Suffolk's Own Stimulus Plan

The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service will play a pivotal role in Suffolk’s Own Stimulus plan.

Since opening for business in August 2007, the Rappaport Center has provided a centralized resource and support system for students interested in pursuing careers in public service. Many recent graduates have also taken advantage of the establishment of the Center, seeking advice about transitioning to public service from the private sector or otherwise changing their career paths. The Rappaport Center is led by highly experienced attorneys who are deeply committed to helping current students and Suffolk Law graduates obtain rewarding positions in government and with nonprofit organizations.

We are keenly aware that the economic downturn has not only affected the private sector job market, but has also significantly impacted the availability of jobs in the public and nonprofit sectors. In light of these extraordinarily difficult times, the Rappaport Center has developed an action plan specifically geared towards helping students graduating in May 2009 and recent graduates better position themselves for the increasingly competitive market.

Much of our model for providing assistance is based upon an extension of our relatively new but already thriving pro bono program. Our plan will allow both graduates entering the job market in the near future and recent graduates struggling to find opportunities to (1) develop legal skills, (2) gain relevant experience, (3) expand professional networks, and (4) provide meaningful support to agencies and organizations in need.

State and Local Government Agencies

The Rappaport Center will identify state and local government agencies that have announced hiring freezes, as well as any agencies for which hiring freezes are anticipated. We will be contacting these agencies to determine whether they have given offers to Suffolk Law students, and if so, whether they would be willing to employ these individuals on a volunteer basis. The Center will conduct similar outreach to other government agencies which may otherwise have a need or interest in utilizing recent graduates.

Volunteers will fill gaps in service created by the hiring freeze, providing a tremendous resource to the agency, while simultaneously ensuring that the Suffolk Law graduate is in the best position possible to secure a paying position.

Nonprofit Organizations

As with agencies in the public sector, legal services and other nonprofit organizations have imposed hiring freezes. The Rappaport Center will meet with leaders in the nonprofit community who have been most severely affected by budget cuts and significant decreases in IOLTA funding. Through this process, we will seek to identify those organizations in greatest need of support and determine whether they are willing to hire recent graduates on a volunteer basis. Again, by volunteering at these organizations, Suffolk graduates will be playing a critical role in supporting organizations whose ability to ensure access to justice has been greatly diminished by severe drops in funding.

Training

To further enhance our graduates’ positioning in the job market, we will reach out to our Pro Bono Partners – the Volunteer Lawyers Project, the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), Health Law Advocates, and the Victim Rights Law Center – as well as other pro bono referral entities, to request that they offer training sessions at no charge to and exclusively for Suffolk students and recent graduates. These training sessions will provide our students and graduates with added skills that can be used immediately and will enhance individual marketability.

Federal Government Jobs

One of the few industries likely to continue to hire and even expand hiring is the federal government. The Rappaport Center currently offers students and recent graduates many resources designed to assist with federal government job searches. In this time of exceptional need, we plan to supplement these resources by reaching out to Suffolk alumni currently employed in various federal government agencies and seeking their support in finding jobs for Suffolk graduates. We also encourage our alumni who are working for federal agencies or otherwise have connections to opportunities with the federal government, to contact the Rappaport Center.

Interested in participating? Let us know!

If you are a student who recently graduated or an alum interested in taking advantage of postgraduate volunteering, free training, or are considering federal government employment, please contact Susan Prosnitz, Executive Director, Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service at sprosnitz@suffolk.edu or 617.573.8644.