Students will work with lawyers in TRLA’s Public Defender Program for a week over winter break. The Public Defender Program provides criminal defense services to residents in 10 Texas counties, and also has a contract to provide services to hundreds of recent migrants arrested and charged with trespassing after crossing the Texas-Mexico border pursuant to Operation Lone Star. Students will assist TRLA attorneys with interviewing clients and gathering evidence for state criminal cases. Students also will conduct legal research for strategies to use in both Operation Lone Star cases and the traditional Public Defender Program, and assist attorneys with data collection and entry for the new Operation Lone Star case management system.
Organization
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
TRLA provides free civil legal services to low-income residents in 68 Southwest Texas counties, and represents migrant and seasonal farm workers throughout the state and in six other southern states. TRLA also operates public defender programs that serve 10 Texas counties, representing low-income people accused of felonies, misdemeanors, and juvenile crimes in state court. TRLA is the third largest legal services provider in the nation and the largest in the state of Texas. TRLA serves approximately 23,000 clients each year.
Project Details
- Website
- http://www.trla.org
- Project Start Date
Monday, January 10 through Friday, January 14
- Approximate hours of work requested
- 20-25 hours
- Training
- Training and supervision will be provided by TRLA Public Defender Program staff throughout the internship on an as-needed basis
- Skills used
- Document preparation/review; legal research/writing; client communication
- Project location
- Virtual
- Address
- 331A North Washington Street, Beeville, TX 78102
- Number of student volunteers requested
- 4
- Class year preference
- 1L, 2L, 3L, LLM
- Required skills
- Students with Bar practice cards and/or with the ability to speak and understand Spanish at a level adequate to communicate with clients are preferred but not required
- To Apply
- Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/public-defender-program-internship-with-texas-riogrande-legal-aid-registration-221601705667