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SKILL SHARPENER
Four Students from University of Iowa College of Law Win Educational Stipends for Public Interest Summers [by Erica Winter] Four students from the University of Iowa College of Law, Iowa City, are among 240 law students around the country who are part of the Equal Justice Works Summer Corps program this year. Amanda Dohrman, E.J. Flynn, Alyssa Reed and Todd Schmidt will each receive a $1,000 education award voucher through the AmeriCorps-funded program.
Equal Justice Works, based in Washington,
In addition, Dohrman does client intake for
tion accessibility, and access to educational
D.C., runs the Summer Corps program in
the Senior Project, which helps low-income
programs, such as a child with autism getting
order to increase both the profile and viability
seniors with questions on landlord ten-
kicked out of daycare.
of public interest legal work for law students.
ant issues, medical coverage issues, public
While the award cannot be used to cover
benefits, and other legal hurdles faced by this
Access Living is divided up into teams (a
living expenses over the summer (it is ear-
age and income group. For intake, Dohrman
housing team, a transportation team, for
marked for student loans or current tuition),
listens to a caller’s problems and, after con-
example), and seeks to move “away from
it is meant to show recognition of students’
sulting with staff attorneys, suggests ways
a medical model to a rights model,” says
effort.
the group could help. Hearing callers’ stories
Schmidt. He is doing research and writing for
are “really eye-opening,” she says, and help-
the civil rights team this summer, and also
ing them “makes the experience worthwhile.”
doing intake work. “I wanted to do work I felt
Each of these four students is working on a
vested in,” he says.
public interest project that will give him or her valuable legal experience, and will also
Though the summer is just beginning thus far
shed light on parts of legal practice that are
Dohrman, who is going into her third year of
Like Dohrman’s, Schmidt’s job is unpaid,
not usually found in many law firms.
law school, has learned not only about legal
and they both cobbled together summer
issues, but also, she says, sees how some
funding for living expenses from a variety
Alyssa Reed is going out to the fields of Colo-
of these problems are connected to family
of grants. Schmidt took out a loan to cover
rado to talk with migrant farm workers about
dynamics, and lack of community resources.
some expenses as well. He heard about the Equal Justice Works Summer Corps program
their legal rights with the Colorado Legal Services’ Migrant Farm Worker Division,
Dohrman’s interest in health care law, espe-
through a lecture series at his law school,
Denver, Colo.
cially Medicare and Medicaid issues, brought
which included lectures on public interest
her to this division of legal aid. She is excited
opportunities.
Todd Schmidt is fighting for accessibility
to be learning about new Medicare laws, but
rights for people with disabilities with Access
the “most rewarding part,” she says, is talk-
Flynn will be a second-year at Iowa Law in
Living of Metropolitan Chicago.
ing with people directly and applying the law
the fall, and is working at two public interest
to specific issues, to people’s needs.
organizations this summer. He wants to help other people through his legal knowledge,
E.J. Flynn is serving low income people directly with the University of Iowa’s clinical
Schmidt is interested in disability law for
he says, on both a direct and organizational
law program, and also working with the Iowa
its theoretical/ policy side and its practical
level.
Nonprofit Resource Center, Iowa City, which
aspects. It’s “an exciting area because it’s
provides legal resources for nonprofits.
really changing,” says Schmidt, who will also
At the Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center, Flynn
be a third-year at Iowa Law in the fall. Public
does research on legal questions submitted
Amanda Dohrman is assisting senior citizens
policy on disability rights is still being formed,
by Iowa nonprofits. “I am currently research-
with their legal questions as well as study-
and “there’s a lot of work that still needs to
ing issues surrounding the fiduciary duties of
ing new Medicare laws with the Legal Aid
be done,” he says.
nonprofit board members under the Uniform Management of Institutional Funds Act,” he
Society of Minneapolis’ Senior Law Project. Dohrman’s goal for this summer is to be the
Access Living focuses on discrimination from
Senior Law Project’s point person on the
businesses and government against people
Medicare Modernization Act, “supervised by
with disabilities. Specifically, the group works
At the Iowa clinical law center Flynn serves
an attorney,” she adds.
on landlord-tenant cases, public transporta-
the clinic’s low-income clients directly.
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says.
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SKILL SHARPENER
Currently, he is working on an employment discrimination case, and helping others with some financial questions. Both jobs “are satisfying in their own way,” says Flynn. Reed, meanwhile, last week started knocking on doors to ask migrant farm workers about possible abuses of their rights from employers. When Reed goes to farm workers’ communities in the evenings, she will also give them information on topics such as their eligibility for workers compensation benefits, and the safe way to handle pesticides. If a worker has a claim, she will do the intake. Reed is bilingual and has a background in immigration law. “I am interested in all the issues that effect immigration,” she says.
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