Community Legal Services, Inc.
Employment Project
Philadelphia, PA
Established in the early 1970's, the Employment Project of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia is at the forefront of the cutting-edge advocacy issues for low-wage workers. With its six employment lawyers, CLS is one of the few legal services programs in the country with expertise in employment law. The following are a few of the issues on which CLS has pioneered legal services advocacy:
- Legal and policy advocacy for persons with criminal and child abuse records that are unfairly and illegally keeping them from getting jobs;
- Client education about employment rights with respect to barriers to employment, especially criminal records;
- Application of the Family and Medical Leave Act to low wage workers to preserve their jobs, particularly for absences caused by their children's or their own illnesses;
- Representation of low wage workers in all traditional employment law forums, but particularly in cases of "low wage worker abuse", such as wage law violations against immigrants;
- Advocacy concerning the operations and policies of the unemployment compensation system.
The Peggy Browning Fund Fellow working with CLS's Employment Project can anticipate joining efforts on these and other issues. The Summer Fellow will assist on individual cases which include a great deal of client contact. Additionally, there will be exposure to activities in the area of public advocacy and client education. The criteria for selecting a Peggy Browning Summer Fellow are: interest in and ability to work directly with low income individuals; flexibility to learn new areas of law and a wide array of advocacy tasks; and strong research and writing skills. Background in employment law, while not required, will be considered favorably.
The total ten-week stipend for this fellowship will be $4,500.
Address cover letter to:
Sharon Dietrich, Esq.
Community Legal Services, Inc.
1424 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
www.clsphila.org
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