Legal aid work brings real-world experience

Working with legal aid organizations can provide law students with invaluable experience in dealing with clients, navigating the form-filled world of civil procedure and collaborating with community groups to promote advocacy issues, said a panel of legal aid lawyers at USC Law last week.

The event, sponsored by the Public Interest Law Foundation, brought together attorneys from Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS) and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), as well as Dean Melissa Balaban, who moderated the panel.

David Ackerly, the director of private attorney involvement at LAFLA, began his remarks by reminding students that LAFLA grew out of a legal aid clinic that the USC Law first established on campus in the 1920s. As a federally-funded program, the foundation now offers a broad range of legal aid services to low-income residents throughout metropolitan Los Angeles. Its 60 attorneys provide legal aid in many areas of law, including family, immigration, housing, employment, consumer and government benefits.

While working at LAFLA, students will learn firsthand how to satisfy client needs, from obtaining restraining orders for victims of domestic violence to defending residents against eviction.

"It's very gratifying (work) and you can do things that make a difference," Ackerly said. "You'll get a real working knowledge of the law in a pretty quick time."

Newly hired attorneys at Neighborhood Legal Services may find themselves dealing with a plethora of legal work, including domestic violence, immigration, housing, employment, community development, health access and consumer protection. Newer attorneys are often paired up with veteran lawyers to work together on high-impact cases, said David Pallack, a senior attorney in NLS's San Fernando Valley office.

Among the most rewarding aspects of the job is the daily interaction that comes with providing direct legal services to many different kinds of clients, each of whom has specific needs, said NLS executive director Neal Dudovitz.

"You'll get enormous experience in interviewing clients, which is really a skill that comes with practice," he said. "It's not a 9-to-5 job. Most people are there because they're committed to the work."

Staff positions and summer internships at both organizations are highly competitive, the panelists said. LAFLA, for instance, receives more than 600 applications for its 35 externships each year. But students who show a sincere commitment to public interest law are more likely to get picked, Ackerly said.

"We want to know that this is something that you have an abiding interest in," he said.

Pallack said current law students who haven't done a lot of previous public interest work should still consider applying. Candidates with strong resumes will stand out but Pallack also considers whether they can articulate a strong desire to pursue public interest work.

"I look for someone who is bright and eager," he said. "To me, the commitment and eagerness is more important than your background."