news release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 31, 2007

CONTACT:
James Carroll
(202) 466-3686 ext. 102 		jcarroll@equaljusticeworks.org
www.equaljusticeworks.org
LAW STUDENTS REPORT ON SUMMER CORPS 2007
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A small army of law students working in communities around the country last summer provided legal information and assistance to tens of thousands of low-income Americans, according to a year-end summary of the National Service program.

Among the outcomes detailed in “Equal Justice Works 2007 Summer Corps Summary of Accomplishments”:
  • Last summer 347 Summer Corps members provided direct legal services to 15,360 low-income individuals;
  • Members served an additional 29,806 individuals through community education presentations and 32,364 individuals through community education and outreach materials;
  • Members worked at 233 organizations in 37 states and the District of Columbia on a variety of legal issues including health care access, identify theft, elder abuse, environmental quality and housing.
Equal Justice Works’ Summer Corps is an AmeriCorps-funded program that provides law students with the opportunity to dedicate their summer to public service at qualifying nonprofit organizations. In exchange for a minimum of 300 hours of service, members earn a $1,000 AmeriCorps education award voucher that can be used to pay current educational expenses or qualified student loans. They also gain first-hand experience and legal skills in areas such as client intake, representation, and legal research and writing.

“Everybody wins with Summer Corps,” comments Cait Clarke, Director of Public Interest Law Opportunities at Equal Justice Works. “The students gain real-world experience and the opportunity to serve. Short-staffed legal service organizations get the energy and talents of a committed group of students. And, of course, clients benefit from having access to the legal advocates and information they need and deserve.”

For more information about Summer Corps and other programs from Equal Justice Works, visit www.equaljusticeworks.org.

- end -


Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1986 by law students dedicated to working for equal justice on behalf of underserved communities and causes. Today, Equal Justice Works is the national leader in creating summer and postgraduate public interest opportunities for law students and lawyers as well as in urging more public interest programming at law schools. For more information, visit www.equaljusticeworks.org.
EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS | 2120 L Street, NW | Suite 450 | Washington, DC 20037
tel: (202) 466-3686 | fax: (202) 429-9766 | www.equaljusticeworks.org