Spring Break Trips 2010

HLS will cover the cost of hotels and rental cars for the group. Students may need to contribute to airfare costs of less than $300. 

Click here to download an application

Please submit the completed application and a resume to Lee Branson (Austin 107, lbranson@law.harvard.edu) by Sunday, February 7, 2010.

Potential interviews Tuesday, February 9 and Wednesday, February 10. Decisions will be announced by February 12.

 Information Session

Power Point presentation from the Information Session

Monday, February 1
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Pound 201 
Lunch provided

 Project Information

1. Delta Directions Consortium (Clarksdale, MS)

Students will travel to the Mississippi Delta to work with small business owners and potential entrepreneurs to help them understand the basic legal regime for starting a small business. Students will meet with aspiring entrepreneurs to learn about their business interests and legal barriers. They will also meet with successful business owners to learn about some of the challenges they overcame in order to run successful businesses.  

The students will be responsible for two primary deliverables: (1) preparing a legal guide to starting/operating a small business in Mississippi and (2) presenting and teaching these legal issues to a group of entrepreneurs at GrowDelta’s training, entitled “Legal Issues in Starting or Maintaining Your Mississippi Business.” The legal guide and training will cover various issues, including but not limited to tax, IP, entity structure, insurance, licensing, etc.

Six to eight students.  Must be in Clarksdale Saturday, March 20 for session.  Optional night in Memphis.

For more information visit www.deltadirections.org. 

 2.  Labor Law Project in the South  (MS and TN)

Students will assist a legal services organization working with laborers in Mississippi who have employment claims.  Students will travel to Mississippi at the beginning of the week for interviews with the clients and then write up the affidavits at the end of the week in the organization’s Tennessee office.  This project is highly confidential.

Two to Four Students.  Students must read, write, and speak Spanish.  Work to begin Saturday, March 13.

3.  Orleans Public Defenders (New Orleans, LA)

Variety of assignments for public defender’s office which may include: Interview clients at first appearances for bond hearings; Interview inmates in jail; Interview witnesses; Create digests of client files for the attorneys to use in court; Call inmates’ family members to help them post bond; Observe hearings; Research and prepare memos on topics in Louisiana law.

Five to ten students.

See http://www.opdla.org/