Hybrid Student - Law Clerk na WESTERN NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSITY

Description

Purpose of this Position:

The Center for Social Justice (CSJ) seeks a law clerk to assist with completing work and activities related to our ongoing project of protecting consumers from unlawful seizures by creditors through the CSJ's Consumer Debt Initiative (CDI). This position entails 10 hours of work per week for the duration of the academic year (i.e., Fall and Spring semesters). 

Essential Job Functions:

• Tracking default judgments entered against consumers in Springfield District Court, with a particular focus on cases involving the top 13 most frequently appearing creditor plaintiffs. This includes reviewing court records in MassCourts and case files, attending small claims sessions to log defaulting defendants, and maintaining the CSJ’s database and predictive tools.
• Coordinating mailing campaigns to contact consumers who have defaulted and offer to review the circumstances of their defaults with an eye towards providing legal assistance.
• Conducting intakes with consumers who contact the CSJ seeking assistance in response to our mailing campaigns.
• Assist CSJ staff in providing limited legal assistance with vacating default judgments when consumers are eligible for relief.
• Tracking the circumstances leading to defaults to identify patterns requiring systemic advocacy and geographic clusters of defaulting defendants to inform the CSJ’s community outreach efforts.
• Assisting with the planning, advertising, and operation of CSJ community outreach efforts and Know Your Rights events.
• Providing support to CSJ staff in their efforts to extend representation in Springfield District Court to payment review and trustee process hearings.
• Providing support to CSJ staff in exploring additional fora in which to establish a Lawyer for the Day program.
• Assisting with drafting reports and publications on project findings, predictions, and proposed litigation and policy solutions.
• Assisting CSJ staff with related CDI work as necessary.

Qualifications

Requirements: 

• Must be a currently enrolled J.D. student (2L-4L only) at Western New England University School of Law. 

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Verbal and written communication skills to interact clearly and effectively with clients and other staff.
• Organization skills to keep accurate records and find important information quickly.
• Time management skills to prioritize and complete various tasks throughout the day.
• Patience and listening skills to respond appropriately and interact positively with upset clients.
• Interpersonal skills to create a pleasant client experience, such as being personable and attentive.
• Critical thinking and analytical skills for interpreting data to find patterns and insights.
• Ability to use or learn to use Excel and other Microsoft Office Suite products.
• Experience with programming, data visualization tools, statistics, or SQL is a plus.
• Bilingual is a plus (English/Spanish).