LACCM regularly welcomes student interns to work with us. During the law school year, LACCM advocates generally recruit students at East Coast public interest job fairs in Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York; first- and second-year students are encouraged to attend these job fairs if they want to learn more about summer internships at LACCM. We are especially interested in providing internships to students who are work-study eligible or who come with partial or full funding of their own (through public interest law grants or other sources). Interested students should review the website of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation at www.massbarfoundation.org/grant_programs/legal_intern/ to learn about the Foundation’s summer internship stipend.
LACCM also encourages students participating in a co-op program to consider working with us for a semester or a school year.
In the family law unit, interns assist advocates in handling complex family law cases involving domestic violence. Unit interns may perform the following activities: conduct client interviews and advise clients where appropriate; prepare financial documents; prepare pleadings and discovery; draft legal memorandum and motions, and conduct research when necessary; assist in negotiating settlements; attend community meetings, including domestic violence roundtables; attend court hearings with staff attorneys; and assist in trial and/or hearing preparation. Second- and third-year law students (if they obtain 3:03 certification) are also able to represent clients in court at motion hearings, pre-trial hearings and other proceedings under the supervision of an attorney.
In the elder law unit, interns assist advocates handling cases for people age 60 or older, involving health care issues, social security benefits, consumer credit issues, elder abuse, including financial and physical abuse by caretakers and/or family members, housing issues and family issues. Interns may perform the following activities: conduct client interviews and advise clients where appropriate; prepare financial documents; prepare pleadings and discovery; draft legal memorandum and motions, and conduct research when necessary; assist in negotiating settlements; attend community meetings, including trainings LACCM advocates conduct for elders and agencies who work with the elderly; and assist in trial and/or hearing preparation. Second- and third-year law students (if they obtain 3:03 certification) are also able to represent clients in court hearings under the supervision of an attorney.
In the benefits and employment unit, interns assist advocates handling social security, welfare benefits, health care benefits, unemployment, and employment discrimination cases. Interns may perform the following activities: conduct client interviews and advise clients where appropriate; prepare medical requests; compile discovery; draft memorandum, and conduct research when necessary; assist in hearing preparation; attend hearings with advocates; and assist in trial and/or hearing preparation. In addition, since an advocate does not need to be an attorney (or certified under Rule 3:03) to represent a client at an administrative law judge hearing, the intern may be able to represent his/her own client(s) at administrative hearings, under the supervision of an attorney.
In the General Law/housing and homelessness unit, interns have several responsibilities, including interviewing new clients, assisting attorneys in drafting pleadings in eviction cases, doing legal research, and helping advocates with all stages of the unit’s housing discrimination work. In appropriate cases, with Rule 3:03 certification, a second- or third-year law student may argue a pre-trial motion, conduct direct examination of a witness in a summary process (eviction) trial.
Outreach work: The most significant work will be divided between outreach to Worcester's African-American community and the Vietnamese community as part of LACCM's diversity action plan. Interns play an important role in implementing LACCM's outreach efforts by going out to meet with church leaders and other community representatives. Interns may also participate in intake at community centers, including the South East Asian Center. Interns may also coordinate the distribution and translation (where necessary) of brochures and community education literature to the community.