2020 FELLOWSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
HOWARD C. WESTWOOD FELLOW
Opening Date: December 9, 2019
Closing Date: February 28, 2020 (extended)
Neighborhood Legal Services Program (NLSP) will have an opening for one Westwood Fellow, who will start in the fall of 2020. All third-year law students, as well as 2018 and 2019 graduates, from accredited law schools in the District of Columbia (American, Catholic, UDC-DCSL, George Washington, Georgetown, and Howard) and the University of Maryland’s School of Law are eligible to apply for this fellowship.
NLSP is a private, non-profit law firm that provides high quality civil legal services to low-income residents of the District of Columbia. NLSP has a long tradition of fighting for justice for the poor, combining direct representation with efforts to achieve broad-based change. Its three offices are located in the poorest sections of the District, to maximize its visibility, accessibility, and connections to the communities it serves.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF POSITION
The law firm of Covington & Burling LLP (“Covington”) funds annual fellowships for graduates of local law schools to work as NLSP staff attorneys. Established in 1991, the Westwood Fellowship Program was named in honor of Howard C. Westwood, a partner at Covington who helped found and preserve NLSP as well as other legal services programs nationally. The Westwood Fellowship provides a crucial source of funding and staff for NLSP and offers an opportunity for local law school graduates to dedicate their talents and energies to providing legal services to the poor.
This year’s fellow will practice in the areas of consumer law and public benefits. The Managing Attorney for the Economic Security Unit will supervise the fellow.
Each graduate awarded a Westwood Fellowship must commit to serve as an NLSP staff attorney for at least one year, with an option to apply for renewal for a second year. Covington provides funding through NLSP to cover salaries and other benefits, as described below. Renewal eligibility for the second year is conditional upon the fellow’s job performance, membership in a State Bar, and at least a pending application to the DC Bar.
The fellow will work from one of NLSP’s three neighborhood offices. NLSP’s Headquarters office is located at 64 New York Avenue NE, Suite 180, Washington, DC 20002. The Southeast Office is located at 2412 Minnesota Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20020. The Far Northeast/Deanwood Office is located at 4609 Polk Street NE, Washington, DC 20019.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide direct representation for clients in consumer law (e.g., student loan debt collection, fair credit reporting, excessive wage garnishments, etc.), barriers to employment, and public benefits cases.
- Represent clients in all stages of the litigation process, including interviewing clients, drafting complaints and motions, filing and responding to discovery, preparing for hearings and trials, and attending hearings and trials.
- Receive internal trainings about relevant substantive law, litigation, and NLSP’s approach of using the law to fight poverty.
- Attend external substantive law and litigation trainings.
- Contribute to NSLP’s sense of community by participating in committees and organizing periodic office events.
- Attend monthly staff meetings and regular practice area and supervision meetings.
PRIMARY SELECTION CRITERIA
- Commitment to serving low-income clients
- Passion for public interest law, particularly for civil legal services
- Strong academic performance, including excellent research and writing skills
- Clinical or other relevant experience working with low-income communities
- Exceptional communication skills (written and oral) and strong interpersonal skills
- Ability to work independently
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The salary for Westwood Fellows begins at $45,500 per year for law school graduates. Once a fellow is admitted to a bar, compensation increases to a level consistent with NLSP staff attorney salaries. Fellows receive all employment benefits available to NLSP staff attorneys including: employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance; employer-subsidized family health coverage; paid vacation, holidays, personal days, and sick leave; 8-week parental leave for birth or adoption of a child; employer-paid life and long-term disability insurance; and 403(b) Thrift Plan (voluntary retirement savings program). Additionally, the Fellowship will reimburse fellows for expenses incurred in taking the bar examination and a bar review course up to $2,000. Reimbursement is not retroactive and is not available to candidates who are already licensed in any jurisdiction. Recipients of the Westwood Fellowship are employees of NLSP, not Covington & Burling.
APPLICATION MATERIALS
- Cover letter explaining why you want to work at NLSP and why you are specifically interested in the Westwood Fellowship. The cover letter should be addressed to the “Fellowship Committee.”
- Recent law school transcript.
- Resume (Please indicate your proficiency in any languages other than English and your level of fluency).
- Three letters of recommendation from law school professors, judges, practicing lawyers or others in a position to comment on the applicant's qualifications for a position at NLSP.
- Relevant and substantive writing sample of original work product 5 pages in length.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please send, as a single pdf file, your application materials in an email with the subject line, “2020 Westwood Fellowship” by 5:00pm on Friday, February 28, 2020 to:
Bradford Voegeli, Director of Private Attorney Involvement, bvoegeli@nlsp.org with a copy to Karen Newton Cole, Executive Director, knewtoncole@nlsp.org
The deadline for this posting has been extended. Position open until filled. Candidates will be considered on a rolling basis after Feb. 4, 2020. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
NLSP IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Neighborhood Legal Services Program is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our staff. It is the policy of NLSP that no employee or applicant for employment or services will be discriminated against because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, family responsibilities or family status, veteran’s status, or any other basis prohibited by law, including the D.C. Human Rights Act and Language Access Act.
NLSP thrives on our diversity, and we strongly encourage women, persons of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, persons with disabilities, returning citizens, and persons from other underrepresented groups to apply.