SUMMER LEGAL INTERNS

Summer 2012 Internship for Spanish-Speaking Law Students

Position: Farmworker Legal Services of Michigan (FLS) is seeking legal interns for its office in Kalamazoo for the Summer of 2012. The position is scheduled to last from May 29 to August 8.

Description of Program: Farmworker Legal Services is a non-profit, public interest legal aid office that provides free civil legal services to indigent migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents throughout Michigan.  FLS is a division of Legal Services of South Central Michigan. 

Michigan is the destination of the seventh largest number of migrant laborers in the United States. Tens of thousands of migrant farmworkers and their families come to Michigan to tend and harvest crops during the months of March to December. The majority are Spanish-speaking migrants from Texas, Florida, and Mexico, while some farmworkers have "settled-out" in Michigan for years. Farmworkers experience a wide variety of legal problems, including wage disputes, unsafe working conditions, inadequate housing, illegal evictions, issues related to their immigration status, denial of access to education and other public services, and discrimination.

For more information about Farmworker Legal Services, visit our website at www.FarmworkerLaw.org.

Legal Intern Responsibilities: Interns at Farmworker Legal Services will work under the supervision of licensed and experienced poverty law attorneys.  Responsibilities typically include interviewing clients, assessing their legal problems, conveying legal advice through oral and written communication, conducting outreach to migrant labor camps, conducting educational seminars for clients and migrant agency staff, researching and drafting legal documents, and supporting attorneys with pending litigation and projects.

Qualifications: Applicants must have at least one year of law school completed by June 2012. Conversational Spanish ability is required. Use of personal transportation and previous experience with farmworkers or low-income persons would be helpful but is not required. Regardless of previous experience, applicants should be prepared to show that they will be committed to protecting the legal rights of migrant farmworkers.

Salary: FLS has two remaining internships and they will be unpaid.  We encourage students to seek outside funding.

Application Process: Positions are open until filled.  Please submit a resume, a list of three references, and a cover letter indicating level of Spanish competency to:

Daniel Inquilla, Managing Attorney
Farmworker Legal Services
3030 S. 9th St., Suite 1A
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Email: fls @ lsscm.org

Application material is accepted by mail and email. Questions may be directed to FLS by email. FLS is an equal opportunity employer. 

Updated January 4, 2012