Juvenile Regional Services (JRS)


Juvenile Regional Services (JRS)
1820 St. Charles Avenue, Suite 205
New Orleans, LA 70130

Phone: (504) 207-4JRS (4577)
At Court: (504) 658-9586
Fax: (504) 267-4789
Email Us

Employment

  • Summer Law Clerks: 2012
  • Term Time Law Clerks: 2011-2012
  • Investigative Internships
  • Pro Bono Representation in Courts and Schools

  • SUMMER 2012 LAW CLERKS

    Juvenile Regional Services, the juvenile public defender in New Orleans, seeks committed and talented law clerks for the summer of 2012.

    JRS is the only freestanding juvenile defender's office in the country. We are a new office, born in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and committed to excellence in client-centered, holistic representation, and to making the juvenile justice system more fair and more compassionate.

    Law clerks will work closely with staff attorneys in all aspects of client representation, including legal research; fact investigation; drafting memoranda and motions; and preparing for adjudication and disposition hearings.

    Law clerks are required to abide by JRS' confidentiality policy and to commit to spending at least 10 weeks working with us.

    Summer law clerk positions are unpaid. We encourage you to obtain funding through your school or another outside source, and we are happy to work with you to complete any necessary paperwork. Many schools award academic credit for clerkships. If you are approved for academic credit, we will work with you and your school throughout the process.

    Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. Early applications will be given preference. We welcome applications from 1Ls and 2Ls alike.

    To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to:

    Joshua Perry, Executive Director
    Juvenile Regional Services
    1820 St. Charles Avenue, Suite 205
    New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

    (504) 207-4577

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    Term Time Law Clerks: 2011-2012

    Juvenile Regional Services, the juvenile public defender in New Orleans, seeks committed and talented law students as law clerks during the 2011-2012 academic year.

    JRS is the only freestanding juvenile defender's office in the country. We are a new office, born in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and committed to excellence in client-centered, holistic representation, and to making the juvenile justice system more fair and more compassionate.

    Law clerks will work closely with staff attorneys in all aspects of litigation, including legal research; fact investigation; drafting memoranda and motions; and preparing for adjudication and disposition hearings. Clerks who are eligible for student practice may conduct select court hearings under the supervision of staff attorneys.

    Law clerks are required to abide by JRS' confidentiality policy. Law clerk positions are unpaid. We are happy to support clerks in obtaining academic or public service credit for their work with us.

    Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

    To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to:

    Joshua Perry, Executive Director
    Juvenile Regional Services
    1820 St. Charles Avenue, Suite 205
    New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

    (504) 207-4577

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    INVESTIGATIVE INTERNSHIP AT NEW ORLEANS' JUVENILE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE

    Juvenile Regional Services, the juvenile public defender in New Orleans, LA, seeks college and graduate students interested in criminal justice and indigent defense to participate in its investigative internship program. Positions are available during the 2011-2012 academic year and during the summer of 2012.

    JRS is an independent, nonprofit law office, born in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and committed to excellence in client-centered, holistic representation, and to making the juvenile justice system more fair and more compassionate.

    Our intern investigators work in teams of two, under the supervision of staff investigators and trial lawyers, as the lead investigators in juvenile delinquency cases. This is not a desk job. It has extraordinary significance for our clients: investigators unearth the evidence that saves our clients from unjust convictions.

    Examples of Typical Work for Intern Investigators Include:

    • Locating and interviewing witnesses;
    • Taking witness statements;
    • Photographing crime scenes;
    • Writing investigative reports;
    • Testifying in court;
    • Performing background checks; and
    • Assisting attorneys throughout the trial preparation process.

    What Interns Gain from the Program:

    This internship will give you a unique insight into the juvenile justice system and into the social fabric of New Orleans.

    You will have a profound impact on the lives of children whose futures hang in the balance. Your experiences at JRS will provide context for your academic studies, and will help prepare you for a range of academic fields of study and for future careers from law to sociology. Your experience with our internship program will also demonstrate responsibility and a commitment to service, qualities that are important to employers.

    The program is unpaid, but your school may allow you to receive academic credit for your participation. We are happy to support you in your efforts to receive credit for your work with us.

    Qualifications and Eligibility Requirements:

    We do not require either a specific academic background or prior experience in criminal investigation. All intern investigators will participate in an intensive training program where they will be taught how to conduct proper defense investigation. Qualities we typically see in successful intern investigators include responsibility, good judgment, ability to empathize, and commitment to community service.

    Candidates should carefully evaluate their other commitments and responsibilities in deciding whether they have sufficient time to dedicate to this internship. We ask interns to commit at least fifteen hours per week to the internship. We give strong preference to candidates able to commit to more than 15 hours per week.

    We will pair each investigative intern with a partner. It will be largely up to interns to set their own schedules, in consultation with their supervisors.

    The work that intern investigators do is critical to the effective representation of our clients, and we expect our interns to be diligent and responsible, and to live up to their commitments.

    Application Instructions:

    Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Applying earlier in the cycle can significantly increase your likelihood of selection.

    To apply, please send a resume, unofficial transcript, and cover letter containing a brief statement of interest to:

    Marecca Vertin
    Juvenile Regional Services
    1820 St. Charles Avenue, Suite 205
    New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

    (504) 207-4577

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    JUVENILE REGIONAL SERVICES SEEKS PRO BONO LAWYERS TO ADVOCATE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN COURTS AND SCHOOLS

    Juvenile Regional Services, a nonprofit law office that represents young people in the New Orleans juvenile justice system, seeks committed and caring pro bono lawyers to advocate for youth in delinquency and Families in Need of Services cases, in school expulsion hearings, and in special education proceedings.

    Pro bono attorneys can make a powerful difference for at-risk youth. Youth in court need lawyers who care about their cases and their lives. Youth in schools need knowledgeable advocates who can help vindicate their rights to free and appropriate public education

    Through recruitment, referrals, training, resource-sharing, and consultation, JRS actively seeks to facilitate engagement of the larger legal community in advocacy for at-risk youth in courts and schools.

    If you are a lawyer or a law firm with an interest in this pro bono work, please contact:

    Joshua Perry, Executive Director
    Juvenile Regional Services
    1820 St. Charles Avenue, Suite 205
    New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

    (504) 207-4577

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