Access to Justice Tech Fellow Program
Host Employer Participation Agreement
The following memorandum of understating has been developed for use by the participating
host employers of the Access to Justice Tech Fellows Program, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and
____________________________ (host employer).
I.
Purpose
The purpose of this agreement is to establish the basic parameters of the relationship between
the Access to Justice Tech Fellows Program (hereinafter the “A2J Tech Fellows”) and the
Partner Host Organization (hereinafter the “Host Employer”) for the implementation of 2022
Access to Justice Tech Fellows Program. Signing this agreement con rms your commitment to
host a law student fellow for the program period during the summer of 2022, and outlines the
terms, conditions, and each parties’ responsibilities, leading up to, during and following the
fellowship program cycle.
II. Program Objectives
The A2J Tech Fellows is designed to identify and equip the next generation of justice leaders to
better ensure equitable access to justice for all. Upon the successful completion of the
program.
a. Fellows learn new ways to leverage the use of technology in providing legal
services and other new skills to address the unmet legal needs of low-income
and marginalized communities more effectively throughout our nation.
b. Fellows gain a deeper understanding of the systemic barriers that contribute to
the unmet legal needs of communities throughout the U.S.
III. Joint Responsibilities
A2J Tech Fellows will lead and manage recruitment, in addition to ensuring candidates meet the
requisite qualifications outlined in the call for applications. It is the responsibility of the host
employer to timely select a qualified candidate who demonstrates the potential to achieve
success on completing projects and organization’s objectives.
A2J Tech Fellows will assist host employer in developing a position description and advertise
the position through a host of different mediums, law school job boards, and related outreach
strategies. A2J Tech Fellows will manage outreach and recruitment efforts for the position
through the execution of a national marketing and outreach campaign. A2J Tech Fellows will
develop marketing and branding assets to promote the position and provide the host employer
with marketing resources to aid outreach efforts. A2J Tech Fellows will administer the online
application portal, which will be the single point of entry for application submissions for the
position. A2J Tech Fellows will screen applicants to ensure that they meet eligibility
requirements and distribute all completed applications to Host employer for candidate review
and selection.
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Employer Participation Agreement
Host employer will assist A2J Tech Fellows in the recruitment of the position by leveraging a
localized outreach strategy and utilize marketing resources provided by A2J Tech Fellows. Host
employer will develop an effective process to screen and evaluate incoming candidate
applications for the position. Host employer will design their own candidate selection criteria.
The host employer project supervisor will contact candidates to schedule interviews within a
week after the close of the application period. Host employer will form a small candidate
selection committee to select their top three candidates. Host employer will inform A2J Tech
Fellows of their selected candidates to make formal offers.
IV. Host Employer Responsibilities
a. Host employer will place a law student in a full-time term of service, which is at
least 300 hours for an 8–10-week period, during the summer between May and
September 2022. The Fellow will be expected to work normal business hours and
will not be expected to work beyond the duration of their term of service.
b. Host employer is responsible for conducting criminal background checks on
applicants who accept position offers before they begin their term of service, if
the host employer deems necessary.
c. Host employer will ensure that the selected Fellow is provided with meaningful
service opportunities within the scope of project. If there are administrative or
clerical activities assigned, they should be directly related to the Fellow’s service
activities as described in the position description.
d. Host employer will make a commitment to provide the Fellow with a diverse
range substantive legal assignments and challenging technical projects that
expose the Fellow to acquire new skills and experience.
e. Host employer will provide a lead contact for the duration of the program cycle.
This staff person will serve as the main contact for A2J Tech Fellows staff. This
person will be charged with ensuring completion of all administrative obligations
and attendance/site representation at required meetings.
f. Host employer will designate a project supervisor who will be responsible for
supervising and working with the Fellow for the duration of their service. The
project supervisor will meet regularly with the Fellow to discuss project’ updates,
milestones reached, feedback on work product, and professional guidance. The
project supervisory and lead contact can be the same person.
g. Host employer will provide the Fellow relevant on-site or virtual training and/or
opportunities to attend staff meetings during their term of their service. Host
employer is responsible for ensuring the Fellow is familiar with all organization
specific policies and procedures, including but not limited to safety procedures,
organization specific non-discrimination/harassment reporting procedures,
expectations of professionalism and appropriate boundaries for working with
client communities.
h. Host employer will provide the Fellow a dedicated workspace (cubicle, desk,
booth, station, etc.) which includes access to a computer, internet, office
supplies, phone, fax, and other materials as necessary to complete assigned
project tasks. If the fellow will work complete their service commitment virtually,
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Employer Participation Agreement
the host employer is expected to provide any necessary hardware of software to
effectively complete their assigned tasks.
i. Host employer will provide the Fellow with adequate resources to fulfill their
project objectives, as well as the goals of the A2J Tech Fellows.
j. Host employer will approve and sign the Fellow’s service logs each reporting
period. By signing each service log, the Host employer supervisor is certifying
that the Fellow’s hours are accurate.
k. Host employer will notify A2J Tech Fellows immediately if a Fellow has violated
the terms of their program agreement in an egregious manner. (Unprofessional
behavior, repeated tardiness, not turning in work on time, etc.). A2J Tech Fellows
staff can then determine what corrective action is necessary.
l. Host employer will pay the Fellow a $5,000 stipend. The stipend should be
allocated in two even disbursements. The first disbursement should occur at the
midway point of the Fellow’s term of service and final disbursement at the
completion of the fellow’s term of service.
m. The Host employer will pay a program administration fee ($1,500) to the A2J
Tech Fellows, no later than May 6th, 2022. A2J Tech Fellows will provide an
invoice to facilitate the payment of the amount. Organizations who have
designated summer positions for Penn Law students are excluded from this
clause.
n. Host employer will complete program evaluation requirements, including the end
of the summer performance evaluation survey, and other reporting requirements
that may be requested by A2J Tech Fellows throughout the duration the
fellowship program cycle (e.g., program feedback surveys, on-site visits, etc.). All
evaluation procedures and documentation will be provided to Host employer by
A2J Tech Fellows.
V. A2J Tech Fellows Responsibilities
a. A2J Tech Fellows will oversee the coordination and administration of the
fellowship program activities. A2J Tech Fellows will be responsible for
communicating program expectations, responsibilities, policies, guidelines, and
procedures to Host employer and participating fellows. In addition to, informing
Host employer of important program dates, deadlines, and outstanding
administrative obligations.
b. A2J Tech Fellows will work in coordination with Host employer to ensure the
Fellow properly on-boards to the Fellowship Program and respective host
organization. Including the coordination of the Fellow’s start and end dates,
submission of the Fellowship Participation Agreement, and communication of
program requirements and procedures.
c. A2J Tech Fellows will conduct a two-day mandatory virtual orientation and skills
training boot camp for the Fellow, prior to their arrival at the Host employer.
Participants will receive training on various topics that may include but are not
limited to: The foundations of civil legal aid and access to justice issues, legal
design, legal project management, and introduction to developing legal services
technology.
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Employer Participation Agreement
d. A2J Tech Fellows will provide the Fellow with a robust ongoing learning
experience and opportunity to access a variety of training resources through the
A2J Tech Fellows Online Training Resource Center.
e. A2J Tech Fellows will provide ongoing support and communication with the
Fellow and Host employer through the Slack messaging application.
f. A2J Tech Fellows will convene periodic meetings with Host employer to discuss
important topics. Reasonable notice will be provided to Host employer.
g. A2J Tech Fellows will conduct several on-site (virtual) visits to selected Hosts
Sites over the summer service period.
h. A2J Tech Fellows will serve as a liaison for the Fellow and Host employer to
resolve any conflicts that may arise and act as an intermediary between the
Fellow and the Host employer.
i. A2J Tech Fellows will collect and compile all the data of the perspective
applicants and selected candidates.
j. A2J Tech Fellows will be responsible for all grant reporting including, tracking
service logs, ensuring all program exit requirements are completed by the Fellow
and Host employer. The data will be used to produce a final evaluation report
after the culmination of the program.
VI. Termination and Modification
This Agreement can be terminated by mutual agreement of the parties or by either party giving
thirty (30) days written notice prior to the effective date of the termination. This Agreement may
be amended at any time by mutual written agreement executed by authorized representatives of
A2J Tech Fellows and Host employer.
VII. Confidentiality
A2J Tech Fellows acknowledge that by virtue of entering into this Agreement they may, at
times, have access to confidential information regarding each other’s operations as it relates to
the project. Both agree that they will not disclose confidential information and/or material
without the consent of the other party, and unless such disclosure is authorized by this
Agreement or required under law. In addition, the eligible tenant’s confidential information will
be handled with the utmost discretion and judgment.
Participating Host Employer
Name: ___________________ Signed: _______________________ Date: _________________
A2J Tech Fellows Director
Name: ___________________ Signed: _______________________ Date: _________________
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Employer Participation Agreement