Summer Corps 2013
How to apply for $1,175 in education
funding for summer legal internships
Equal Justice Works Summer Corps
Summer Corps exemplifies the
mission of Equal Justice Works
- "to create a just society by
mobilizing the next generation
of lawyers committed to equal
justice."
Why become a Summer Corps Member?
• Gain first-hand experience and legal skills;
• Earn $1,175 AmeriCorps Education Award voucher for
current educational expenses or qualified student loans;
and
• Become an official member of AmeriCorps – 88,000
members per year mobilized in national service.
Summer Corps: The Basics
• Secure a placement at a qualifying organization with
a qualifying project or body of work.
• Apply by March 18, 2013
• Serve a minimum of 300 hours.
• Submit report of activities, including outcomes.
• Receive $1,175 to apply to tuition or student loans.
– NOTE: this is not a cash stipend and it is available at the
end of the summer, however you are allowed to obtain
funding from other sources for living expenses.
Summer Corps Changes
• Application process
– Rolling applications starting 12/18/12 through 3/18/13
• Program priority areas
– Priority given to issue specific summer projects
• Criminal history check requires fingerprints
• Work plans & tracking outcomes required
Important Dates
• Applications opened: December 18, 2012
– Applications evaluated on a rolling basis
• Final Application Deadline: March 18, 2013
• Summer of Service Begins: Between May 1 and
May 31, 2013
• Summer of Service Ends: No later than August
31, 2013
Summer Corps: Priority Issue Areas
• Projects designed to have an impact in the
following areas will be favored in the selection
process:
– Veterans, Active Duty and Military Families
– Disaster Relief
– Foreclosure
– Medical Legal Partnerships
Can I Receive Additional, Outside Funding?
• Yes, up to $4,300
• You must disclose the amount and source to Equal
Justice Works at the time of application or at the time
you are awarded funding.
• Any funds received from your host site or an outside
entity must be paid as a “living allowance” or stipend, not
a wage – cannot be paid on an hourly basis
– Exception - if you are receiving a Federal Work Study Award,
pay can be an hourly wage
BEFORE YOU APPLY
Steps
1. Secure a placement with a qualifying organization
2. Design or secure a qualifying project
3. Make sure you are eligible to serve
Qualifying Organization
• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status providing direct legal
services to low-income individuals.
• Local, county or state court or government agency
providing services to veterans, foreclosure or disaster
victims. (Note: government placements will be accepted
only for these three topics).
Organizational Priorities
Priority will be given to placements at the following types of
organizations:
• Nonprofit organizations and non-federal government
agencies serving veterans, military families,
homeowners facing foreclosure, victims of disaster, or
engaged in medical-legal partnerships;
• Organizations that receive funding from the Legal
Services Corporation (LSC); and
• Other nonprofit organizations providing civil legal
services to low-income communities
Organizations that do not qualify
• U.S. government agencies
• Internationally-focused or internationally-based
organizations
• Organizations engaged primarily in lobbying or impact
litigation
• Environmental organizations
• Judicial clerkships, except in veteran treatment court
• Private law firms of any sort
• For-profit entities
Qualifying Projects
• Must provide direct legal services and legal education
(not clerical tasks) to low-income and underserved
individuals
• May not engage in any activities prohibited by
AmeriCorps, including: lobbying, assisting for-profit
business, protesting, religious education and voter
registration
• Pure policy work does not qualify.
• Pure environmental work does not qualify.
Qualifying Projects
• Should include:
– Legal intake, interviewing, fact investigation, case
work on behalf of individual clients, and courtroom
support
• Can include:
– Recruiting and managing of legal volunteers
– Preparation and delivery of community legal
education
– Outreach to outside groups to increase knowledge of
legal rights and availability of legal resources
Qualifying Projects – Watch Out for….
• “Small business” assistance, even if owner is lowincome. Assisting employees of small businesses is
fine.
• “Voter registration” – please do not provide assistance at
an event where voter registration is a key component.
• Use of the word “advocacy” when describing project
– Most people think this means “lobbying” (prohibited by
AmeriCorps)
– Choose a different word (e.g., legal assistance)
Qualifying Projects – Watch Out for….
• Prohibited activities:
– Proselytizing or engaging in religious instruction;
– Attempting to influence legislation (lobbying);
– Assisting, promoting or deterring union organizing;
– Engaging in partisan political activities including elections
and voter registration drives;
– Referring or promoting abortion services; and/or
– Providing a direct benefit to a for-profit entity, including
small businesses.
Eligibility to Serve
• Enrolled at an Equal Justice Works member law school
– Most schools are members. List at www.equaljusticeworks.org
• Graduate no earlier than December 2013
• U.S. citizen, U.S. national or Lawful Permanent Resident
of the United States
– Note: By statute, asylum and refugee statuses are not eligible for
AmeriCorps purposes.
• Have not completed more than 4 terms of AmeriCorps
service
Gather the Necessary Information
• Proof of citizenship or resident status (e.g. Social
Security card, U.S. passport, U.S. immigration
documents) AND a government issued photo
identification (e.g. Driver’s License)
– Make sure documents are signed, if applicable
– Images must be clear, legible, and show the entire document
• Documentation of name change if current legal name is
inconsistent with the name indicated on the above
documents
• Dates of service of prior AmeriCorps terms of service
Gather the Necessary Information
• Host organization
– Name, address, phone number
– Whether it is a 501(c)(3) organization
– Whether it is a public defender’s office
• Name, phone number, email address and title of:
– Attorney supervisor at your host site; AND
– Person signing your Contract (need not be an
attorney)
Gather the Necessary Information
• Expected start and end dates of your project
• Amount(s) and source(s) of any funding
• Types of legal services you will provide
• Area of law you will be working in
• Target population or need that your project will
address
Background Checks - CRITICAL
• Applicants must consent in writing to undergo a
National Service Criminal History Check
– State criminal registry checks, National Sex Offender
Public Registry search, FBI fingerprint-based criminal
history checks
• By statute, conviction of murder and presence
on the National Sex Offender Registry bars to
being a Summer Corps member. Other matters
will be decided on a case by case basis.
Fingerprinting
• Upon acceptance as an AmeriCorps Summer
Corps Members, you must immediately take the
necessary steps for an FBI nationwide
Fingerprint
– May include going to police office, University lab, or
other location to conduct an official check
– Any delay on your behalf will delay your start date or
even make you ineligible
How Do I Find a Project in a Priority Area?
• Contact organizations that work on priority
issues areas
• Contact legal aid organizations to see if you can
work there on a project in a priority area
• Idealist.org and your Law School’s career office
are great resources
Veterans
• Many legal aid organizations have veteran specific
projects. Those that do not may be interested in
starting one.
• View AmeriCorps host sites with veteran projects at
Equal Justice Works website
– Go to home page
– “View more Fellow profiles”
– Narrow by Issue area: Veterans’ Rights
• Note: Due to AmeriCorps regulations, AmeriCorps
attorneys cannot be your supervisor, but you can
work with them and in fact we encourage it
Veterans
• Check out www.statesidelegal.org
• There are more than 200 veteran treatment
courts in the U.S. Go to www.justiceforvets.org
• Some public defender offices are working with
veteran treatment courts
• Propose to start a veterans outreach and service
project
Foreclosure
• Most legal aid organizations have foreclosure
projects.
• View AmeriCorps host sites with foreclosure
projects at Equal Justice Works website.
– Go to home page
– “View more Fellow profiles”
– Narrow by: “Housing/Homelessness”
• See who in your state received funds from the
big five banks settlement
Disaster
• Directly contact legal aid organizations hit by
recent disasters
– Hurricane Sandy: NY, CT, and NJ legal aid
organizations are seeking legal interns
– Joplin, Missouri Tornadoes
– BP Oil Spill: Mississippi & Louisiana were hardest hit
areas
– Hurricane Katrina: New Orleans and surrounding
areas are still dealing with the aftermath of their
natural disaster
A Few Disaster Relief Organizations
• New York
– NY Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG); MFY Legal Services;
NYC Legal Services (Staten Island office); NYC Bar Association;
NY LawHelp
• Missouri
– Legal Aid of Western Missouri
• Mississippi
– Mississippi Center for Justice
• Louisiana
– Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
Medical-Legal Partnerships (MLP)
• Great place to start looking for MLP organizations:
National Center for Medical Legal Partnerships,
www.medical-legalpartnership.org
• Already existing AmeriCorps MLP organizations
include:
– Legal Aid of Arkansas; Public Law Center; Montana
Legal Services Association; Northwest Justice Project;
Legal Aid of West Virginia; Land of Lincoln Legal
Assistance Foundation; Southeast Louisiana Legal
Services;
Selection Criteria
• Selection criteria include:
– Priority areas (Veterans, Active Duty and Military Families,
Foreclosure, Disaster Relief and Medical-Legal Partnerships);
– Eligibility of the applicant and applicant’s host site;
– Quality of the application;
– Date application submitted;
– Geographic diversity; and
– Law school diversity.
SAM: THE ONLINE APPLICATION
SYSTEM
What is SAM?
• The Summer Corps Application Manager (SAM) is the
online application system of Equal Justice Works
• Use SAM to:
– Apply for Summer Corps
– Sign the service contract
– Log your time throughout the summer
– Complete your final report, great stories and the outcomes of
your summer of service.
SAM System Requirements
• SAM Works best with Internet Explorer
A few things
• Gather all necessary documentation;
• Notify your host site that:
– You are applying for Summer Corps; and
– You will need them to respond to some e-mails and take some
steps in SAM
• Failure of your host site to respond to required information
before the March 18 deadline will result in your application
being incomplete and ineligible
Completing an application in SAM
• Go to www.equaljusticeworks.org
• Click on “Summer Corps” under the “Law School” tab
• Click “I am Ready to Apply to Summer Corps”
• Click on the link to create an account with SAM
• A message will be sent to your email account with login
information and application instructions
• The e-mail will come from
[email protected] so be sure to add
this address to your spam filter
Completing an application in SAM
• Three-part application
• No extensions will be made
• Length of time to complete will vary between
applicants; possible delays include:
– Finding and making a clear scan of citizenship and
identification information (e.g. Passport)
– Getting confirmation of name of Supervisor from host site
– Getting confirmation of legal duties at host site
– Host Site staff member signing Contract
• Start early in case you run into one of these delays!
Application Part 1
• National Service Experience/Demographics
• Project and Host Site Information
– Full name and contact information for host organization
– Correct name, title and contact information for host site
Supervisor AND the host site staff member who will sign
Summer Corps Service Contract, if different
• Ensure that email addresses are correct
– Estimated project start and end dates
– Outside funding source and amount, if applicable
– Project description
Project Description
• Use drop down menu to detail the area of law
you will be practicing and the type of direct
services you will be providing
• Describe the target population and/ or need of
your project in 15 words or less
– Provide the subject area scope of your project while
being cognizant of prohibited activities and priority
areas
Project Description
• Please note:
– Avoid words that suggest prohibited activities (e.g.,
advocacy, litigation, policy, legislation, lobbying, etc.)
– The description must reflect exactly what they are
doing for the summer. If your project changes from
the one provided in your application, you are required
to notify us immediately!
Application Part 2
• Consent to a criminal background check
– Applicants will be sent instructions for submitting fingerprints for
a required FBI background check
• Service Contract acceptance
– Applicant must sign
– Signing Authority at your Host Site that you named under
“Project and Host Site Information” must sign
– You and your host site must certify your acceptance of the
Service Contract on or before application deadline of March 18,
2013 at 11:59 PM (PST)
Application Part 3
• Upload Documents
– Proof of Citizenship or Resident status
– Proof of identity
– Optional Applicant Photo for use in profiles
Documents must be scanned and uploaded as digital
image files (e.g., PDF, TIF, JPEG, etc.)
NOTE: Failure to upload the required documents by March
18, 2012 at 11:59 PM (PST) will result in automatic
rejection of your application.
Using SAM to Track My Application
• Log into SAM account to view status of your
application
• Check email for an official notice of acceptance from
[email protected]
• Notices of acceptance will be emailed on an ongoing
basis
• Offers must be accepted or declined via the link
provided to your SAM account. Failure to do so by
the indicated deadline will result in you losing the
offered slot.
Host Site Supervisor
• Must be a lawyer
• Cannot be an AmeriCorps Member, including an
Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow
• If Supervisor will be on vacation at time of
Member’s exit, they must notify us and
designate someone else at Host Site who can
certify the Member’s time log
• If Supervisor changes, notify us immediately
What if I need to withdraw?
• If you have accepted your offer and must
subsequently withdraw, notify us immediately.
Failure to do so may affect your ability to serve in
other AmeriCorps programs.
• If you leave your host site for any reason, notify us
immediately.
• To withdraw, send us an email at:
[email protected]
SERVING IN SUMMER CORPS
Helpful Tips for Starting Your Service
• Read the Summer Corps Members Manual
• Have a system for tracking your service & training hours
– Minimum 300 hours total, including minimum 4 hours of training
• Track the number of clients you serve and the impact of
that service
– Your host site may have a system, but make sure they will be
able to tell you about YOUR impact and outcomes at the end of
the summer.
Helpful Tips for Starting Your Service
• Tell us immediately if anything changes (your
Supervisor, your start or end date, etc.)
• Be prepared to complete the mandatory Final Report
– You will not be eligible for the Education Award if you do not
complete the Final Report
– The Final Report must be completed within one week of your last
day of service
What Should I Expect from My Host Site?
• Host Site must abide by the responsibilities
outlined in Section IX of the Contract:
– Adequately train and supervise Member
– Conduct Member orientation at start of service
– Ensure that Member has accurate records of time
served
– Help the Member keep track of clients served and
outcomes achieved
– Certify the Member’s time log in a timely manner
upon the Member’s exit
The Education Award – How it Works
• Access the education award through the
myamericorps.gov website.
• Award may be used to pay student loans or for tuition
bills
• Payments will be made directly from AmeriCorps to your
school or loan provider – you will not receive a check
– Awards can be used anytime in the seven years following your
service. Award use can be split between years.
– Awards are subject to taxation in the year it is used
Final Tips for a Successful Application
• Apply early. Early applications will receive priority.
• Do your best to find a placement with a project focusing on
one of our Priority Areas
• Don’t rush through your application
• Don’t wait until the last minute to complete the application.
Incomplete and late applications will be rejected!
• If you are not accepted, do not give up on the host
organization. We have a limited wait list.
QUESTIONS?
Summer Corps, an AmeriCorps program
[email protected]
www.equaljusticeworks.org