Appalachia Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky (AppalReD)

Site Description:

The Appalachia Externship is a one credit academic externship. Students spend their fall break or spring break providing pro bono legal services at the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky (AppalReD), which is the federal and state-funded low income legal services provider for the Appalachian region of Kentucky. Students also participate in the Appalachia Seminar sponsored by the Center for Social Concerns, which involves several classroom sessions, reading assignments, and written assignments exploring the culture and social issues of the Appalachia region, as well as Catholic Social Teaching. Students who volunteered at AppalReD last spring were able to interview and counsel clients, draft documents, conduct legal research, and do court observation, among other activities.

This externship is being offered under the umbrella of the Appalachia Seminar sponsored by the Center for Social Concerns. Participating law students will be cross-registered in the Appalachia Seminar and will complete its requirements, which include several classroom sessions, reading assignments, and two written assignments exploring the culture and social issues of the Appalachia region, as well as Catholic Social Teaching. Law students will also receive additional professional responsibility and legal training to ensure they are prepared for the tasks at AppalReD. The externship will be open to six 2L and 3L students each semester. It will be graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. The credit will be academic, NOT co-curricular. It will be offered at no cost to law students this spring. The Center for Social Concerns will provide a van for travel to AppalReD’s offices in Prestonsburg, Kentucky. AppalReD will provide lodging in a house next to their offices. The Law School will cover the cost of the van and food. Before registering, please visit the Appalachia Seminar web site to ensure that you understand the course requirements and that you will be available for the scheduled Wednesday evening classroom sessions. If you register for the Appalachia Externship, you will be automatically included in the Appalachia Seminar; you do NOT need to submit an application to the Center for Social Concerns or pay a fee. For more information contact Professor Bob Jones, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Notre Dame Legal Aid Clinic. Click on the following links for more information on the Appalachia Seminar and AppalReD.

Site Resources:

http://www.ardfky.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTCv3IyejSg

Site Contact:

For more information about applying to this site, please contact Bob Jones through the Law School at rjones1@nd.edu or 574-631-4863.

We discourage students from directly contacting the site; all reservations are made through the Center for Social Concerns. Further emergency contact information will be provided to students upon enrollment in the seminar.

Lodging:

[no information available at this time]

Travel:

Arrival and departure times are variable. Students will arrive on the site on Sunday, October 16, and will return the following Friday, October 21.

Personal Expenses:

Students must pay for their own meals while they travel from Notre Dame to the site on Sunday and back to Notre Dame from the site on Friday or Saturday. Students are requested to bring enough money to pay for these 2-3 meals, and it is also suggested that students bring extra spending money for personal purchases during their immersion. The availability of ATMs varies with each site, and so in the interest of avoiding fees or running out of money, it is suggested that students have a reasonable amount of cash on hand before the immersion.

Meals:

[no information available at this time]