All posts tagged: Public Service

Local Service Matters

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I was recently appointed to serve on the Cheltenham Township Human Relations Commission. Like many local cities and towns, Cheltenham Township, where I live, has a Human Relations Ordinance prohibiting discrimination in housing accommodations, certain commercial property transactions, employment, and public accommodation, within the Township. The CHRC is a citizen committee that hears complaints and mediates disputes under the ordinance, and works with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission on situations that go beyond mediation to disputes in court. The CHRC also plays a valuable role in providing community education about the kinds of discrimination that are unlawful and what community members can do about it. The Cheltenham ordinance, like many similar local laws, covers a broader range of categories than the state or federal anti-discrimination statutes. Its purpose is to “ensure that all persons, regardless of actual or perceived race, color, age, religious creed, ancestry, sex, national origin, handicap, disability, or use of guide or support animals and/or mechanical aids because of blindness, deafness or physical handicap of the user or the user is a …

Service Doesn’t Stop: Honoring the Work of Dr. King Throughout the Year

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This past week the Temple Law community celebrated the legacy and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by taking part in a variety of service projects around Philadelphia. Students signed up to become certified tax preparers for low income families for the federal VITA program, paint a mural at Warren G. Harding Middle School, and be part of a beautifying effort at Jane Addams Place, an emergency homeless shelter for women and children.  I signed up for the hands-on project at Jane Addams Place, excited for a day full of service with my fellow classmates. Today over 40 million people in America live below the poverty line, with communities of color disproportionately affected, reminding us that we have far to go in realizing not only Dr. King’s dream of racial equality but economic justice as well. At Jane Addams Place, law students along with volunteers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia engaged in a variety of activities.  We deep cleaned base boards and the children’s play room, led arts and crafts projects with some …

Want a Public Interest Job This Summer? The Time to Make That Happen Is Now

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There are many reasons to pursue a public interest internship, especially in your 1L summer. For students who are strongly considering careers in the field, it is essential to start building experiences and connections now. Beyond that, public interest jobs often involve experience with real clients, can present great research and writing opportunities, offer a chance to fulfill the public and pro bono service ideals of our profession, and act as a reminder that you came to law school to solve problems for real people, not to take tests and get grades. Many students find it meaningful and fulfilling to have the experience of assisting people who would otherwise find it challenging to navigate the legal system with crucial issues in their lives, or to contribute to making our government and laws work better for the people they affect. But in order to get one of these jobs, you have to act now. PIPS Fair Why? Most public interest employers hire their summer interns now, in late January and February. Many of those hires happen …