Pursuing a Career in Public Interest Law Kelly O’Brien, Public Interest Clearinghouse 415/ , ext. 311, Diane T. Chin, Director, Equal Justice Works/West 510/ ,

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In California, less than 75% of the essential legal needs of the poor go unmet each year. There are a total of 820 attorneys working at IOLTA field programs in California. Yet, the number of attorneys and amount of money available to help underrepresented people secure justice is shrinking. Why pursue a career in public interest law?

A public interest career also… provides that rare opportunity to work with communities and clients as well as on social or political issues that are consistent with your values allows you to engage fully in the social justice movement creates opportunities for new voices to be heard within the justice system

Finding a job in law school and beyond… Explore your interests and show you are serious about a public interest career through clinics, externships or field placements, volunteer work, and course work. In the public interest world, demonstrated commitment counts — a lot. Research all opportunities—and apply!

When do you start your career? Now. Find a Pro Bono opportunity in California! PIC has several websites to assist you in your search: Locate resources to support your summer jobs, including law school or law foundation funding, Equal Justice Works’ SummerCorps, and local or state bar scholarships.

The Benefits of Doing Volunteer Legal Work During Law School Help provide vitally needed services and feel good about being in law school. Prove your commitment to doing public interest work to potential employers. Gain invaluable opportunities to learn practical legal skills under the direction of dynamic and skilled attorneys. Develop professional contacts and mentors.

How do you get a post-law school public interest job? Apply! “There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that lost by not trying.” –Francis Bacon, Sr.

Do a Comprehensive Search Non-Profits Legal Organizations : Most “public interest law” is provided through non-profit organizations. Each of these sites has ideas of ways you can apply for jobs in non-profit organizations. Many legal services organizations will also host you as fellow after graduation. Idealist.org PSLawNet: NALP’s public service network worldwide Equal Justice Workswww.equaljusticeworks.orgwww.equaljusticeworks.org Craigslist (search by city/state) The Public Interest Law Initiative The American Bar Association Opportunitynocs.org California Legal Advocates National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) Job Opportunities: Law Help California And more! Utilize your career services office!

A few post-graduate fellowships programs to consider applying for… Equal Justice Works Equal Justice Works sponsors two types of post-graduate fellowships, which include the Equal Justice Works Fellowships Program, and the AmeriCorps Legal Fellows Program. Skadden Fellowship Program - Fellows create their own projects at public interest organizations with at least two lawyers on staff. Echoing Green - In the past, Echoing Green solely provided seed funding to start your own nonprofit, and has relaxed criteria some in recent years. New Voices - New Voices Fellowship is currently focusing on Katrina-related projects but has funded legal services more broadly in the past. [Kelly – does this remain accurate?] Soros Foundation - A number of organizational and individual grants and fellowships, including the US Impact Fund’s Soros Justice Fellowship are available for public interest legal work through the Soros Foundation.

Some of the Benefits of Post-Graduate Fellowships It can be difficult to obtain an entry-level position at a civil legal services organization, but a fellowship creates this opportunity Many fellowship programs in addition to supporting your salary offer loan repayment assistance, specialized training, and access to conferences You are immediately part of a defined public interest community that will provide a network for you as you move forward in our career

Preparing to apply for post- graduate fellowships Develop a timeline to help guide you First Year, Second Semester Begin to identify practice areas or client groups of interest. Get to know faculty, students, and administrators with experience in areas of interest. Select courses, activities and summer job placements to build experience and develop contacts. Attend postgraduate fellowship orientation (Spring term). Review information about fellowships on line and in your law school’s Career Services Office library. Schedule a meeting with public interest staff.

First Year Summer Develop legal skills, insight into issues, remedies and resolution strategies. Research and get to know key people and organizations engaged in the work that interests you. Schedule informational interviews to learn more about substantive areas of law and to evaluate organizations. Talk to fellows who are working at the organization where you are interning about their experience. Second Year (and **Third Year for those who will be judicial clerks directly after graduation) Select a clinic and/or externship to build experience and contacts in areas of interest. Select a summer job placement to concentrate on areas of interest. **Develop an application schedule. **Research potential sponsor organizations and obtain information about their selection processes and deadlines. **Research potential postgraduate fellowships. Review their requirements and procedures. Consult with public interest faculty members, administrators and alumni about the fellowship process.

Second Year Summer (or Summer before Judicial Clerkship begins) Develop advanced skills, network with individuals in your field of interest. Submit applications to potential organizational sponsors for project-based fellowships (e.g., Equal Justice Works, Skadden). Identify project ideas for fellowship applications, if applicable. Request letters of recommendation, transcripts, and other required background materials. Third Year Consult regularly with public interest faculty and administrators to develop applications. Develop and refine fellowship proposals, working with organizations and public interest staff. Edit, revise, consult, edit, revise, consult. Apply for postgraduate fellowships. Conduct practice interviews.

Myths you may have heard and should ignore You won’t be eligible for a fellowship if you’ve worked at a law firm You won’t be competitive for a fellowship if you’re not in the top of your class A fellowship is a good back up option if you don’t get a judicial clerkship

The National Association of Law Placement (NALP) Directory of Legal Employers: Harvard Law School’s guide to public interest law firms: private-pi-firms.pdf private-pi-firms.pdf Public Interest Law Firms: Public interest law firms are generally small to medium sized and focus on individual plaintiffs or class actions, policy or impact litigation in specific areas of practice, such as discrimination, labor or immigration.

Government: Many government positions require a JD or consider having a JD a value to the position. These links will aid you in exploring career options in the government and provides the link to preparing an application for the federal government honors program. California Attorney General’s office has postings for California state government job openings: USAJobs is the webpage for all federal government job openings: Federal government honors program, read and explore this guide which explains the process and lists all agencies and offices that have honors program openings along with their deadlines. Statewide District Attorney’s offices and Public Defenders offices are available by searching on the web for your local county office.

Know What to Expect National Public Interest Salaries* The median entry-level salary for an attorney from the class of 2005 at a civil legal services organization was $ 36,000. The median entry-level salary for public defenders was about $ 43,000. State and local prosecuting attorneys started around $ 44,000. The median entry-level salary was $ 40,000 for attorneys in public interest organizations, such as those dealing with immigrant or civil rights issues. *This data is available in the Equal Justice Works Report, Financing the Future (2006).

What does it mean to earn $38k per year? Public School GraduatePrivate School Graduate Starting Salary $38,000 Estimated Monthly Take Home Pay $2,111 Estimated Monthly Loan Payment* -$630-$1,013 Monthly Available Income for Housing, Food, Transportation, Savings and Other Expenses $1481$1098 *This figure may be reduced by your law school’s LRAP program or the new federal law (College Cost Reduction and Access Act). For more information, contact your law school staff and go to

You CAN make it work, financially… Spend your borrowed money wisely to reduce debt repaid later. Ex. stop purchasing coffee. $780 worth of coffee (approx. five $3 cups/week for THREE years) costs $31/month for TEN years to repay…Read, “Lower Your Law School Debt,” Jeffery E. Hanson, Student Lawyer Magazine, V. 35, No. 2 (Oct. 2006). Create a budget, stick to it, & incorporate free fun into your life. Get creative with your funding sources! Develop grant writing skills Seek out loan assistance repayment programs including the new federal student debt relief legislation - College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA), as well as employer and law school-based (LRAPs) Do contract work on the side.

You CAN fulfill your dreams... Most law students in their law school applications say that a primary reason they want to go to law school is to make the world a better place. Your law degree will open doors for you to achieve just this goal. Remember the reasons you decided to go to law school, think about your vision for a more just and equal society, then pursue those dreams!