Mother’s Outreach Network seeks unpaid law student interns or externs during the academic year or summer terms for remote work with our legal services and systems reform work on an ongoing basis. Students will serve under the supervision of the Project Director, who is a licensed attorney. Each will split their time between the Systems Reform Program and/or the Legal Services Program. To apply, please submit a resume, writing sample, and one reference to info@mothersoutreachnetwork.org.

 

Mothers’ Outreach Network (MON), based in Washington DC, is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. MON uses a movement-lawyering approach to reform systems and to advance rights of its constituents and clients. MON’s mission is to empower D.C. mothers who are fighting for their families’ economic stability while navigating the criminal legal system or the foster care system: (1) by supporting mothers in advocating for local and federal government policies that are responsive to their needs and those of their families and communities; and (2) by providing representation to mothers, through its new civil legal clinic, in matters before D.C. administrative agencies that impact clients’ employment opportunities. MON achieves these goals through activities and approaches that build the power:

  • Brief advice and referral clinics
  • Representing clients in administrative hearings
  • Legal and grassroots research
  • Legal information workshops for parents and service providers
  • Policy, communications, and legislative advocacy
  • Civic and voter engagement
  • Outreach and mutual aid activities

 

The Systems Advocacy remote duties include the following:

  • Preparing legislative and policy advocacy materials, including for issue campaigns
  • Supporting and advising mothers in developing communications and legislative strategy to advance their policy objectives
  • Providing training to community members and clients on relevant topics
  • Gathering client stories and collecting and summarizing data for advocacy purposes
  • Developing and updating, on an ongoing basis, civic education curriculum and other legal information materials
  • Supporting the grassroots mobilization of mothers within MON’s client community, through attending community meetings and meetings of partner organizations
  • Updating and performing new research and drafting for the civic participation legal curriculum and resource manual with user-friendly case law examples.

 

The Legal Services remote duties include the following:

  • Conducting screening and referrals of MON’s prospective client and clients for MON’s new civil legal clinic, including in conjunction with other legal services and social services organizations
  • Communicating with, advising, and counseling clients through staffing intake, brief advice and a referral hotline
  • Taking responsibility for legal case management systems
  • Supporting attorneys with legal tasks in handling cases and otherwise participate in the representation in preparation for and at administrative hearings
  • Creating, contributing to, and/or updating newsletters, existing reports, research and training materials for pro bono attorneys and other legal volunteers