AmeriCorps Legal Fellowship Program

Orientation and Site Start-UpJune 16, 2011

The Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps

Team

• Cole McMahon, Associate Director, Federal

Programs

• Marty Costello, Senior Program Manager,

AmeriCorps

• Natalie Wasserman, AmeriCorps Compliance

Specialist

• Bethany Hamilton, Summer Corps Specialist

• Program Coordinator, AmeriCorps

Equal Justice Works? AmeriCorps? Host Site?

How it all fits together

Corporation for National and Community Service

AmeriCorps Senior Corps Learn & Serve America

Equal Justice Works

Host Site Host Site Host Site Host Site

Introduction to the AmeriCorps Language

• Staff Attorney/Employee = Equal Justice Works

AmeriCorps Legal Fellow

• Job = Fellowship

• Work = Service

• Salary = Compensation (Living Allowance and

Supplemental Benefits)

• Length of job = Term of Service

• AmeriCorps Education Award

Policies, Procedures, Prep

• Choose your team: Project Director, Fiscal

Manager, Site Supervisors

• Know where to find info:

http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/post-

grad/americorps-legal-fellowships

• Know Equal Justice Works

• Know your stuff: review the Program Manual

• Know your due dates

Submission deadlines

• Progress reports due twice a year: mid-April and

mid-November

• Periodic Expense Reports (monthly invoices) due

2nd and 4th Monday

• Grant renewal TBD (March 2011)

Fellow Compensation

• Living Allowance

• Other benefits

• Supplemental benefits

• Education award and student loan issues

Living Allowance

For 2011-2012, host sites will receive $24,200 per Fellow as

their AmeriCorps grant.

AmeriCorps rules:

• Total amount must be disbursed evenly across term of

service

• “May only be made to a participant during the participant’s

term of service and must cease when the participant

concludes the term of service.”

• “Programs may not provide a lump sum payment to a

participant who completes the originally agreed-upon term

of service in a shorter period of time.”

Other Benefits

• Host sites must provide healthcare insurance and

liability insurance for each Fellow

• Host sites should provide the same benefits to

Fellows as other staff

• Fellows eligible for loan forbearance and interest

payment on federally-backed loans (Fellows are

also encouraged to investigate Income Based

Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness)

Supplemental Benefits

• Equal Justice Works mandates providing between

$12,000-$22,000 per Fellow per service term.

• Examples include housing assistance (payments

made to a mortgage lender or landlord), and loan

repayment assistance (for educational or car

loans).

• Supplemental benefits payments made are not

considered income by AmeriCorps, but they must

be reported to the IRS and are taxable.

Segal AmeriCorps Education Award

• $5,550 for 2011-2012

• Contingent on successful completion of term of at

least 1,700 hours

• Voucher paid directly to school or lender

• Can be applied to any Federally backed loan or

Title I tuition expense

• Must be used within 7 years

• Considered by IRS to be taxable in year it is used

• Immediately available upon exit from AmeriCorps

Portal

1,700 hours

• Minimum required to receive AmeriCorps

education award

• Serves as a minimum, not a maximum.

• Service and training count, holidays and leave do

not count (This should be different from your staff

leave policies)

• Fellows are allowed to follow organization’s leave

policies without pay-out at end of term of service

• Potential issues: bar failure, 35 hour work weeks,

low expectations/performance

Grants Management System (GMS)

• Hosted by Equal Justice Works, password

protected: http://info.equaljusticeworks.org/gms

• Current functions+ Grant Application

+ Budget submission

+ Periodic Expense Reports (PER=monthly invoice)

Grants Management System

Sample PER

AmeriCorps Reporting and Enrollment

System (ARES)

• Hosted by Equal Justice Works, password

protected: http://info.equaljusticeworks.org/ares

• Current functions+ Fellow enrollment (contact information, contract,

employment documents)

+ Host Site documents (malpractice insurance, subgrant

agreement, etc)

+ Progress Reports

+ Program Calendar

+ Fellow exit

AmeriCorps Reporting and Enrollment

System (ARES)

ARES – Fellow Screen

ARES – Host Site Screen

Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment

• Only use Equal Justice Works-approved

announcements

• Dangers: Inaccurate description of compensation,

roles include potential prohibited activities

• Conduct 3 background checks prior to start date

• Starting window: August 1-September 15

• Sign contracts and paperwork on day 1 of term

Multi-Site Placements

• Situation in which a number of organizations

receive Fellows through one subgrantee

• Host site handles finances, payroll, reporting and

general oversight

• Partner org pays host site match for Fellow,

provides day to day supervision

• Examples: OneJustice (CA), Advocates for Basic

Legal Equality (OH), NYLAG (NY)

• MOU required

Contact info

AmeriCorps Team:

americorpsmail@equaljusticeworks.org

• Cole McMahon, cmcmahon@equaljusticeworks.org,

202.466.3686 x120

• Marty Costello, Esq., mcostello@equaljusticeworks.org,

202.466.3686x125

• Natalie Wasserman, nwasserman@equaljusticeworks.org,

202.466.3686x104

• Bethany Hamilton, bhamilton@equaljusticeworks.org,

202.466.3686 x134

AmeriCorps Legal Fellowship Program

Policy Update and Recruitment Strategy

Session

June 16, 2011

Position Descriptions & Start Dates

• Please wait to hear from Equal Justice Works

before posting your position descriptions for

Fellows.+ Dangers: Inaccurate description of compensation, roles

include potential prohibited activities

• Equal Justice Works encourages Fellow start

dates between 8/1/11-9/15/11+ Exceptions:

Returning Fellows whose terms end after 9/15/11

Sites who are exiting a 2nd year Fellow and can’t

bring on a new 1st year Fellow until 2nd year Fellow

has completed term

Background Checks

Required of all AmeriCorps Fellows:

1. FBI Fingerprint Check

Required of all new AmeriCorps Fellows:

1. National Sex Offender Public Registry (NSOPR)

2. State criminal check for your state

3. State criminal check for state of Fellow’s

residence at time of application (if different)

• A background check for bar admission is not

sufficient.

How do you recruit?

• What attributes are you looking for in a

Fellow in a new project?+ Are those attributes different from a Fellow

continuing in a sustained project?

• Are you looking for someone who is local to

your service area or someone who could

move?

• How much experience are you looking for in

a Fellow?

How do you recruit?

• How do you conduct your interviews to find

out whether someone will be a good public

interest lawyer?

• Is there anything you do during the

selection process that is outside of a

traditional interview?

• Where do you advertise your position

openings?

Screening, selection strategies

• Engage current Fellows

• Behavioral interviewing

• Tests and homework to replicate the elements of

the Fellowship

• Rigorous reference checks

• Introductions to staff to gauge personality fit

• Look for individuals, but keep the team in mind

Recruitment Sources

• Your organization’s website

• http://www.pslawnet.org/

• http://www.idealist.org

• Affinity groups, minority bar sections

• Other?

Exit Process for 2010-2011 Fellows

• Process will be moving to ARES+ We’ll discuss further at July Staff Training in DC

• If your Fellows will be exiting before July 20, 2011,

please contact us

Contact info

AmeriCorps Team:

americorpsmail@equaljusticeworks.org

• Cole McMahon, cmcmahon@equaljusticeworks.org,

202.466.3686 x120

• Marty Costello, Esq., mcostello@equaljusticeworks.org,

202.466.3686x125

• Natalie Wasserman, nwasserman@equaljusticeworks.org,

202.466.3686x104

• Bethany Hamilton, bhamilton@equaljusticeworks.org,

202.466.3686 x134