Perez Named First Intern of New Pi Sigma Alpha Legal Internship Program

    Gabriel Perez, a member and former President of Tau Epsilon Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha (North Carolina Central University), has been appointed the first ΠΣΑ Summer Legal Intern by Society General Counsel John C. Kuzenski under a new pilot member program authorized by Executive Director James I. Lengle. The Pi Sigma Alpha Legal Internship Program will be a summer internship available to ΠΣΑ members who have completed their baccalaureate degree and moved on to complete at least one full year of professional legal education at an ABA-accredited U.S. School of Law. The program is designed to expand upon the Society's already impressive slate of member benefits for new and ongoing members by recognizing the needs of members who have since gone on to law school; an increasing number of such schools now require some or most of their students to complete a formal, supervised legal internship or clerkship during their program of study (in some cases, this is a requirement only for students who wish to participate in certain programs at their school) so as to give them additional practical skills that will be of benefit to the student as an independent practitioner in the legal world.

Of particular interest to many law school internship/externship programs are opportunities to place their students in pro bono (unpaid, volunteer legal work) opportunities with nonprofit or other social benefit-oriented organizations; "Pi Sigma Alpha," Kuzenski explains, "is a remarkable opportunity in that regard for our future interns or externs. It is a large, prominent, national organization that gives law students exposure to central practice areas in law-- business organizations, contracts, intellectual property, torts and risk management, and so forth-- while at the same time offering them a glimpse of what it's like to practice mainly transactional issues in niche areas of the law that are of growing significance-- nonprofit organizations and academic/higher education law." The Society has become recognized among academic honor societies across the country as being proactive in recognizing and responding to a trend that represents a "growing tidal wave" in the law:  the need for nonprofit organizations-- once thought to be relatively quiet and innocuous "add-ons" to the business world--  to adopt a more formal and serious approach to business practices and procedures in the wake of increased scrutiny by and heightened expectations among the nation's lawmakers and society at large. While the amount and nature of  ΠΣΑ's legal work needs are smaller and simpler than many national nonprofits (United Way, American Red Cross), there is still a considerable amount of work to be done, particularly over summer terms when student members and advisors are generally away from their institutions. In creating the Legal Internship Program, the Society's hope is that Pi Sigma Alpha members who serve as incumbents to the program will gain invaluable legal experience that will enhance their careers while simultaneously providing valuable supervised intern work product to the Society. Beginning in Academic Year 2010-11, the program will be transitioned into one that provides an open call for applications, and a full list of further rules and guidelines will be provided at that time. Generally, however, the Society expects interns to meet the membership and legal study requirements noted above to be eligible for the internship.

Perez is a rising 2L student at the Michigan State University College of Law, where he is also a member of the Hispanic Law Society. He distinguished himself as an undergraduate at NCCU by graduating near the top of his class and taking regular leadership roles within the Department of Political Science. Well-liked for his intellect, demeanor and gentility by both fellow students and faculty, Perez served his two final undergraduate years as a proud member of Pi Sigma Alpha and guided the chapter through a significant membership transition period as its President. He was also a member of Phi Alpha Delta National Prelaw Fraternity. He and a committee of other Tau Epsilon Chapter members were instrumental, two years ago, in revising and updating the Chapter's constitution and by-laws. Perez is a native of Denver, Colorado, but intends to return to Raleigh-Durham, NC after graduation to live and practice law in that area. Pi Sigma Alpha thanks Gabriel Perez in advance for his service, and looks forward to having him as our inaugural legal intern during the Summer 2010 term!