By PROFESSOR RUSSELL ENGLER

Everything You Need to Know About Becoming a Public Interest Lawyer

You lot want to assistance people, and you want to use the law to do it. Public interest police might exist the perfect career path for you lot. But how do yous become a public interest lawyer, exactly? Go along reading for an expert introduction to this rewarding legal specialty, plus an outline of what this career path entails.

In that location is a reason why public interest lawyers are among the happiest in the legal profession: they use their legal skills to fight for important causes and on behalf of marginalized clients who otherwise have little hope of getting a fighting chance in our legal system.

With research shows that a happy life as a lawyer involves work that is interesting, engaging, personally meaningful, and focused on helping others, information technology is no surprise that public involvement lawyers find such satisfaction in their legal careers.

If this sounds like the right career path for you lot, you'll find everything you need to know about how to become a public interest lawyer below.

What is public interest law, anyway?

Offset things first: public interest law is an extremely broad topic with no single definition or practice setting. Often, it involves work on behalf of poor individuals and families with legal problems. This might pertain to criminal matters (through public defender offices) or to ceremonious matters (most commonly through civil legal aid offices).

Public interest law besides frequently supports ceremonious rights and social justice causes. You'll find public interest lawyers working with the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Resources Defense Council, and many other nonprofit organizations dedicated to furthering these legal bug.

Last, but certainly not least, public interest lawyer can also work in government, whether in prosecutors' offices at both the state and federal level, or in government agencies, including attorney generals' offices. The piece of work can focus on domestic issues simply also international ones, including human rights.

In short, the opportunities in public involvement law are particularly diverse amongst legal specialties—and virtually endless.

Related:Why I Chose to Study Public Interest Law

What do public interest lawyers do?

Public interest lawyers do in a rich variety of areas. Pick nigh any issue in the news, and any expanse where people struggle, and you'll find public interest lawyers working tirelessly on their behalf.

For example, public interest lawyers work on a wide assortment of ceremonious rights matters, including on issues involving discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation; gender issues; the rights of disabled people, whether involving physical or mental disabilities; or bug involving man rights abuses. Public interest lawyers as well represent people facing eviction and homelessness, fighting for fair wages or to receive government benefits, and struggling with workplace issues. Survivors of domestic violence, people with family law or immigration issues, and people facing criminal proceedings (on probation or currently incarcerated) turn to public involvement lawyers for assistance too.

Both within and outside the government, public involvement lawyers work on environmental issues, predatory lending issues, debt collection issues and many more. Their piece of work tin can include litigation in the courts, practise inside or earlier government agencies, efforts to shape legislation and agency rules, and the product of reports and documents designed to push for reform.

Pick most whatever result in the news, and any area where people struggle, and yous'll find public interest lawyers working tirelessly on their behalf.

Real talk: how much do public interest lawyers make?

If yous're interested in studying the law solely to get rich, yous probably should not become a public interest lawyer. Nevertheless, again, chore satisfaction studies bear witness that affluence and prestige play a much smaller role in leading a happy life equally a lawyer, compared to working on interesting, engaging, and important matters—which is exactly what public interest lawyers do, day in and solar day out.

Of grade, the rent needs to be paid, and it's of import to understand that there is a range of salaries for public involvement lawyers, depending on the piece of work setting and location. Payscale.com, as just one datapoint, has public interest lawyers' salaries clocking in from $47,000 to $103,000, based on national averages.

It'due south also helpful to remember that there are non-monetary benefits, such as flexible work environments (which tin can lead to cost savings for childcare, for instance). These benefits are often superior in public interest and government settings. Loan forgiveness options are more readily available for public interest lawyers besides.

Moreover, you may non spend your entire career in public interest law. Many happy lawyers first in public interest law, gain of import and valuable preparation, and movement into the individual sector. From there, they may continue to work on the public interest issues that matter to them on a volunteer ground, through pro bono opportunities, bar association committees, and in many other ways.

How to study public interest law

Like any legal specialty, studying public interest law comprises focused legal course work and experiential learning opportunities. Whether you're still on the fence about law schoolhouse or you're already enrolled, if you lot're thinking well-nigh condign a public involvement lawyer, it's helpful to preview this educational path to go a sense of what it entails.

Starting time by looking at a constabulary schoolhouse's clinical and externship offerings. Most of these opportunities permit y'all to combine outstanding legal training and public service while receiving academic credit.

Law students can too obtain paid and unpaid internships over the summer and during the school twelvemonth in varied public interest law settings. Students studying public interest constabulary at New England Law | Boston, for example, have interned at Greater Boston Legal Services, Volunteer Lawyers Project of Boston, and many district chaser'south offices.

As an undergraduate Stacie Pavao '18 "fell in love with the public involvement aspect of government piece of work and the larger societal impact it had" after doing an internship at the Massachusetts Attorney Full general's Part in the Charities Division. She decided to pursue this passion in law school, where she ultimately interned for the Massachusetts Department of Acquirement in the Litigation Bureau and Suffolk County Commune Chaser's Office, amongst other roles. "I relish the unique challenges every day brings, while also gaining the invaluable practical courtroom experience," Pavao says.

Related: Learn more than about studying public interest police

Law students tin gain exposure to public interest police force through their school's pro bono offerings likewise. Demonstrating the importance of this work, some law schools even have a mandatory pro bono requirement to be certain students take advantage of these opportunities and gain experience in public interest law.

And, of class, these experiential learning opportunities are bolstered by courses related to public involvement law. To listing just a scattering of examples: Business Compliance and Human Rights, Children and the Law, Environmental Law, Housing Bigotry Police, Indigenous Peoples' Rights, Mental Health Law, Nonprofit Organizations, Sexual Violence and Police force Reform, and Special Instruction Law—amid many others.

If you aren't quite ready for law schoolhouse, y'all can still get a taste of public interest law in many ways. Most public interest organizations and regime offices apply non-lawyers (on both a paid and unpaid basis) to support their lawyers. These non-lawyers can serve equally paralegals, investigators, information collectors, and in a host of other means that provide an important service and allow you to acquire more about public interest police.

Non surprisingly, people with public involvement constabulary feel tend to hit the ground running in law school and in do. They likewise often easily parlay their experiences into mail service-graduate jobs—and fulfilling jobs at that.

Russell Engler  is a Professor of Law and Director of Clinical Programs at New England Constabulary | Boston. He also serves equally the advisor for the school's Public Interest Law Concentration .