Members of the Section give back to their communities and to the profession in many ways. Find out how you can help ensure fair access to justice for all through the Section’s special projects and initiatives.
Judicial Intern Opportunity Program
The Judicial Intern Opportunity Program is a full-time, six-week minimum, summer internship open to all first- or second-year minority or financially disadvantaged law students who want to do legal research and writing for state or federal judges in participating cities. The program seeks to provide internship opportunities for minority or financially disadvantaged law students, those who are members of traditionally underrepresented groups in the legal profession.
The Section is committed to ensuring equal opportunity in the profession, respecting the diversity and individualism of its member, recognizing the intrinsic value of diversity in the profession, and expanding the breadth of its membership.
The Section of Litigation will provide advocacy skills training to Sudanese lawyers to help them represent victims of the genocide in Darfur before international tribunals, including the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The thirteen Sudanese lawyers who will participate in the program now provide legal representation to those detained, tortured and subjected to abuses in the Sudan.
The Children’s Rights Litigation Committee exists to assist in the formation of children’s law programs and to train both full time and pro bono children’s law attorneys. The Committee can provide technical assistance to lawyers starting or expanding non-profit children’s law centers and to law firms starting internal pro bono programs.
The ABA Section of Litigation created the Litigation Assistance Partnership Project in 1989 to link pro bono resources of private firms with legal service and public interest programs across the country. LAPP's core function is to identify and place significant pro bono litigation with private law firms nationwide. These are major, complex and often time-consuming cases that require resources unavailable to public interest programs. LAPP works with programs and issues that involve subject areas not handled by other national public interest programs and clearinghouses.
The Section of Litigation and the American Bar Association are committed to improving the legal profession by providing public service and pro bono legal assistance. For more information, please see the following resources:
