OPIA Blog » Students

Commentary: Government not doing enough to take advantage of young, enthusiastic interns

opia — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:03:38 +0000

Joe Davidson, Columnist for the Washington Post, wrote a column on how the federal government is squandering opportunities in developing its workforce. “Uncle Sam” he comments, is constantly behind the times with cultivating, developing and ultimately hiring interns that come through the various federal government offices. “Unlike private employers, Sam does not view interns strategically, as young professionals who should be cultivated into valued members of the federal workforce. He thinks doing a good deed by giving students experience is enough, while playing down the potential long-term benefit to the government the students represent. Sam puts most of his intern eggs into a basket with a big hole at the bottom. That basket is the Student Temporary Employment Program, which had 75 percent of the federal interns in 2007. It is “not designed to connect to career or academic goals, and . . . offers no direct route to students for full-time federal employment,” the report says. Temporary-employment interns don’t necessarily work on substantive projects. They may be assigned clerical or unskilled jobs.”

May be time to rethink the legal profession

opia — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:45:30 +0000

In an op-ed in the New York Times, Adam Cohen believes that with the recent economic problems facing the legal profession (deferred starts to newly associates, firm closings and the rising costs of law student debt), it may be time to re-configure the profession for the 21st century.
Mr. Cohen believes that the on-going economic problems could force the profession to look at a lot of different professional issues they have not looked at in quite a while, namely salaries and they way clients are billed.
Law schools, too, may realize that reform is necessary. “For years, law school tuition rose along with big-firm salaries. Between 1990 and 2003, the cost of private law schools rose at nearly three times the rate of consumer prices. The average graduate now leaves with more than $80,000 in debt. In one survey, 66 percent of students said debt prevented them from considering government or public-interest jobs.”
While no change is imminent Mr. Cohen conveyed a need to guide the legal profession into a new direction for the future. “Law school deans, bar association leaders and firm managers should follow Rahm Emanuel’s advice about never allowing a crisis to go to waste and start planning for what comes next.”

Alum suggests a ray of hope lies ahead for Sudan

opia — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:34:05 +0000

Rebecca Hamilton, a current fellow with Open Society Institute and HLS alum (2007), wrote an op-ed in the Boston Globe commenting on the potential positive consequences of the anticipated arrest of the president of Sudan, Omar Al Bashir, for crimes in Darfur. While immense problems still loom in Darfur – much of which Al Bashir has been blamed for – Hamilton senses that the arrest of Bashir is a necessary first step to ensure a small step forward away from corruption and perhaps towards unity and transparency. Nothing is guaranteed, but the possible arrest could prove to be popular among the Sudanese and force the international community to work on behalf of human rights. “No longer does the dividing line have to be between those who criticize the Sudanese government and those who do not. Instead it can be about those who want to align themselves with legally punishable behavior and those who reject it. Overnight, the costs of lining up silently alongside Khartoum have increased.”

To read Rebecca’s full op-ed piece, visit the site here.

Harvard Crimson Discusses the Initial Response to the Public Service Initiative

opia — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:22:15 +0000

The Harvard Crimson, Harvard’s daily since 1873, discussed the initial sign-up for the PSI in a recent article. The initial sign-ups for the PSI suggest the program will have a much greater rate of participation than imagined—about 50% above the targeted number.
“On the one hand, it’s a little bit scary, but on the other hand, it’s very exciting for me,” Dean Elena Kagan commented in the article.
Kagan has made a commitment to funding the program at least through its five-year experimental phase, regardless of the number of students who sign up. “I’m hopeful it’ll work really well, and that we’ll find whatever extra money we’ll need for it.”
To read more about the PSI, visit the PSI section of the Student Financial Services website

http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/sfs/p…

Article from The Nation featuring an Alumni’s Fight to Save a Home

opia — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:21:38 +0000

An article from The Nation written this past summer discusses the subprime mortgage crisis and its legal consequences in Atlanta, one of the cities hardest hit by the housing and loan crisis.

The article highlights how the subprime mortgage crisis played out both on the macro and micro level. Focusing on few families in Atlanta, Georgia, the article tries to focus on what the families went through in their efforts to keep their home.

Sarah Bolling an ‘07 alumni, is featured in the article. Bolling, who is currently working for the Legal Aid Society in Atlanta, is defending the Mitchell family and other families hit hard by the mortgage crisis.

To read the article, clink on this link

Looking Beyond the Corporate Salary

opia — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:20:48 +0000

As a recent College graduate remarked in the New York Times, “We came to Harvard as freshmen to change the world, and we’re leaving to become investment bankers – why is this?” His question addresses the growing trend in which students from top schools are being funneled into high-paying corporate jobs and away from other fields, especially public service.

In response to students’ increasingly myopic focus on financial security, schools are starting to place a greater emphasis on alternate career paths. Some, including Harvard, have started to expand their public service fellowships and internships. In her address to seniors during commencement week, Dean Faust urged students to look for measures of success beyond financial compensation. This same call to public service has been echoed by Barack Obama, who warned Wellesley graduates last month that the pursuit of narrow self-interest betrays a “poverty of ambition.”

Even so, the appeal of Wall Street salaries and prestige remains strong, and applying to corporate jobs is still the automatic option for many students. They continue struggling to balance real-world concerns with high-minded ideals. To read more, click here.

Visiting Assistant Professorships Provide Real-World Insights

opia — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:48:42 +0000

While law schools continue to provide rigorous academic and intellectual training, some are starting to supplement this with more practical instruction. Several law schools have started Visiting Assistant Professorship programs in which practicing attorneys join as full-time faculty. By giving these attorneys a chance to concentrate on their scholarship and teaching, law schools hope to mentor promising newcomers with private sector, government and nonprofit experience and introduce them to academia.

Students also stand to benefit from VAP programs. Akiba Coviz, director of academic affairs at Harvard Law School explains, “Anytime someone has practiced out in the world it brings an additional level of value to the students.” These visiting professors are able to offer real-world insights and instruction in practical skills that can be lacking in a traditional legal education. For more on this story, click here.

New Law May Boost Post-Graduate Public Service

opia — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:11:01 +0000

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act, originally intended to cut down on the costs of college and university loans, also provides incentives to enter public service careers. The law’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness program offers debt forgiveness for federal student loans for those individuals entering a range of post-graduate career fields. Careers that qualify include those in public health, law enforcement and public-interest law. Those without federal loans can still qualify for the program by consolidating their debt through the government’s Direct Loan program. For more information, please click here.

Public Interest Summer Internships Increase in 2007

opia — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:56:53 +0000

The New York Law Journal reports that the number of summer interns working in government or at non-profit organizations is up this year. This “bumper crop” of public interest summer interns is partially a result of the increased funding for such work from many law schools, making it much easier to find and accept positions. Harvard Law School guarantees summer funding for all its students doing public service work through the SPIF program. The article, which quotes HLS students Christine M. Billy ‘08 and Kara Loewentheil ‘08, also notes that public interest jobs offer more responsibility than summer work at private firms. Full story here (free subscription required).

Keep in touch, HLS Class of 2007!

opia — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:12:52 +0000

Even after graduation, we’d still like to send you news of current public interest opportunities. And of course hear any news from you! To subscribe, send your post-graduation email address to pia@law.harvard.edu and specify if you’ll be a clerk or young alum next year.