The deadline for submitting your application form for an ABA Law Student Division Liaison or National Student Director position is February 15.

Only the 2008-2009 Entity Liaison Applications will be accepted for both the Liaison and National Student Director positions. Applications received on an outdated application form will not be considered.

In late May, following interviews with all candidates during the Spring, candidates will be advised via U.S. postal service whether or not they have been appointed to a position.

• Represent the Law Student Division to ABA entities and represent the ABA entities to the Law Student Division and keeping each other informed of the other's activities.
• Update Division leadership on status of entity resolutions that relate to the Division.
• Provide insight to the entity leadership on issues under consideration that relate to law students and legal education.
• Submit three reports to the Division (Oct, March, and May). Reports to be an extensive review of the entity's work describing the last meeting, dates/locations of upcoming meetings, list of resolutions the entity is considering and the liaison's perspective on any impact on law students; entity's reaction to any Division resolutions; the liaison's goals, duties, and plan of action for the upcoming year.
• Consult with the Student Lawyer editor on writing a brief article for Student Lawyer describing the purposes/activities of their respective entity.
• Attend the entity's required meetings. If funding is unavailable from the entity, the liaison should attempt to secure alternate funding from his/her law school or local bar association.
• Actively participate in their circuits, attending meetings to promote section activities and membership.
• Communicate regularly with Division leadership.
• Write a letter of introduction to the entity chair outlining liaison duties and offering to become active.
• Actively promote law student membership and involvement in the ABA entity.
• Work with appropriate entity leaders to produce a law student section newsletter column or student specific webpage on entity website.
• Participate on the liaison training conference call.
• Attend the Annual Meeting training session and entity programming.
• Time commitment: 10 hours monthly.

I have read the job description for Entity Liaison and understand the responsibilities involved in this position. I now wish to apply for a position as a 2008-2009 Law Student Division Entity Liaison.

The Law Student Division has four Competition National Student Directors:

• Arbitration Competition
• Client Counseling Competition
• National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC)
• Negotiation Competition

The National Student Director (NSD) term begins on June 1 and ends the following May 31. The NSD participates in activities and performs specific tasks assigned by the Competitions Committee to build and improve the overall quality of the American Bar Association’s law student competitions as follows:

• Attends the Competition Committee Meeting in September (Chicago) and participates on Subcommittee conference calls throughout the competition year.
• Contributes to the planning and execution of the Subcommittee’s goals.
• Prepares and promptly submits to the Chicago office a detailed written record of all Subcommittee meetings, including telephone conference calls (if applicable) for historical files.
• Attends or provides information for presentation at his/her circuit’s Spring Meeting and Fall Roundtable to actively promote the competitions – stressing the importance of the competitions and responding to general competition inquiries.
• Contacts each circuit governor, encouraging the governor to advocate to his or her ABA school representatives the value and importance of participation in the competitions.
• Attends the competition national finals performing tasks as requested by the Chair of the Subcommittee.
• Twice annually, prepares and submits activity reports to the Subcommittee Chair and the Division’s Assistant Director.  Reports on the effectiveness of projects and improvements that have been implemented, and includes any suggestions for improving the competition at the regional level and the national level.
• Copies the Chicago office and the Subcommittee on all correspondence and reports.
• Submits information describing the competition to the Student Lawyer Student Editor and the Division’s Assistant Director.
• Drafts press release within two weeks following the national finals and submits it to the Division’s Assistant Director for review and dissemination.
• Travels on behalf of the Division Competition to provide support to Competitions Committee during the final rounds. The NAAC NSD attends and provides support to some regional competitions as well. Most travel-related expenses are reimbursed by the Division subject to Division guidelines.
• Actively seeks out and encourages qualified individuals to apply for the National Student Director positions.
• Time Commitment: 10 hours monthly

I have read the job description for Competitions National Student Director and understand the responsibilities involved in the position. I now wish to apply for a position as a 2008-2009 Law Student Division Competition National Student Director.

The term of the National Student Director/Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Programs (NSD) begins on July 1 and ends the following June 31st. The NSD participates in activities and performs specific tasks assigned by the Division Chair to build and improve the overall quality of the American Bar Association’s VITA program as follows:

• Serves as a link between the Law Student Division and independent VITA sites at ABA-approved law schools.
• Provides guidance and serves as a VITA information clearing house to participating VITA sites.
• Researches innovative tools law students can use to prepare tax returns and provides updates in tax laws.
• Updates and researches information for the VITA Handbook distributed at the Annual Meeting.
• Communicates with VITA participants via the Law Student Division VITA List Serve.
• Prepares copy and updates for the ABA Law Student Division VITA webpage.
• Maintains a communication pipeline regarding the Law Student Division VITA program with the Law Student Division Liaison to the ABA Section on Taxation and the Circuit Lt. Governors for VITA.
• Collects VITA electronic registration forms and prepares a database of all Law Student Division VITA participants.
• Collects and summarizes VITA electronic reports from ABA-approved law schools participating in the program. Reports are submitted electronically from VITA coordinators in February, March and April. A final report from all VITA sites is submitted electronically in May.
• Prepares three status reports to the ABA Law Student Division Board of Governors (October, March and May).
• Participates on the Annual VITA Award Selection Committee.
• Provides creative suggestions and methods for increasing the number of ABA-approved law schools participating in the Law Student Division VITA program.
• Consult with the Student Lawyer editor on writing a brief article for Student Lawyer describing the purposes/activities of VITA at ABA-approved law schools.
• Participate on the liaison training conference call.
• Attend the Annual Meeting Liaison training session.
• Time commitment: 10 hours monthly.

I have read the job description for the VITA National Student Director and understand the responsibilities involved in the position. I now wish to apply for the position of 2008-2009 Law Student Division VITA National Student Director.

Each year, the Law Student Division Chair appoints law student liaisons to the following Association's sections, divisions, forum committees, and other entities throughout the ABA. National Student Directors, also appointed by the Division Chair, work with the Division to coordinate and administer their respective programs. Liaisons and National Student Directors are appointed for a one-year term.

Job Descriptions

• Entity Liaisons
• Competition National Student Directors
• VITA National Student Director

Links to General Information

• ABA Entity Profiles
• Competitions Overview
• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program
• Liaison Handbook

• General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm
• Government and Public Sector
• Judicial
• Senior Lawyers

• Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice
• Antitrust Law-Membership and Equal Opportunity Committee
• Business Law
• Criminal Justice Council
• Criminal Justice- Corrections Committee
• Criminal Justice- Criminal Procedure, Evidence and Police Practices Committee
• Criminal Justice- Defense Function and Services Committee
• Criminal Justice- International Criminal Law Committee
• Criminal Justice- Juvenile Justice
• Criminal Justice- Prosecution Function Committee
• Criminal Justice- Sentencing Committee
• Criminal Justice- Victims Committee
• Criminal Justice- White Collar Crime Committee
• Dispute Resolution
• Environment, Energy, and Resources
• Family Law
• Health Law
• Individual Rights & Responsibilities
• Individual Rights & Responsibilities- AIDS Coordinating Committee
• Intellectual Property Law
• International Law
• Labor and Employment Law
• Law Practice Management
• Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
• Litigation
• Public Contract Law
• Public Utility Communications and Transportation Law
• Real Property, Trust and Estate Law
  • Real Property Law Division
  • Trust and Estate Law Division
• Science and Technology Law
• State and Local Government Law
• Taxation
• Tort Trial and Insurance Practice (TTIPS)-Council, Law Student Outreach Committee

• Affordable Housing and Community Development
• Air and Space Law
• Communication Law
• Construction Industry
• Entertainment and Sports Industries

• Domestic Violence
• Lawyer Assistance Programs
• Mental & Physical Disabilities
• Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession
• Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
• Women in the Profession
• Youth at Risk
  

• Armed Forces Law
• Bar Activities and Services
• Election Law
• Judicial Independence
• Law and National Security
• Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants
• Legal Assistance for Military Personnel
• Substance Abuse

• ALI/ABA Committee on Continuing Professional Education
• Center for Children and the Law
• Center for Professional Responsibility
• Legal Services
• Public Education
• Rule of Law Initiative- Europe and Eurasia Program (CEELI)

• Arbitration Competition (AC)
• Client Counseling Competition (CCC)
• National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC)
• Negotiation Competition (NC)
• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)