How To Apply
The firm will accept applications between January 23, 2012 and February 15, 2012. First-year law students interested in this program must submit a complete application in order to be considered. The application should include a resume, transcript (uncertified is acceptable) and writing sample. In addition, each candidate is required to submit a short statement (no more than 500 words) describing his or her interest in having a career at Akin Gump and making pro bono a part of his or her practice. Please send complete applications to the appropriate office at the email address listed below (candidates may apply to, and be considered by, only one Akin Gump office):
Applications should be submitted in a single PDF with the file name as follows: “Last_First_Law School_AG Office” e.g., “Doe_Jane_Michigan_NY.” Please do not submit your application without all requested documents. The firm recognizes that first semester grades at some schools are not released until early February; accordingly, waiting to submit a completed application will not affect your chances of being interviewed. Selection of the 2012 Pro Bono Scholars will be completed by the end of March.
Law School Road Shows
Akin Gump will be hosting a series of programs at several law school campuses this winter regarding the Pro Bono Scholars Program. Attorneys from Akin Gump will be in attendance to talk about the program and provide more insight. Please see below for details regarding a visit to your school. Check back soon if the plans for the visit to your school have not yet been finalized.
Columbia
Date: February 2, 2012
Time: 12:10 PM - 1:10 PM
Location: Jerome Greene Hall,
Room 105
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University of Texas
Date: January 19, 2012
Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: TNH 2.123
|
Harvard
Date: January 25, 2012
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: WCC 2109 Milstein West A
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NYU
Date: January 26, 2012
Time: 12:50 PM - 1:50 PM
Location: Vanderbilt Hall,
Seminar Room 202
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University of Michigan
Date: January 30, 2012
Time: 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM
Location: 220 Hutchins Hall (220 HH)
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University of Pennsylvania
Date: January 24, 2012
Time: 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM
Location: Room S240A
at the Law School
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UCLA
Date: February 10, 2012
Time: 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Location: Law Building, Room 1420
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University of Virginia
Date: February 1, 2012
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: WB154
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Stanford
Date: February 13, 2012
Time: 12:45 PM - 2:00 PM
Location: Law School Building
Room 285
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USC
Date: February 10, 2012
Time: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Location: Law School Building
Room 101
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Berkeley
Date: February 14, 2012
Time: 12:45 PM - 2:00 PM
Location: Goldberg Room 297
|
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If you would like to have a short, informal interview on campus with our Pro Bono Partner, Steve Schulman, to discuss the Pro Bono Scholars Program please contact him at
. Interested students may also sign up for a meeting time at the Pro Bono Scholars presentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
At the end of the summer in 2011, we asked our six Pro Bono Scholars what questions they most wanted answered when they applied to the Pro Bono Scholars Program. Here are their questions, and our answers.
Q: Is prior public interest/pro bono work experience required?
A: No. Several of our Pro Bono Scholars have had little or no public interest experience before their 1L summers; the Program gave them their first opportunity to work in the public interest, setting a strong foundation for their future pro bono work. Other Pro Bono Scholars have had significant experience in an area of public interest law, and have used that expertise to develop their skills even further during their 1L summer.
Q: What are the hiring criteria for Pro Bono Scholars?
A: Pro Bono Scholars typically have very strong first semester law school grades, but we look for well-rounded candidates. We select the Scholars each year from among many highly qualified candidates, and in addition to high academic achievement, we also value extra-curricular activities, initiative, strong motivation, demonstrated leadership skills, strong interpersonal skills, good judgment, willingness to assume responsibility, maturity, non-academic experience and the ability to work well with others.
Q: What kind of jobs qualify for the “public interest” portion of the summer?
A: While we prefer that candidates work with organizations that have a strong fit with our pro bono practice, particularly those groups with which we already have a relationship and that operate in the communities where we have offices, it is most important that the Pro Bono Scholar choose a placement that matches his or her own interests and will provide substantive experience. There are few limitations on the organizations with which a Scholar might work. We cannot, for example, fund Scholars working with U.S. federal government institutions, or organizations that have a direct conflict with our firm’s clients.
Q: Do I need to have a public interest job already lined up to become a Pro Bono Scholar?
A: No. Some candidates have either applied for (or even received an offer from) a public interest organization during the selection process; others have worked closely with our pro bono practice to identify and secure public interest placements after being selected as a Pro Bono Scholar.
Q: What kind of work will I do during my three weeks at Akin Gump’s offices?
A: The three weeks at Akin Gump are focused on three areas: pro bono work, training on public interest topics, and an introduction to the firm. Pro Bono Scholars receive substantive assignments in a variety of subject areas, including immigration, housing, public benefits, human rights litigation, and non-profit transactions. The three weeks are rounded out by training sessions with the firm’s Pro Bono Partner and introductions to the firm’s commercial practice areas, including a multi-day orientation meeting in Washington, D.C. for all the Pro Bono Scholars. Pro Bono Scholars also have the opportunity to interact with various attorneys in the office during training sessions, lunches and social outings.
Q: Are there Pro Bono opportunities for transactional lawyers? What are they?
A: Akin Gump’s pro bono practice includes a wide variety of transactional opportunities. Our single largest pro bono client is KIPP, a nationwide network of non-profit charter schools, for which the firm provides a wide range of transactional counseling. We also represent other non-profits and small businesses, both in the U.S. and around the world. For instance, we work with the Grassroots Business Fund, which helps incubate, build and support businesses that empower the poor in developing countries as independent entrepreneurs and consumers of affordable goods and services. We also counseled LeapFrog, the first international micro-insurance equity fund.
Q: What kind of opportunities will I have to contribute to the Pro Bono Practice at Akin Gump beyond the PBS summer?
A: Like other Akin Gump summer associates, in the 2L summer Pro Bono Scholars have an opportunity to work on substantial pro bono matters, including our firm-wide Violence Against Women Act Project, through which we represent abused immigrant women self-petitioning for permanent resident status in the U.S. We expect that when Pro Bono Scholars join the firm as attorneys they will be leaders in our pro bono practice, while still maintaining a full commercial caseload. Our former Pro Bono Scholars who are now associates each serve on the firm’s Pro Bono Committee, and have also taken the lead on interesting pro bono matters, from helping charter school development to litigating on behalf of DC’s taxi drivers challenging unfair cab regulations.
Q: What is the salary?
A: Pro Bono Scholars are provided a stipend of $20,000 for the time spent working at a public interest organization (minimum 7 weeks), and are paid the summer associate salary while employed by the firm.
Q: What is the PBS application process like?
A: The application process will be open from January 23 to February 15, 2012 (see above ‘How to Apply’ section for further details on submitting an application). Candidates may apply to, and be considered by, only one Akin Gump office. Each office will review submissions and select candidates for initial interviews. Members of the office’s Pro Bono Scholars Selection Committee will then interview selected applicants by phone. A group of candidates are then invited to the firm’s office to which they have applied. Candidates will meet with several attorneys during their visit and a decision will be made regarding offers. Pro Bono Scholars are selected in mid-to-late March.
Former PBS Now At Akin Gump
Several of our current Akin Gump associates are former Pro Bono Scholars and Summer Associates. Read further for more information on their past experiences during the summer and as a current associate.
J.P. Howard was a 2008 Pro Bono Scholar in the Washington, D.C. office. Before law school, J.P. was a Bill Emerson Congressional Fellow, and chose to work with the Tahirih Justice Center during his summer as a Pro Bono Scholar. While at Tahirih he worked for the legal and policy teams and assisted with the Akin Gump Summer Associate VAWA project. J.P. worked on a Supreme Court capital case during his time spent at the firm. After spending his second summer as a Summer Associate at Akin Gump, J.P. received an offer for a first year associate position. He is currently an Associate in the Labor and Employment practice where he focuses on wage and hour class actions and issues arising under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Fair Labor Standards Act and other employment statutes.
Sheila McCorkle is an Associate in the International Trade practice and was a 2009 Akin Gump Pro Bono Scholar in the Washington, D.C. office. She graduated with a degree in Social Policy from Northwestern University, where she was a four-year varsity letter winner and co-captain of the women’s softball team. Before law school, Sheila was selected as the City Manager’s Public Interest Fellow for the city of Evanston. She also traveled through Europe, South American and Africa and volunteered in orphanages in Ghana and South Africa. Sheila graduated from Georgetown Law in 2011; while at Georgetown, she interned with Tahirih Justice Center and for a federal judge, participated in Georgetown’s asylum clinic, and volunteered with the children’s literacy organization, Everybody Wins. During her summer as a Pro Bono Scholar, Sheila worked with the Tahirih Justice Center. As an Associate, Sheila maintains a pro bono practice in issues of immigration law and policy.
Jake Weixler is an Associate in our Litigation practice. Much of Jake’s pro bono and professional experience centers around improving educational systems in low-income communities and supporting organizations that help to close the achievement gap between low-income students and their wealthier peers. Before law school, Jake was a 2005 Teach For America Corps Members serving in the Greater New Orleans region both before and after Hurricane Katrina. Jake taught English and American Literature to 9th and 11th graders in a high school located in a low-income community. After teaching, Jake worked with New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO), an organization that incubates and supports high-performing charter schools. NSNO is an Akin Gump client and Jake witnessed the role that Akin Gump attorneys have in supporting the charter school movement. As a pro bono scholar, Jake returned to NSNO to assist with legal and advocacy issues. After spending his second summer at Akin Gump, Jake returned as an associate in the firm’s litigation section where his practice focuses on international litigation and investigations. He continues to work on education-related pro bono issues, but has also become involved in immigration and other direct-service matters.
PBS Public Interest Organizations
Following the first year of law school, the Pro Bono Scholars spend at least seven weeks at a public interest organization of their choosing. In past years, the firm has placed some Pro Bono Scholars directly with organizations with which the firm works, while other Pro Bono Scholars have obtained their public interest positions independently. Pro Bono Scholars have worked at the following organizations since 2008.
ACLU of Massachusetts
The ACLU engages in advocacy, public education and litigation services to protect individual rights and liberties, especially in areas of First Amendment law, equal protection, due process and privacy.
Public Defender Service of DC
DCPDS provides criminal legal defense to indigent adults and children in D.C. who are facing a loss of freedom, in both trial and appellate matters.
Tahirih Justice Center (DC)
One of Akin Gump’s key public interest partners both in DC and Houston, Tahirih (pronounced “TAH-huh-ray”) provides direct representation, public advocacy and social services for immigrant women and girls who face gender-based violence. Akin Gump represents Tahirih’s clients in asylum cases, Violence Against Women Act self-petitions, and U-visa applications for victims of crime, and also works directly with Tahirih on systemic advocacy.
Human Rights First (DC)
One of the largest sources of asylum referrals for the firm, HRF builds respect for human rights and the rule of law by protecting people at risk, such as refugees, victims of mass human rights violations and human rights advocates, through advocacy, direct representation and public education.
Human Rights Initiative (Dallas)
HRI is a vital partner in Akin Gump’s Dallas pro bono practice, referring to the firm asylum, VAWA and U visa cases.
Children’s Law Center (DC)
CLC helps at-risk children in D.C. find safe, permanent homes and education, health care and social services by providing a comprehensive range of legal services to children, families, and foster and kinship caregivers. The Center shares its expertise with the community, other professionals and policymakers through training, technical assistance and systemic advocacy.
inMotion (NY)
inMotion provides free legal services to low-income women in matrimonial, family and immigration law. Akin Gump is an inMotion Corporate Partner and New York Counsel Elizabeth Young serves on its Junior Advisory Board.
Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP)
KIPP, a national network of more than 100 free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public charter schools, is Akin Gump’s largest pro bono client in terms of both hours and lawyers involved. KIPP serves children in low-income urban and rural communities and prepares them for success in college and in life by building a partnership among parents, students, and teachers. Pro Bono Scholars have worked in the KIPP General Counsel’s office in San Francisco on a variety of matters, from contracts to program support.
National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (Boston-DC)
The country’s leader in medical-legal partnership (MLP), the National Center promotes incorporating attorneys as an important part of a healthcare team. MLP provides legal assistance and promotes policy change in order to improve the non-medical determinants of health services, including food and energy security, housing conditions, education and personal safety.
New Schools for New Orleans
NSNO, an Akin Gump client since 2006, is a charter school incubator and support organization that focuses on providing the best educational opportunity to every child in New Orleans by helping public charter schools set and achieve higher standards.
New Orleans Public Defenders
The New Orleans PD defends the citizens of New Orleans with the highest quality client-centered legal representation in Louisiana’s criminal and juvenile justice system.
Whitman-Walker (DC)
Whitman-Walker, Akin Gump’s partner in an innovative HIV/AIDS Legal Check-up Program developed by DC associate Anna Dolinksy, is a full-service community health center, and leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS that provides health care services for the LGBT community.