In-House and Partnership Law Clinics (One-semester and Full-year)

St. John's Law School | Partially remote

Apply

Instructions below:

 

File uploads (PDF preferred but Word is accepted)  

- Cover Letter 
- Resume 
- Transcript - Candidates are not required to submit official transcripts. One of the following forms of documentation will be accepted:

                   - a  self-prepared transcript
                     or
                   - an Academic Record generated from that screen in UIS.
 
Click "Apply" -- Please do not click "Apply with Indeed".
Enter the date before completing any other fields.
Complete all required fields
Upload all required attachments (preferably in PDF).
 
Submit one (1) application for up to three (3) law clinic choices.
 
Confirm you received the auto-acknowledgment email that is sent after completion of the application.
 
Ensure Recruiterbox mail is not considered spam/junk by the email account.
 
Reply to the acknowledgment email if you:

  • Have additional documents
  • Want to make a change, archive or withdraw your application
  • Have questions about any part of the process.
 
You may also contact me directly, 
Lorraine Benjamin at 718-990-6689.
benjamil@stjohns.edu
 
 

 

In-House Clinics

 

Child Advocacy Clinic (ONLY REQUIRES AN UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT. Please upload the same unofficial transcript for both the cover letter field & resume field)

(One semester clinic – 4 credits)

Students will represent children (newborn through 21 years of age) involved in family court and immigration court cases, in which the children are the subject of abuse or neglect allegations in New York, or are fighting deportation based on abuse or neglect in their country of origin (unaccompanied child migrants). Student caseloads typically include allegations of parental drug or alcohol abuse, physical abuse, failure to ensure school attendance, mental illness, domestic violence, and inadequate guardianship. Students appear in family courts throughout the five boroughs and Long Island, and in Immigration Court at 26 Federal Plaza. 

 

 

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Consumer Justice for the Elderly:  Litigation Clinic

(One semester clinic – 4 credits)

This clinic is a civil litigation and advocacy clinic in which students represent low-income, elderly residents of Queens County who would not otherwise have access to legal representation and to guide law students in the development of their lawyering skills and professional identities, emphasizing the duty to practice ethically and in the service of justice. Students will work on all aspects of real cases involving foreclosure defense, mortgage loan modifications, deed theft, home improvement contractor fraud, and consumer debt. Students will interview and counsel clients, draft pleadings and motions, conduct discovery and appear in court.

 

 

 

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Defense and Advocacy Clinic

(One semester clinic – 4 credits)

 

 Students will represent adults charged with misdemeanors in New York City Criminal Court. Students will handle all aspects of a client’s case including interviewing clients, reading a RAP sheet, making bail arguments at arraignment, conducting investigations, litigating discovery and other pre-trial motions, interviewing witnesses, developing mitigation memos, negotiating with prosecutors and judges, conducting hearings, and advising clients regarding immigration and other collateral consequences. Students will develop skills in client-centered advocacy, learn about how racism and white supremacy are dominant forces in the criminal legal system, and will be introduced to criminal legal reform movements in New York City.

   

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Securities Arbitration Clinic

(One semester clinic – 4 credits)

Students will represent under-served investors in securities arbitration claims involving misrepresentation, unsuitability, unauthorized trading, excessive trading (“churning”), and failure to supervise, among other claims before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Students will handle all phases of the client’s case and, thus, gain valuable practical lawyering skills such as client interviewing and counseling, negotiation and advocacy, as well as substantive legal knowledge of securities laws and the securities arbitration process.

 

 

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Partnership Clinics

 

Bankruptcy Advocacy Clinic 

(Two semester clinic – 4 credits per semester)

 
Students will meet with debtors, assess them for bankruptcy, and prepare bankruptcy cases for filing, under attorney supervision. Students also prepare the debtors to represent themselves in their bankruptcy matters. Students may also take part in the preparation, filing and advocacy of Chapter 13 bankruptcy petitions, including representation of these debtors at creditor meetings, confirmation hearings, motion arguments and other court appearances. Partnership with LSNYC.
 

 Domestic Violence Litigation Clinic 

(Two semester clinic – 4 credits per semester)

 
The Domestic Violence Litigation Clinic is a two semester clinic with the New York Legal Assistance Group where students represent survivors of domestic violence and litigate family offense, custody and visitation proceedings. Students handle cases from inception to final disposition, including conducting client interviews, draft pleadings, negotiating settlements, making all court appearances, and where indicated, taking the case to trial. Students may also represent the victim in any uncontested divorce and/or immigration cases under the Violence Against Women Act.
 

Economic Justice Clinic 

(Two semester clinic – 4 credits per semester)

 
Students fight economic injustice through advocacy for homeless and low income New Yorkers at the Public Benefits Unit of the New York Legal Assistance Group ("NYLAG"). This includes representing clients at due process hearings where various issues regarding public benefits (e.g., SNAP, public assistance and Medicaid) are adjudicated city-wide. Students negotiate with workers at various agencies responsible for the welfare of the elderly, disabled, low income and homeless. They are responsible for individual cases from their first day at the clinic. Clinic students also conduct in-person client interviews and telephone intakes, staff the Legal Help Desk at NYLAG's Project FAIR, and offer legal information and referrals on board NYLAG's Mobile Legal Help Center.
 

For more information about Economic Justice Clinic, follow this link:  EJC Virtual Information Session (Webex Recording)

 

Prosecution Clinic 

(Two semester clinic – 4 credits per semester)

 
This clinic allows students to see the criminal justice system at work – not just by observing, but by actually prosecuting real criminal and domestic violence cases themselves. Clinic students handle all aspects of criminal prosecutions, from arraignments to motions hearings, from trials to appeals. Partner with Queens, Bronx, Nassau and Suffolk County District Attorney Offices.
 

 

Refugee and Immigrant Rights Litigation Clinic 

(Two semester clinic – 4 credits per semester)

 
Students have the opportunity to represent immigrants with a focus on refugees and asylees who are in judicial proceedings at the administrative level and in the Court of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits. Students also provide representation in cases of children who are victims of abuse or neglect in their home countries. Partner with Catholic Charities.
 

Tenants’ Rights Advocacy Clinic 

(One semester clinic - 4 credits)

 

Students will provide representation to tenants residing in Queens who are facing eviction and asserting their rights to safe and habitable conditions, proper rents, and freedom from harassment. Students will have the opportunity to engage in the various stages of litigation in the unique and dynamic environment of housing court and may also be exposed to administrative actions and Supreme Court practice.  Students will interview clients and develop legal strategies to address the range of issues faced by tenants. They will learn to navigate the complex field of New York landlord-tenant law by attending court, negotiating with opposing counsel, conducting legal research, and drafting motions and complaints. In addition, students may have the opportunity to represent both individual clients and groups of tenants seeking redress for violations of their rights.

The clinic will be a partnership between St. John’s Law School and The Legal Aid Society’s Queens Neighborhood Office (QNO). 

__________________________________________________________________ 
 

Instructions

  

File uploads (PDF preferred but Word is accepted)  

- Cover Letter 
- Resume 
- Transcript - Candidates are not required to submit official transcripts. One of the following forms of documentation will be accepted:

                   - a  self-prepared transcript
                     or
                   - an Academic Record generated from that screen in UIS.
 
Click "Apply" -- Please do not click "Apply with Indeed".
Enter the date before completing any other fields.
Complete all required fields
Upload all required attachments (preferably in PDF).
 
Submit one (1) application for up to three (3) law clinic choices.
 
Confirm you received the auto-acknowledgment email that is sent after completion of the application.
 
Ensure Recruiterbox mail is not considered spam/junk by the email account.
 
Reply to the acknowledgment email if you:

  • Have additional documents
  • Want to make a change, archive or withdraw your application
  • Have questions about any part of the process.
Please read the Clinic Withdrawal Policy below:
Notwithstanding the deadlines and rules for dropping or withdrawing from other classes, once an offer to participate in a clinic is accepted, a student may not withdraw and/or drop the clinic without the consent of the Professor and the Associate Dean for Student Services. (This provision does not apply to students who defer acceptance.)  Withdrawal from a clinic is reserved for extraordinary personal or family circumstances that prevent a student from meeting the clinic's requirements.  Such extaordinary circumstances include, but are not limited to, serious illness of the student or death of a close family member.  Notice of this rule shall be published in the Student Handbook, clinic registration materials, and provided to each student who is made an offer to join a clinic.
 
You may also contact me directly, 
Lorraine Benjamin at 718-990-6689