The Public Interest Scholarship program expands our long-standing commitment to pro bono service and legal practice by financially supporting qualified students committed to the public good.

Since it opened its doors, the Kline School of Law has viewed public interest law and lawyering as a key component of its mission. We have built strong partnerships with the Philadelphia public interest community as well as governmental law offices such as the District Attorney, the Defender Association of Philadelphia, and the Federal Defender. We have also cultivated relationships in the surrounding counties and with state offices like the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office in Harrisburg. We have forged ties with agencies like the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office in South Jersey and the Delaware Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Unit.

Our robust Pro Bono program is a national model, permitting students to become Certified Legal Interns who take on direct client representation under close supervision by experienced public interest attorneys.  We also have our signature Co-op program, with co-op placements available at every kind of agency and organization that practices public interest law.

We offer four public-interest-focused law clinics that provide additional opportunities to experience public interest legal practice.

Because we invest greatly into training and supervising students and offer public interest programming across the curriculum, students get uncommon opportunities to represent actual clients.

Application

If you are interested in being considered for the Public Interest Law Scholarship Program, please attach the Public Interest Law Scholarship Program addendum to your law school application. Instructions for the addendum are in the application.