Statement of Purpose

The National Advisory Committee (NAC) provides a vehicle through which students and professionals at Equal Justice Works member law schools can guide and advance the organization's goal of having students develop a lifelong commitment to working on behalf of underrepresented individuals, communities and causes.

To this end, the NAC:

• Engages multiple law school stakeholders in its work;
• Conducts outreach to and solicits feedback from students and professionals at member law schools not represented on the NAC;
• Act as Equal Justice Works ambassadors within the law school and legal services communities; and
• Assists with the design, implementation and evaluation of select initiatives.

The NAC is comprised of seven law students and seven law school professionals. All 14 members serve staggered two-year terms. Equal Justice Works seeks 3 law students and 4 law school professionals committed to public interest and social justice issues to serve two-year terms (August 1, 2010 – June 30, 2012).

The NAC meets in person each fall and participates in several conference calls throughout the year. The first meeting for the 2010 – 2012 NAC term members will be held in conjunction with the 2010 Conference and Career Fair in Bethesda, Maryland on October 22 and 23. All applicants must be available to attend this in-person meeting of the NAC. Reasonable travel and lodging costs for the NAC are reimbursed by Equal Justice Works.

Member Roles and Responsibilities

Members of the National Advisory Committee will represent Equal Justice Works member law schools and support the work of Equal Justice Works staff by:

• Committing to provide, on average, five hours of service per month to the work of the committee.
• Attending and assisting with the annual Conference and Career Fair held every October in Washington, D.C.
• Serving on the Conference and Career Fair subcommittee during their first year on the NAC, and on the law school outreach subcommittee during the second year.
• Participating in the majority of NAC conference calls.
• Keeping Equal Justice Works apprised of issues and trends in the law school community.
• Conducting outreach to and soliciting feedback from students and professionals at member law schools not represented on the committee.
• Acting as Equal Justice Works ambassadors within their law school and legal services communities.

Eligibility Criteria

Law School Professional member:

• In addition to being a member of Equal Justice Works in the 2010-2011 school year, the applicant's school must have been a member during the 2009-2010 year.
• The applicant must be employed by a law school in a position such as, but not limited to, admissions counselor, financial aid officer, public interest advisor, adjunct or full-time faculty, clinician, alumni coordinator or dean.
• The applicant should have experience working with a wide variety of people within the legal community. Examples include law school administration, students, alumni, faculty and nonprofit organizations.
• The applicant must have demonstrated knowledge of issues that affect underrepresented communities and/or experience working with underrepresented communities.
• The applicant must commit to a two-year term on the NAC with a time commitment of approximately five hours per month.

Student member:

• In addition to being a member of Equal Justice Works in the 2010-2011 school year, the applicant's school must have been a member during the 2009-2010 year.
• The applicant is officially enrolled as a law student as of July 1 of this year.
• The applicant must be willing and able to commit to serving for a full term (average time commitment of five hours per month).
• The applicant must have a demonstrated commitment to public interest law.
• The applicant must be in good academic standing at his/her law school.
• The applicant may be a rising 2L, 3L, 4L or LL.M. student.
• Please note that National Advisory Committee membership does not disqualify students from applying to Equal Justice Works Programs.

Application Instructions

Complete application packets must be emailed to NAC@equaljusticeworks.org. Faxed or mailed applications will not be considered. All of the following items must be in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats only:

• Applicant Information form
• Answers to questions (Please label each answer with the corresponding question)
• Résumé or CV in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format
• Reference letters (see page 3 in the application for details)

All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 9, 2010. Late applications will not be accepted. If you have any questions, please contact Nada El-Eryan at NAC@equaljusticeworks.org or by phone at (202) 466-3686 ext. 109. Failure to follow the procedures outlined above will disqualify your application. All applicants will be contacted in July.

  Download Student Application

  Download Law School Professional Application