Employer: Michigan Indian Legal Services, Inc
Fellowship: Equal Justice Works Crime Victims Advocacy Program
Michigan Indian Legal Services (MILS) seeks diverse and dynamic applicants for a 24- month, full-time attorney position at MILS as an Equal Justice Works Fellow in the Crime Victims Advocacy Program.
MILS has been competitively selected by Equal Justice Works as an implementing partner of Equal Justice Works’ Crime Victims Advocacy Program (CVAP), funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC).
The mission of MILS is to improve the lives of Native American peoples, families, and communities through legal assistance and advocacy at no charge for those who are income-eligible for services. MILS is a specialized law office that serves the unique legal needs of the members of the native communities in Michigan to: 1) protect families and cultural practices, 2) secure fundamental rights and access to basic needs, and 3) challenge policies and practices that are harmful to our clients and client communities.
Despite the significant expansion of victim assistance services and resources in recent years, access to high-quality civil legal services and victims’ rights enforcement remains limited, especially for Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC) and other individuals from communities with high levels of disinvestment.
The Crime Victims Advocacy Program will increase legal assistance to crime victims in BIPOC communities by mobilizing and training a network of 21 committed attorney Fellows and 21 law student Fellows who will serve at selected host organizations across the country, expanding the capacity of participating host organizations to provide legal assistance to victims of crime in BIPOC communities and communities with high levels of disinvestment, through the provision of civil legal assistance and victims’ rights enforcement.
Equal Justice Works Fellowship
An Equal Justice Works fellowship is an opportunity to transform your passion for justice into a career. As a Fellow, you will be part of a prestigious cohort of attorneys hosted by legal services organizations across the United States.
As a Fellow, you will develop experience and skills to be a social justice leader while contributing to a broader community of practice.
Fellowship responsibilities include:
- Primarily providing civil legal assistance and legal assistance with rights enforcement for victims in BIPOC communities and communities with high levels of disinvestment. Fellows will provide direct legal services, and when appropriate, conduct outreach, education, and partnership- building activities.
- Protecting and enforcing victims’ rights on behalf of clients
- Building key stakeholder relationships in furtherance of the fellowship objectives
- Engaging in peer-to-peer learning as part of the Equal Justice Works Crime Victims Advocacy Program Fellow cohort
- Actively contributing to and participating in Crime Victims Advocacy Program cohort activities (resource exchanges; interactive webinars and conference call with other Cohort and EJW Fellows and Alumni; and in- person trainings including Equal Justice Works Leadership Development Training in Washington DC in Oct 2023 and 2024.
- Contributing to required programmatic reporting
- Completing work consistent with the MILS grant application and other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate for this fellowship possesses:
- A demonstrated commitment to social justice, with a desire to increase access to justice for underserved and BIPOC communities and achieve results
- Experience working with or connection to underserved, BIPOC communities
- A strong DEI lens
- A license to practice law in Michigan is strongly preferred. Attorneys shall be licensed to practice in the State of Michigan or shall become within a reasonable amount of time after the start of employment reasonable amount of time after the start of employment. Must also be eligible to become licensed to practice in each of the 12 tribal jurisdictions within the state.
- Previous legal services experience, including civil legal aid, law school clinics, and internships is a plus
- Proven leadership skills with a strong work ethic
- Outstanding verbal and written communication
- Some level of experience with delivering trainings or presentations
- Values that are aligned with Equal Justice Works and MILS
- Exceptional interpersonal and organizational skills
- An ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary setting to facilitate a coordinated community response and provide holistic services to clients
- Attorneys are expected to be able to work effectively with the Native American community and be sympathetic to their unique problems and concern
Please note Fellows must commit to fulfilling the twenty-four-month fellowship and will sign a Fellowship Agreement with Equal Justice Works.
Salary and Other Benefits
The Equal Justice Works Crime Victims Advocacy Program attorney will receive an annual salary and health insurance and other benefits through MILS. Interested applicants should contact Jeannie Brooks or Cameron Fraser with any follow-up questions.
Application Instructions
All applications should be submitted online at https://www.equaljusticeworks.org/fellowships-opportunities/. Application materials include resume, writing sample, cover letter and 3 references.
MILS is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or veteran status.
Application Deadline: Applications must be received no later than July 1, 2023.
Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so early applications are encouraged.
The Crime Victims Advocacy Program (CVAP) is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Award Number 15POVC-22-GK-01116-NONF and authorized under 34 U.S.C. §20103(c)(1)(A) and (c)(3)(E).