We're serious about public interest law.
Public Interest & Pro Bono Service Programs
A commitment to serving the public interest through law and the legal system runs deep at the Kline School of Law. We offer a wide array of courses, clinics and co-op placements that provide rich opportunities to advance the public interest. And many members of our faculty and our students engage in scholarship, research and activism in topics like immigration, gender equity, environmental justice, human rights and mental health law, to name a few.
Through our Pro Bono Service Program, ranked among the nation's Top 10 by Super Lawyers in 2015, every single student assists individuals or groups in the community who lack access to legal representation. Although this is a graduation requirement, we’re thrilled that our students view this as more, and most exceed the 50-hour service minimum.
Serve the Public Interest and Gain Hands-On Legal Experience
Our Clinics and Co-op Program give you a huge range of options for gaining firsthand experience that will help you launch a career in public interest law. You’ll gain close supervision from practitioners who share an abiding commitment to utilizing the law and the legal system to serve the public interest.
Co-ops and Clinics in the Public Interest
Pro Bono Service Program
“Pro Bono Publico” service, “For the Public Good,” is at the heart of the legal profession. Providing pro bono service to individuals or groups traditionally underserved by the private bar is the goal of our mandatory 50-hour Pro Bono Service Requirement.
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A Committed Community
Many faculty, students and alumni of the law school share a passion for public interest that’s reflected in their professional and scholarly pursuits as well as activism in the community.
Our faculty features champions of the public interest who have served as public defenders, worked as staff attorneys for organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Women’s Law Project, been tapped as experts to assess the fairness of capital punishment in different states and supported successful efforts to challenge stop-and-frisk practices by police in New York City. Their scholarly work explores new mechanisms for promoting the public interest through law.
Expert Faculty
Public Interest Career Development
Our Office of Career Strategies can help interested students find jobs with government agencies, the courts and public interest organizations. The office sponsors receptions and other events where students can meet public-interest employers and gain insights about the career pathways that are available to them.
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Funding: Giving You the Scholarships and Financial Support You Need
When we say we want you to succeed in serving the public interest, we mean it. That’s why the law school offers a number of merit based scholarships and other funding programs for those who have already shown a significant interest in public service or plan to for the duration of their careers.
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