3L Public Defender Applications Forum

[Anonymous User]

Interview for Legal Aid NYC.

[FlanAl]

Interview for Legal Aid NYC.

Congrats! Did you intern there over the summer?

[Anonymous User]

Interview for Legal Aid NYC.

Congrats! Did you intern there over the summer?

Nope. I was pleasantly surprised, especially by the quick turnaround.

[Anonymous User]

Interview for Legal Aid NYC.

Congrats! Did you intern there over the summer?

Nope. I was pleasantly surprised, especially by the quick turnaround.

For 2014 right?

[Anonymous User]

Interview for Legal Aid NYC.

Congrats! Did you intern there over the summer?

Nope. I was pleasantly surprised, especially by the quick turnaround.

For 2014 right?

Correct.

[Anonymous User]

I accepted my offer back in early June and my start date is Nov. 1. Has anyone else who has received an offer and accepted it heard back from legal aid since late may early june? I was just wondering if there was anything I needed to do between now and then. I emailed someone from the office about a week and half ago but heard nothing back.

Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

Interview for Legal Aid NYC.

How long were your answers to the applicant questions?

[Anonymous User]

Interview for Legal Aid NYC.

How long were your answers to the applicant questions?

Paragraph or two depending.

[Anonymous User]

I accepted my offer back in early June and my start date is Nov. 1. Has anyone else who has received an offer and accepted it heard back from legal aid since late may early june? I was just wondering if there was anything I needed to do between now and then. I emailed someone from the office about a week and half ago but heard nothing back.

Thanks.

bump. Also I accepted my offer in April for Feb 1, still haven't heard about possibility of moving start date up to November because of more $$ from the city. Has anyone from Feb 1 heard about moving up?

[Anonymous User]

I accepted my offer back in early June and my start date is Nov. 1. Has anyone else who has received an offer and accepted it heard back from legal aid since late may early june? I was just wondering if there was anything I needed to do between now and then. I emailed someone from the office about a week and half ago but heard nothing back.

Thanks.

I wouldn't worry about not hearing anything from LAS since you received your offer. I started in the 2012 criminal defense practice at LAS, and I didn't even receive my office placement until about 10 days before orientation began. We did not have to do anything before orientation, so no need to worry.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone received word on whether Brooklyn Defender Services received funding? Or has anyone received any update from the office regarding hiring? I know a couple of users here had went through third round interviews..

Nada. Still waiting to find out about funding.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone received word on whether Brooklyn Defender Services received funding? Or has anyone received any update from the office regarding hiring? I know a couple of users here had went through third round interviews..

Nada. Still waiting to find out about funding.

losing hope

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone received word on whether Brooklyn Defender Services received funding? Or has anyone received any update from the office regarding hiring? I know a couple of users here had went through third round interviews..

Nada. Still waiting to find out about funding.

losing hope

Don't know if this is helpful to you but today I finally got a final rejection from LAS after being on their hold list- granted that list referred to the possibility of spots becoming available based on people turning down offers, but I think it was also based on how their funding looked. So, this might be an indicator that all the funding info has been released. Don't know but figured it was worth sharing for people still waiting on BDS.

[Anonymous User]

BDS has extended offers.

[Anonymous User]

Is there anyone here that's planning on backing out after accepting a job with The Legal Aid Society for BDS at this point?

And if so, why?

[Anonymous User]

I accepted my offer back in early June and my start date is Nov. 1. Has anyone else who has received an offer and accepted it heard back from legal aid since late may early june? I was just wondering if there was anything I needed to do between now and then. I emailed someone from the office about a week and half ago but heard nothing back.

Thanks.

I wouldn't worry about not hearing anything from LAS since you received your offer. I started in the 2012 criminal defense practice at LAS, and I didn't even receive my office placement until about 10 days before orientation began. We did not have to do anything before orientation, so no need to worry.

Do you by any chance have any information that you can provide on the step increases with LAS? And how have you enjoyed working there? I'll be joining them this fall.

[Anonymous User]

I work at LAS. We recently were all emailed and told that LAS has extended 83 offers for the Fall 2013 class.

I noticed some other questions about salary: pre-bar salary is about $48K, and jumps to $53K once you get admitted. There is a salary scale pursuant to the collective bargaining with yearly raises.

And the benefits are great. You can choose from different individual or family health plan options - I have a single health insurance plan and only contribute $28 a month. There's also great dental insurance, life insurance, etc. Vacation starts at four weeks a year, plus five personal days and unlimited sick days. We can also cash in up to seventeen "comp days" a year (which is basically overtime for working night or weekend arraignment shifts). You get reimbursed for meals and cabs when you work night court or weekend arraignments. There is a pension that is 100% employer funded, but I recommend also contributing to a 403(b). LAS will pay our biannual bar registration fee (which is $375), plus other similar costs. And there are corporate gym membership discounts, plus you can get up to $400 back from your health insurance every year for going to the gym.

Not sure if you're still checking this forum at all, but any information you can provide on the salary step scale? Thanks so much. You really gave some great information.

[FlanAl]

Anyone else getting red text that says "you do not qualify for this job" on ejw? I looked and my profile has the right class year and most of these job descriptions say that they are specifically looking for someone to start after the 2014 bar. Am I missing something?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone else getting red text that says "you do not qualify for this job" on ejw? I looked and my profile has the right class year and most of these job descriptions say that they are specifically looking for someone to start after the 2014 bar. Am I missing something?

Are you applying for MD

[FlanAl]

I just realized that it was because I haven't uploaded a cover letter yet and so the ones where that was a required document were flagging me as unqualified. I was planning on MD but saw in their thing that current 3Ls need not apply.

[Anonymous User]

Interview for Legal Aid Society.... don't feel mentally prepared for that quite yet. Have to prepare a closing on a hypo. Do I need to memorize it or can I have notes? What should I expect? Anyone else have an interview coming up?

[Anonymous User]

Interview for Legal Aid Society.... don't feel mentally prepared for that quite yet. Have to prepare a closing on a hypo. Do I need to memorize it or can I have notes? What should I expect? Anyone else have an interview coming up?

Memorize it, especially the intro. Make sure your structure is sound and easy to follow. Show your personality.

[Anonymous User]

Interview for Legal Aid Society.... don't feel mentally prepared for that quite yet. Have to prepare a closing on a hypo. Do I need to memorize it or can I have notes? What should I expect? Anyone else have an interview coming up?

Is this a first round or second round interview? I'm debating my choice of applying through EJW now....

[Anonymous User]

Have any 3Ls heard back from anyone about setting up first round interviews besides LAS?

[FlanAl]

It sounds like the poster is talking about the second round giving an opening. My plan was to apply directly to the office as well as EJW. The legal app on the website wants you to submit forms and a questionaire and my guess would be that they probably want that. I have also been told that NY offices do not like to interview people from NY schools at EJW, but I also felt like applying at every opportunity was a decent strategy. I know it said somewhere on the EJW thing not to email the places directly, but I think that that was just so that you understood that for EJW you have to use EJW's system. Not like, once you apply through EJW the office never wants to hear from you again.