Berkeley School of Law Human Rights Center, working specifically with its Atrocity Response Program. As a summer legal fellow, Anna will conduct legal research for the program's multi-country study on victim participation at the International Criminal Court (ICC). The study is the first of its kind and promises to shed light on the experiences of victims who agree to participate in trials at the ICC. It will help shape victim participation programs and inform ICC reform processes. #USFLAW

We will be holding our first general meeting today at 12:30pm in KN 101 and Thursday at 5:30pm in KN 101. Food will be provided. Hope to see you there!

PILF with be hosting a Student Auction at SBA's Fall BBQ this Friday. Items will include: Student/Faculty services, Bar Prep Courses, and much more. The Auction will take place in the Student Lounge from 12-5pm so please stop by and bid on items that will help fund PILF Summer Grants.

PILF Grantee of the Week Sept. 2 - Sept. 9: Alyse Pacheco Here's what she had to say about her summer internship: "This summer I have the opportunity to work as a volunteer legal assistant for the Alameda County Public Defenders Office, which provides legal services in criminal defense, primarily to indigent clients. The mission of the office is to zealously protect and defend the rights of clients through compassionate and inspired legal representation of the highest quali...ty, in pursuit of a fair and unbiased system of justice for all. This mission aligns with my desire to dedicate my career to fighting against the injustices of our legal system in hopes of promoting change. In addition to the traditional research and writing experience, Alameda County Public Defenders Office, presents law students the opportunity to gain practical hands on experience by assisting Public Defenders in court and litigate at least one motion in court, under the supervision of a senior Public Defender attorney. Also, being proficient in Spanish, I have been told I will likely have the opportunity to foster better communication between attorneys and monolingual Spanish speaking clients, especially in cases that intersect with immigration law. I believe these experiences will be an invaluable step in my career development and I am very much looking forward to beginning my work there this summer." #USFLAW

PILF Grantee of the week Aug. 25 - Sept. 1: Christine MacDonald Here's what she had to say about her internship this summer: "National Center for Youth Law is a private, non-profit law office whose purpose is to use legal advocacy to protect children from the harms caused by poverty and to improve the lives of low-income children and families. For over 40 years, NCYL has represented children and adolescents through impact litigation; legislative and administrative advocacy at... the national and state levels; and by providing training, technical assistance, and support to child advocates, social services providers, health care providers, and other professionals who work for children and youth. NYCL works to promote children's rights through four main areas: child welfare, economic security, health/mental health, and juvenile justice. I will be working in the area of child welfare. NCYL's goal is to ensure the safety, stability, and well-being of abused and neglected children. NCYL works to reform state foster care systems, promote policies and laws that protect children in foster care, and improve the effectiveness of child advocacy efforts nationwide." #USFLAW

PILF Grantee of the week Aug. 18 - Aug. 23: Ashley Oddo Here's what she had to say about her internship this summer: "This summer I will be working at the Los Angeles Public Defender’s Office. My summer will be split into five-week sessions in two different offices. I have not received my placements yet; however I listed by top five as follows: (1) Pasadena Juvenile, (2) Eastlake Juvenile, (3) SB9 Unit, (4) Pasadena Branch, and (5) Mental Health. I am hoping to gain some... experience and insight into juvenile delinquency this summer. The SB9 unit is also an interesting placement because it was formed after the recent enactment of Senate Bill 9. The bill focuses on juveniles who have been sentenced to life in prison and affords them the opportunity of having a resenting hearing after they have served fifteen years in prison. No matter which two units I get placed in, I am excited about spending another summer interning at a Public Defender’s Office. I am honored and thankful to have the opportunity to represent the Public Interest Law Foundation during my summer in Los Angeles, California." #USFLAW

PILF Grantee of the Week Aug. 11 - Aug. 18: Tiffany Lam Here's what she had to say about her internship: "This summer I will be working for Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment (CAREs) in Livermore. Tri-Valley CAREs monitors the U.S. nuclear weapons development policy and the environmental clean-up activities throughout the U.S. In addition, Tri-Valley CAREs has a special emphasis on the Livermore Lab because of its proximity to the Bay Area. The work that... I will be doing for Tri-Valley CAREs will be to help promote its mission of peace, justice and a healthy environment regarding nuclear technology. Some of my work will consist of conducting research and writing regarding the Livermore Lab and the California Environmental Quality Act. I will also be preparing a presentation regarding the Superfund cleanup decision at Livermore Lab and presenting those decisions to community members in Livermore." #USFLAW

PILF Grantee of the Week August 4 - August 11: Brittany Benavides Here's what she had to say about her public interest internship: "Asylum Access is an innovative international nonprofit dedicated to making refugee rights a reality. Asylum Access empowers refugees in Africa, Asia and Latin America to live safely, work, send children to school and rebuild their lives. I will be working as a legal policy intern, focusing on supporting the global policy advocacy and strategic li...tigation team on issues concerning refugee labor and employment rights, as well as the role of litigation in the refugee legal aid movement." #USFLAW

PILf Grantee of the Week July 28 - August 4: Willie Mincey Here's what he had to say about his public interest internship: "My name is Willie Mincey and for the summer of 2014, I will be working with the Alameda Public Defender's Officer as a Certified Research Assistant. During my summer I will have the opportunity to draft legal motions as well as present those motions in court proceedings. I will also have the opportunity to meet with my clients, so I can learn about their... background, enabling me to help provide them with the best representation possible." #USFLAW

PILF Grantee of the Week July 21 - July 28: Lizette Perez Here's what she had to say about her public interest internship: "This summer, I’m interning at CARECEN (Central American Resource Center), in Los Angeles. CARECEN, as an organization, promotes social justice initiatives such as education reform, immigration reform, and youth programs. It also provides low-cost direct immigration services to the immigrant community in Los Angeles. As a legal intern, I will be working ...with undocumented clients, that were victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes, in obtaining immigration relief via a U-Visa or a Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petition. I’m very much looking forward to helping people adjust their immigration status because of the life altering effects that come with removing the barrier to basic rights like education, employment, health care and migration/relocation, that a lack of immigration status often represents." #USFLAW

PILF Grantee of the Week July 14 - July 21: Amelia Anderson Here's what she had to say about her public interest internship: "This summer I am working at Legal Services for Children (LSC). LSC is an incredible organization that represents youth in dependency, guardianship, immigration, and education proceedings. Their staff includes both attorneys and social workers, this helps to ensure that clients receive holistic assistance. Although I mainly focus on dependency and immi...gration cases, I get exposure to all areas of their practice by preforming bilingual in-take over their "warm line" every week. I primarily work with immigrant and citizen children who have suffered abuse, abandonment, or neglect. This work includes: conducting intake interviews, preparing immigration applications, preforming legal research, drafting declarations and pleadings, and attending court. Working with LSC has been an amazing experience thus far and I am grateful to PILF for helping to make this possible!" #usflaw

PILF Grantee of the Week July 7-July 14: Rahul Balaram Here's what he had to say about his public interest internship: "This summer I am working as a Certified Law Clerk with the Alameda Public Defender. In assisting the attorneys of the office in the defense of indigent clients, I am able to argue motions, conduct client intake interviews, both in office and in custody, and work in the misdemeanor calendar department to ensure that indigent clients are properly represented t...o the extent of the law. The experience I am gaining is invaluable to my career path, from speaking and working with passionate attorneys to being able to appear on behalf of clients, and I am excited and proud to be involved in public interest law." #usflaw