In 1997, the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee (LCC)--a network of approximately 1,900 union-side attorneys representing unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO—created the LCC Minority Outreach Program to encourage law students of color to apply for summer clerkship opportunities at LCC law firms and legal departments. The outreach program seeks to introduce minority law students to the practice of law in the labor movement and to encourage them to join the ranks of union-side attorneys in the ongoing battle for social and economic justice. Hundreds of law students have gained valuable exposure to labor law and the labor movement through this outreach effort. During their clerkships, the students typically deal with important issues arising under a wide range of labor and employment laws, including the National Labor Relations Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Americans with Disabilities Act, Employee Retirement Income Security Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Also, in recent years, as immigrant workers have played a larger role in the labor movement, many students have gained exposure to a variety of immigration-related issues.
At the conclusion of the networking conference, students are placed in the LCC Mentor Program, through which experienced LCC attorneys provide guidance and support during and after the students’ clerkships. Many Minority Outreach Program alumni have been hired by LCC firms and legal departments, as well as federal agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board. If you are interested in applying at a law firm or legal department, apply directly to the employer. Click here for a listing of participating employers. To apply, send a resume and cover letter detailing your interest in labor law and public interest work. Availability of positions and hiring varies by firm and legal department and hiring decisions are the sole discretion of the law firm or legal department.
Law Clerk Networking Conference
To enhance their summer experience, students also participate in the LCC Minority Outreach Program Law Clerk Networking Conference, which features workshops and presentations on labor law practice, union organizing and representation, politics and legislation. In addition, the networking conference offers students the opportunity to share experiences and make important career contacts with LCC attorneys and union staff. The LCC’s annual Minority Outreach Program Law Clerk Networking Conference for minority law students working as summer law clerks in LCC firms and legal departments is traditionally held in June at the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C. The conference provides law clerks with an informative overview of the major challenges and opportunities facing today’s labor movement. Union staff, labor law practitioners and members of the LCC Minority Caucus lead discussions on various topics.
The program often includes the following panels: Researching Labor Law, Introduction to Labor Law, The State of the Labor Movement, Labor Law Practice Areas, Social Justice, Organizing and the Law, Union-Side Labor Practice: Contract Enforcement, Finding a Job as Union-Side Labor Lawyer, the LCC Minority Outreach and Mentor Program, Law
School Recruiting, NLRB Practice and Immigration.
Howard University School of Law
Georgetown University School of Law
The John Marshall Law School
University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
New York Law School
Fordham University School of Law
University of Texas School of Law
University of Southern California Law School
University of Arkansas School of Law
American University Washington College of Law
New York University School of Law
Tulane University School of Law
Catholic University School of Law
Minority Outreach Program Mentoring Experience
Upon completion of the MOP Law Clerk Networking Conference, each attendee is matched up with a mentor, an LCC lawyer who provides guidance and support during and after the students’ clerkships. Students may request a mentor who works in their city or specializes in a particular field that interests them. The MOP Mentor Program has been a great success. Mentors have provided career guidance and inspired many students to pursue careers in union-side labor law. Students have been mentored by partners and associates in law firms and assistant general counsels at legal departments. Law students have often expressed the value of being mentored by dedicated and distinguished attorneys in the union-side labor bar.
Patricia Howard Fitzgerald, a 1998 conference attendee, is an attorney for the American Postal Workers Union and a frequent speaker at MOP conferences.
Fausto Zapata, a 2001 conference attendee, started his own union-side law practice in New York City, Fausto Zapata and Associates, specializing in labor and employment law and civil rights.
Wynter Allen, a 2005 conference attendee, worked as staff attorney/associate general counsel at an international union before going into private practice at Alden and Associates in Washington, D.C.
Jennifer Rubin, a 2005 conference attendee, is an attorney with Sandulli Grace, P.C. in Boston.
Amanda Green, a 2000 conference attendee, is assistant general counsel for the United Steelworkers. She also serves as a member of the Allegheny County Council in Pittsburgh.
Recommended classes for those interested in labor law
Labor Law
Employment Law
Employment Discrimination
Trial Advocacy
Negotiations
Labor Relations (if available)
Tax Law
Conflict of Laws
Pension and Benefits (ERISA)
Bankruptcy
Copyright
Administrative Law
If you would like additional information about the
LCC Minority Outreach Program, please contact:
Angelia Wade
AFL-CIO
Associate General Counsel
815 16th St.
(202) 637-5385 mop@aflcio.org
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