Who We Are
Ben Beach is the Director of CBLC
He counsels organizations and municipalities on a variety of matters, including negotiating and drafting community benefits agreements, and law and policy addressing job quality and access, green jobs, waste and recycling, land use, affordable housing and redevelopment.
Ben has published law review and journal articles on community economic development, community benefits agreements and job quality and access in the construction sector. He has also taught the community economic development seminar at UCLA School of Law and spoken about community benefits and community economic development to law schools, conferences, foundations and local governments.
Ben began his legal work in community economic development as an Equal Justice Works Fellow and then Staff Attorney at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. He earned his A.B. from Bowdoin College in 1997 and received his J.D. in 2002 from New York University School of Law, where he was a Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholar. Upon graduation, he clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Berle M. Schiller in Philadelphia, PA.
Internship Opportunities
The Community Benefits Law Center places a high priority on training law students interested in community economic development and related fields, and maintains an active program of law student internships. Legal interns with the CBLC have the opportunity to work with the CBLC’s clients around the country on a wide variety of legal projects. We emphasize direct client contact where possible, development of legal research and writing skills, and understanding of professional roles and responsibilities with regard to clients’ campaigns and decisions. The CBLC’s exceptional network of client organizations allows law students exposure to all aspects of effective community-based advocacy regarding economic development.
We will consider applicants for both summer and school-year internships, either full-time or part-time. The CBLC will also consider supporting postgraduate public interest fellowship applications.
The CBLC and PowerSwitch Action work with a diverse array of community and labor leaders committed to justice and equality. Women, people of color, and members of the LGBT community are strongly encouraged to apply for internship positions. For additional information, please contact Ben Beach, CBLC Director, at ben@powerswitchaction.org.