Statement of Purpose

The National Advisory Committee 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 Equal Justice Works member law schools not represented on the NAC;
• Provides advice on programmatic direction, issue identification, campaign strategies; and
• Assists with the design, implementation and evaluation of select initiatives.

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:

• Engaging in outreach with students and law school professionals at Equal Justice Works member law schools not represented on the NAC;
• Providing candid, well-reasoned feedback, guidance and advice to Equal Justice Works staff on programmatic direction, issue identification and campaign strategies;
• Assisting with the design, implementation and evaluation of select initiatives;
• Committing to provide, on average, five hours of service per month to the work of the NAC;
• Participating in at least three-quarters of all scheduled meetings and conference calls, including two in-person and two to three conference calls a year (at a minimum), as necessary;
• Completing all assigned tasks and projects in a timely manner; and
• Respecting and promoting the actions and decisions of the NAC among the membership.

Eligibility Criteria

Law School Professional member:

• The applicant's school must have been a member of Equal Justice Works during the 2007-2008 school 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 nonprofits.
• 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 two hours per month.

Student member:

• The applicant's law school is a member at the time of application.
• 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 two 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 LLM student.
• Please note that National Advisory Committee membership does not disqualify students from applying to Equal Justice Works Programs.

National Advisory Committee Application

Applications are now being accepted for the 2008-2010 term. Application packets must be e-mailed to NAC@equaljusticeworks.org. Faxed or mailed applications will not be considered. Include in your application packet:

• Applicant Information form
• Answers to questions (Please label each answer with the corresponding question)
• Reference letters (see page 5 for details)
• Résumé or CV in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format

All applications are due by 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 13, 2008. Late applications will not be accepted. Failure to follow the procedures outlined above will disqualify your application. Please follow directions when completing the application materials. All applicants will be contacted in early July.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Nada El-Eryan at NAC@equaljusticeworks.org or by phone at 202.466.3686 ext. 109.