JUMPSTART your Public Interest Job Search!
WHERE CAN I GET A PUBLIC INTEREST JOB?
Public interest practice may involve litigation, regulation, and legislative or legal reform. Although
public interest practice is often within the purview of non-profit organizations, there are a growing
number of law firms that describe their practice as public interest. A wonderful opportunity to learn
about public interest employers and hot topics in public interest law is the Equal Justice Works Career
Fair and Conference held in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area every October. Two additional
events to keep on your radar are The Greater DC/Baltimore Public Service Career Fair and the WCL
Externship Fair which both occur in January.
HOW DO I GET EXPERIENCE WORKING IN THE FIELD OF PUBLIC INTEREST?
Academic-year and summer internships/externships are the perfect way to gain experience working for a
public interest organization. To increase your chances of obtaining a post-graduate position in the public
interest field, you are encouraged to take advantage of summer and academic-year positions while you
are in law school. Because of the extreme diversity of public interest practice, carefully research those
employers who serve the clients and issues that are of interest to you. Although many positions are
unpaid, a variety of funding sources and/or academic credit may be available. The print and online
resources listed below will help you identify job postings and employer information.
WHEN DO I APPLY FOR A PUBLIC INTEREST JOB?
Public interest positions are becoming more competitive by the year. The larger public interest
organizations start interviewing in October/November for 2Ls, and December/January for 1Ls. Many of
those organizations participate in the Equal Justice Works Career Fair in late October. There are
definitely organizations with deadlines in spring, but review listings early so you don’t miss any
opportunities. If you fail to secure a summer internship early in the semester, do not panic! More
opportunities will become available. However, if you secure an internship by March, you can apply for
a WCL Equal Justice Foundation summer stipend.
KEY RESOURCES
CareerLink (https://law-american-csm.symplicity.com/)
WCL’s primary resource for public interest internships and post-graduate opportunities. Employers and
faculty frequently contact OCPD directly about vacancies and specific hiring needs that may not be
publicized elsewhere. Search for positions under the "Jobs & Resume Collection" tab.
PSJD (www.psjd.org)
Contains job postings and resources for public service job seekers. The Resource Center has specific
resources pertaining to public interest careers, international careers, post-graduate fellowships, and loan
repayment. Click on “Government Careers” to access the public defender resources
(http://www.psjd.org/Careers_in_Public_Defense ).
OCPD Public Interest Listserv/OCPD Connect Newsletter
OCPD’s primary mode of communicating important information about public interest opportunities. To
sign up, go to the “Listserv” section of your CareerLink profile.
Public Interest Informer a weekly newsletter from WCL’s Office of Public Interest (OPI) that includes
information for students and alumni about public interest events, pro bono opportunities, and job listings.
Go to OPI website to subscribe: www.wcl.american.edu/publicinterest/.
Public Policy Resources
The Public Policy Handbook (http://www.wcl.american.edu/career/pph/) has deadline and application
information for internships and post-graduate policy positions with non-profit and government
organizations nationwide. You will need your AU log-in information to access the Handbook.
Washington Internships in Law and Policy contains internship information for over 250 organizations
including government agencies, public interest organizations, environmental groups, think tanks, trade
associations, lobbying organizations and labor unions.
Legal Services Internships
Interested in working for equal justice? Here's your chance. Over 120 legal services agencies offering
internships for law students.
Women's Rights Internships
There are any number of opportunities to get involved with the struggle for women's rights. Over 150
organizations dealing with domestic violence, sexual harassment, employment issues, families and
gender equality are here.
Human Rights Internships
Interested in working for human and political rights? Over 100 organizations working with refugees, for
freedom of expression and political self-determination. All of these organizations are looking for interns.
National Legal Aid and Defender Association (www.nlada.org/jobop.htm)
The NLADA site provides legislative updates, information on defender-related legislation and NLADA
conferences. Job listings can be found by clicking on "Job Opportunities," are organized by region, and
are posted by civil legal services or defender organizations, public interest organizations and academic
institutions.
Idealist (www.idealist.org)
A large directory of nonprofit and volunteering resources on the web, with information provided on
21,000+ organizations in 150 countries. It is not focused on opportunities exclusively for lawyers or law
students, but there are many listings that could be applicable to someone with a legal education.
National Lawyers Guild (www.nlg.org)
Home for lawyers interested in social justice, this site has great links to public interest organizations,
NGO's and human rights organizations.
Washington Information Directory (www.wcl.american.edu/career/searchskills.cfm)
A guide to organizations in the Washington, DC area, including trade associations and non-profit
organizations. View searchable listings of public interest organizations and contacts. A hard copy is
available in the OCPD Library.
2 JUMPSTART: Public Interest.docx