Students volunteering with Iowa Legal Aid (ILA) Staff Attorney Research Project through the Citizen Lawyer Program have the opportunity to conduct research on a wide range of legal issues ranging from guardianships and protective orders to federal tax and civil procedure. It allows students to gain substantive experience relevant to a practice in litigation or on the transactional side.  Some of the research topics are also highly relevant to clerkships or bar topics.  Because the work done is written in memo form, students have the opportunity to generate potential writing samples, subject to Iowa Legal Aid approval.  This project is more than a line on a resume.  It provides students with the opportunity to gain substantive and highly relevant work experience.

This year, four 1L’s and one 2L are working on this particular project for ILA. The hours vary but students can expect anywhere from 10-20 hours during the semester assisting in research while gaining valuable work and community experience.