| Item Title: | PD-Gideon's Promise LSPP Simon Lu MOU (2021-0540) | | Submitted By: | Kelli M. Childress, Chief Public Defender, Public Defender's Office (915) 546-8185 | | Subject: | Approve and authorize the County Judge to sign the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, the University of Texas School of Law 2021 Justice Corps Texas Law Gideon’s Promise Fellowship Sponsoring Organization Acknowledgement for Simon Lu in the El Paso County Public Defender’s Office for FY 2021. (Contract No. 2021-0540) | | Background: | The Public Defender's Office has partnered with Gideon's Promise for a number of years to enhance the training and development of Public Defender's Office lawyers and leaders. Gideon's Promise developed the Law School Partner Program (LSPP) which functions a clearinghouse bringing law students who have committed themselves to working in Public Defender's Offices, representing economically disadvantaged individuals, together with Public Defender's Office programs.
In order for students to join the program, they must come from a law school which is willing to provide that student in a fellowship for a one year period, and the goal of both participant offices and the lawyer participants is that the attorney will become a permanent employee of that Public Defender's Office. Commissioner’s Court approved the Public Defender’s Office joining the program in 2020, and again for FY 2021.
This item is to acknowledge our understanding of our FY 2021 Fellow, Mr. Simon Lu’s obligations to the University of Texas School of Law which is providing him a $50,000 Fellowship stipend.
The Court previously authorized the Memorandum of Understanding with Gideon's Promise, the University of Texas at Austin School of Law and Mr. Simon Lu to provide a supplement to his Fellowship stipend commensurate with a PS07 on El Paso County's Salary Scale, and then once he passes the bar and is licensed to practice law, to match the entry level for a lawyer on the attorney salary plan. | | Fiscal Impact: | There is no additional fiscal impact to the County for this item. | | Recommendation: | Approve and authorize the County Judge to sign the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, the University of Texas School of Law 2021 Justice Corps Texas Law Gideon’s Promise Fellowship Sponsoring Organization Acknowledgement for Simon Lu in the El Paso County Public Defender’s Office for FY 2021. (Contract No. 2021-0540) | | Prior Action: | After the MOU covered by this item was approved by the Court on December 9, 2019, (Contract 2019-0899), the County Attorney's Office identified several additional revisions. Based on this, we requested the Court rescind its approval on December 16th, 2019, item 4, X.
The Court approved the revised program MOU with Gideon's Promise on February 24, 2020. (Contract 2019-0899.)
The first year Gideon LSPP Fellow's MOU was approved on June 22, 2020, under contract number 2020-0325, and an addendum was approved on September 21, 2020, under contract 2020-0733 due to COVID issues.
Commissioner's Court approved both updates to the Master MOU with Gideon's Promise for the Law School Partnership Project and the MOU with Simon Lu, Gideon's Promise, and the University of Texas at Austin Law school in June 2021, under contract numbers 2020-1092 and 2021-0166 respectively. | | Strategic Plan: | .. | | Strategic Plan Information: | |
| |