Project Based Fellowship Sponsorship

Philadelphia Legal Assistance Center, Inc. (PLA) is interested in sponsoring eligible law students for a Skadden, Independence Foundation, Equal Justice Works fellowship or the Christine A. Brunswick Public Service Fellowship.

Created in January 1996 and primarily funded by the Legal Services Corporation, PLA provides free civil legal services to low income Philadelphians and migrant agricultural workers throughout the state of Pennsylvania. The work is professionally challenging and uniquely fulfilling for those wishing to pursue a career of public interest law on behalf of low income individuals.

PLA attorneys provide high quality representation to low-income individuals in areas of basic human need: shelter, family safety and income maintenance. We encourage the use of creative strategies to resolve legal problems and innovative service delivery models to meet client needs. PLA’s substantive areas of expertise and practice in Philadelphia include: consumer-housing, family, and public benefits. The Consumer-Housing Unit specializes in mortgage foreclosure defense, predatory lending, bankruptcy and consumer protection law. The Family Law Unit provides representation in custody, support and protection from abuse matters for survivors of interpersonal violence. Welfare issues, including food stamps and medical assistance as well as unemployment compensation and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) cases, are all handled by the Public Benefits Unit.

In addition to PLA’s specialized practice areas, PLA operates several projects that target specific client populations, address specific legal needs or enhance the impact of legal representation.  The following are three examples:

• PLA’s Pennsylvania Farmworker Project (PFP) represents seasonal and migrant farmworkers throughout the state in employment and employment related matters.
• PLA enhances the holistic approach of its service delivery model by offering clients assistance with tax controversies through its Low Income Tax Clinic (LITC). 
• PLA’s Medical Legal Community Partnership (MLCP) provides free on-site legal assistance to patients at community health centers, working jointly with health center staff to improve patients' physical, social, emotional, and legal well-being.

If selected for sponsorship, we will work with the candidate to design a project that complements our service delivery model and meets clients’ critical legal needs.

PLA serves a diverse community of clients and seeks a staff representative of the community we serve. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of Philadelphia Legal Assistance to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, veteran’s status, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.