Law School Public Interest Programs - Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
Speaker series - Established by ALS professor Tim Lytton in 2001, this town hall style program promotes the exchange of ideas between ALS Student, faculty, and staff, and the greater community. The free series features notable speakers who examine topics of great significance locally, in the country, and around the world, often focusing on public interest topics, such as the inaugural program on "Searching for Justice on Death Row: Administration of the Death Penalty.
American University Washington College of Law
Faculty Public Interest Committee Founder's Celebration Programs
Read Between the Lines: Public Interest and the First Year Curriculum Brown Bags
Founders' Celebration include the following: Trade as the Guarantor of Peace, Liberty and Security; Election Protection and Democracy Expansion: A Constitutional Reform Agenda for the New Century; Crimes and Punishment: The Quest for Just and Effective Sentencing; Cultural Resistance to Oppression; Founders' Celebration: Opening the Floodgates on a Finite Resource: The Implications of a Human Right to Water; The Second Annual International Environmental Law Conference: Environmental and Social Standards for International Finance; Promoting Women's Health Through Human Rights; Working Time, Discrimination and the Law: The Family Responsive Workplace in Europe and the United States; International Health Policy Fourm; Activisim for Human Rights in Mental Health Conference: How the Law Can Support Grassroots Actions for Human Rights in the Mental Health System; Indigenous Rights Training Institute and Conference; Harmonizing Human Rights Training; Challenges to Realizing Social, Economic and Cultural Rights; Beijing + 10: A Look at the Beijing Platform Ten Years Down the Road
Law & Government Lecture Series
Public Interest Roundtables the Public Interest Roundtables provide an opportunity for first-year students to discuss the public interest aspects of the core courses with faculty members over lunch. The group is kept small to foster interactive discussion.
In My Back Yard (IMBY) Public Service Day - IMBY is a volunteer public service project sponsored by the Office of Public Interest and the PIPS Scholars designed to engage new law students in public service projects in the D.C. community and to provide an opportunity for WCL students, faculty, and staff.
Pro Bono Superstar Series The Pro Bono Superstars series highlights students active in pro bono work by profiling them on the bulletin board outside the Office of Public Interest.
P.S. Is not an Afterthought Public Interest Retreat Founded by WCL Public Interest/Public Service Scholars in 2004, the retreat provides a unique opportunity for DC-area law students to forge alliances and work cooperatively on future projects. Practical skill sessions fill gaps in students’ professional
Public Interest Speed Networking Event This collaborative effort among DC-area law schools provides an opportunity for second and third-year students to meet public interest and government lawyers, polish their informational interviewing skills, and learn about a variety of public interest organizations.
ASL's Introduction to Law course features a number of speakers from public interest organizations; all new law students participate in this course. ASL also sponsors a series of occasional luncheon speakers addressing various areas of public interests work. For example, Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama spoke at ASL during the Fall of 2001.
Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
Barry University School of Law
Lectures are arranged periodically by student groups.
Boston University School of Law
Faculty Brown Bag lunch talks - Distinguished members of our faculty spoke on issues such as the military's policy on non-recruitment of gay and lesbian persons; right to die issues; medical marijuana; and the legal duties of physicians and lawyers in conducting interrogations of unlawful combatants at Guantanamo Bay.
Public Interest Project's Annual Auction - Each year the BUSL Public Interest Projects organizes an auction to raise money to support students engaging in nonpaying public interest summer jobs.
Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School
Public interest and government attorneys take part in a Professional Development Public Interest/Service Lecture Series which is available to students on a weekly basis.
California Western School of Law
Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
Case Western Reserve University Law School
Catholic University of America School of Law
Chapman University School of Law
- Annual Public Interest Career Panel
- Periodic Speakers on Public Interest Issues (school and student sponsored)
City University of New York Law at Queens College
New York City Law Review Symposium - The Law School's Law Review conducts symposia on public interest topics. Past symposia have been held on community economic development and more recently nonprofit organizations.
Heywood Burns Annual Lecture - There is an annual lecture from those appointed to the Heywood Burns Chair. Haywood Burns, the Law School's second Dean, died tragically in an automobile accident in South Africa on April 2, 1996. In his memory, the Law School established a Chair in Civil Rights
Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
College of William and Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law
In Prison for 30 Years for Fraud: Sentencing and the Constitution After Sarbanes-Oxley
Women's Rights and Islamic Family Law in Afghanistan – William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law Speaker: Judge Marzia Basel, Director of the Afghan Women Judges Association
Legal Rights in Historical Perspective: From the Margins to the Mainstream – Symposium on how group-based rights move--or should move, or are stalled in their movement--from the margins of legal protection towards the mainstream
Representing Unpopular Clients: Klansman, Bombers, and the Bill of Rights – Guest Speaker: David Baugh, Esq.
Silent Covenants: Brown v. Board of Education and the Unfulfilled Hopes for Racial Reform – Marshall-Wythe Medallion
Speaker: Professor Derrick Bell
The Debate over Church and State: Religion, Marriage, and the Law – Guest Speaker: Jay Sekulow, Esq.
Cutler Lecture – The Cutler Lecture is an annual lecture by an outstanding authority on the Constitution of the United States. Each lecture is published in the William and Mary Law Review. http://www.wm.edu/law/institutesprograms/lectureseries.shtml
George Wythe Lecture – The annual George Wythe Lecture series is named in honor of the occupant of the first Chair of Law at William & Mary and in the United States. George Wythe was not only the law teacher of distinguished American patriots--Jefferson and Marshall among them--but was himself one of the most distinguished lawyers and judges of that late colonial and early national period. http://www.wm.edu/law/institutesprograms/lectureseries.shtml
Carter O. Lowance Fellowship – The Carter O. Lowance Public Service Fellowship in the Institute of Bill of Rights Law was established in 1989 by friends of the late Carter Lowance as a tribute to his distinguished public service to the people of Virginia. The Lowance Fellowship is awarded each year to a person in public life whose achievements merit special recognition. The Lowance Fellow is in residence at the Law School to deliver lectures, meet informally with students and participate generally in the life of the Law School and the College. http://www.wm.edu/law/institutesprograms/lectureseries.shtml
Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference – The Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference encourages legal scholarship on the role that property rights play in society and also facilitates the exchange of ideas between scholars and practitioners. The annual conference brings together members of the bench, bar and academia to explore recent developments in takings law and other areas of the law affecting property rights. During the conference, the Brigham-Kanner Prize is awarded to recognize an outstanding figure in the field. http://www.wm.edu/law/institutesprograms/property/
Supreme Court Preview – The Institute of Bill of Rights Law marks the commencement of the new term of the United States Supreme Court each fall with its Supreme Court Preview conference. Now in its 18th year, the Supreme Court Preview brings together leading Supreme Court journalists, advocates and legal scholars for a day and a half to discuss and analyze the Court's upcoming term. http://www.wm.edu/law/ibrl/supremecourt.shtml
Institute of Bill of Rights Law Student Division Symposium – Topics vary. Recent programs have focused on military recruitment at law schools, ten commandment displays on public property, national security vs. personal liberty, affirmative action, and racial profiling. http://www.wm.edu/law/ibrl/studentdivision.shtml
Institute of Bill of Rights Law – Lecture and debate topics vary. Recent programs have focused on the war on terror, search and seizure, transforming democracy, sentencing guidlines, the death penalty and international law, and the Second Amendment. http://www.wm.edu/law/ibrl/
Human Rights Lecture Series – Topics vary. Recent programs have dealt with human rights under Islamic law,human rights and U.S. foreogn policy,civilianization of military operations, detentions at Guantanamo Bay, use of landmines during international conflicts
Columbia University School of Law
Human Rights Institute, Bringing Human Rights Home Conference - Use of U.N. Human Rights Mechanisms: A How, When and Why for Domestic Public Interest Lawyers, Spring 05.
"Rape Shield Laws" –A program and discussion on how the media affects rape shield laws, Fall 04.
"The International Court of Justice and America's Death Row" - Panel and discussion on the implications and legal questions raised by the ICJ's decision Avena and Other Mexican Nationals v. Unites States, Spring 05.
"Education Adequacy Litigation Panel" - Panel discussion on the history of education adequacy cases from a legal and political perspective, Spring 05.
"International Human Rights and U.S. Law"- An all day program that introduced basic concepts of human rights and international law, focused on the status of human rights treaties and customary international law in the US, Spring 05.
"Immigration Reform Panel" - Panel and discussion on whether new immigration proposals balance the rights and freedoms of all Americans with the security needed to protect them as well, Spring 05.
"Women and Science" - Discussion about recent controversy surrounding Harvard University President's comments about women and science and how they fit into the bigger picture of gender justice, Spring 05.
"Gender Based Asylum Law" - Panel and discussion on the unique challenges faced by women seeking asylum in the US, Spring 2005.
Human Rights Institute Speaker Series - Inspiration to Impact - From Inspiration to Impact is a lecture series that invites eminent human rights scholars and practitioners to address current issues of interest in the human rights field.
Human Rights Institute Practitioner Brown Bag Series - The Human Rights Practitioner Brown Bag Series provides more informal and intimate discussions with human rights law advocates about the intricacies of practicing human rights law.
Center on Global Legal Problems Speaker Series - The Center addresses globalization's legal dimensions through diverse interdisciplinary research and scholarship.
BLSA Paul Robeson Conference - The Paul Robeson Conference is an annual event hosted by CLS's BLSA chapter honoring the legacy of Paul Robeson, a civil rights and international social justice activist and one of Columbia Law School's most esteemed alumni.
Center for the Study of Law and Culture's Public Lecture Series - The Center's goal is to facilitate interdisciplinary study, research and scholarship on the intersections of law and culture. Starting from the twin premises that law is a cultural form and that culture carries the regulative force of legal practices and norms, the CSLC seeks to advance a wide range of work in law and culture studies.
Latin America Speaker Series - Social Justice Initiatives presents talks by Latin American lawyer-activists and academics, as part of its public interest and human rights work in the region.
Supreme Court Round Up - A roundtable review and discussion of important public interest decisions of the prior term and a look ahead to the current term.
Public Interest Faculty Teas- Public Interest Faculty Teas are informal monthly gatherings where students can drink tea, eat cookies and participate in a discussions led by public interest faculty members about how they have combined passion, theory and practice in developing their careers.
Samuel Rubin Program for Liberty and Equality through the Law - Lecture program established to advance the ideals of Samuel Rubin, a leading businessman and innovative philanthropist, who was sensitive throughout his life to the needs and rights of the poor and defenseless, and dedicated to the concern for universal human rights and the peaceful resolution of economic and social conflict.
Barbara Black Lecture Series - Lectures organized around the general principal of interesting work by or about women and the law.
Public Interest Lawyering 101- An annual panel discussion about different ways lawyers pursue social justice.
Harold Levanthal Memorial Lecture - Distinguished scholars invited to lecture on major issues of public law.
Horace S. Manges Lecture and Conference- A series of lectures, conferences, symposia, workshops, panels and publications in relation to the law and public policy affecting authors' and publishers' rights.
John G. Palfrey Memorial Lectureship - Series of lectures focusing on law, science and public policy.
The Clifford Chance Endowed Lectures Series - Lectures on issues of race and inequality.
Center for Public Interest Law Career Programs - In addition to the above, CPIL hosts continuous programming throughout the year on various public interest career related topics, including: Workshops on job search strategies, and cover letters and resumes for public service employment; panels on pro bono in law firms, the revolving door career between the public and private sector, judicial clerkships and the public interest, using your public interest experience as the basis of a note, and debt management; and "Working In Panels" by subject(eg: international public law, civil rights, criminal justice, environmental law, on the Hill, etc...).
Fred Grey, Esq. - “Why Do You Want To Be A Lawyer?” - Fred Gray is a pivotal figure in the civil rights movement. Among other things, he was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s first civil rights attorney, represented Rosa Parks during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, was instrumental in integrating the Alabama school system and represented persons harmed by the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Mr. Gray spoke to the first year contracts class, and presented a talk to the Cornell University Community.
Janet Reno, Cornell University ‘60 - Former U.S. Attorney and Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of ‘56 University Professor Ms. Reno shared her “Perspectives on Public Service” with a rapt group of Cornell Law students.
Eliminating Sexual Exploitation in UN Peacekeeping Operations - Featured UN consultants Anna Shotton and Anthony Miller, who assisted the Jordanian Ambassador to the United Nations, Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, in the preparation of this report.
Berger International Legal Studies Program - Five of the Berger Program's Lectures focused on public interest topics: 1) “Demanding Accountability: Using International Law in the Fight for Women’s Human Rights” 2) “The Supreme Court, Guantanamo Bay and Justice Fix-It” 3) “The 9/11 Commission Report: Required Reading for Every American law Student: 4) “Freedom of Speech: The Law of Defamation and the Right to Privacy” 5) “Trying Heads of State: Accountability and the International Justice Movement, Has There Been Any ‘Movement’?”
The Cyrus Mehri Public Interest Lecture Series - The Cyrus Mehri Public Interest Lecture Series features an annual major address to the law school community by a leading public interest law practitioner.
Creighton University School of Law
Public Interest Law Week - During this week the PILF organization and Law School highlight individuals working in public interest, sponsor lectures and provide career information.
DePaul University College of Law
Lunchtime Speakers - CPIL, sometimes in partnership with various student groups, sponsors lunchtime events that feature speakers and presenters to discuss different public interest and social justice topics and issues;
Vincentian Conference - CPIL sponsors an annual conference with a panel and key-note speaker presenting issues and topics related to public interest;
Receptions - CPIL sponsors evening receptions throughout the year. Specifically, there are receptions to mark the start and the close of the school year, to connect student with mentors in the public interest law community and to celebrate the LRAP recipients and program.
Drake University School of Law
Bi-weekly Public Service Scholarship Program speakers
The Dwight D. Opperman Lecture Series
Bi-weekly Public Service Scholarship Program speakers
Constitutional Law Symposium
Agricultural Law Symposium
Drexel University College of Law
Leadership Retreat - Over 40 Duke Law students are selected to attend the Community Roundtable Leadership Retreat each year, which was sponsored last year by the law firm of White & Case LLC.
Women Judges Forum - This event is held each year in the spring semester to encourage students to consider the judiciary as part of their career path. Typically, several female judges on the NC Court of Appeals join female judges of other state courts and share personal reflections on their career choice, the barriers they faced, and the rewards of the job.
Faculty Lives in Public Service - Like our students whose extracurricular activities enrich the intellectual life of the Law School for other students and provide pro bono service for under-served client populations, the faculty who respond to requests for their special expertise from congressional committees, the media and other groups and organizations perform an important public service. That lawyers have a duty to educate and serve is one of the lessons Duke Law School tries to teach its students, and providing good models for this role is an important part of its teaching function. Beyond this function, it is simply the case that law professors, like all lawyers, share responsibility for transmitting to the broader society knowledge and understanding of the law and an appreciation of the values advanced by the rule of law.
The Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono provides an opportunity for faculty to share their leadership in public service. The Faculty Lives in Public Service speaker series provides an opportunity for students to meet with Duke Law School faculty who have held positions in government or non-profit organizations, have participated in pro bono opportunities, or have used their scholarship for public service. Faculty members talk about their work and discuss it with students during informal brown bag lunches.
Public Interest Retreat - The Public Interest Retreat, started in 1998, is an annual overnight weekend retreat for students and faculty interested in and committed to public service. The Retreat is held early in the Spring semester on Friday and Saturday, at The Summit Conference Center, Brown Summit, NC. The Retreat is an opportunity for students, faculty and administrators to spend a weekend reflecting on their public service aspirations and possibilities. Distinguished speakers, including alumni, working in public interest are invited each year to address the participants as well as to participate in small group activities and workshops. Time is also set aside for informal socializing and recreational activities. Students participate in a letter writing activity in which they write a letter to their future self about where they would like to be one year after graduation, and it is mailed to them at that time.
The Retreat is planned by a committee made up of Duke Law students and the faculty/administrators in the Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono. http://www.law.duke.edu/publicinterest/programs.html#retreat
Southern Justice Spring Break Mission Trip - Students spend their spring break doing service work in high-profile organizations throughout the South. In 2006, twenty-one students went to New Orleans to do hurricane-relief work; to Fort Worth to work with hurricane evacuees; to Honolulu to work in the Public Defenders Office; to Appalachian Kentucky to work with legal aid and on miners' health and safety issues; and to Atlanta to work with the Southern Center on Human Rights.
Duquesne University School of Law
PILA sponsors one table talk each semester featuring students who have worked in public interest positions.
Speakers Series – PILA invites at least 2 public interest speakers per semester.
Emory University School of Law
Public Interest Dinner Series – A select group of 1st Year students have dinner with the Public Interest Advisory Group to learn about particular public interest topics and opportunities.
Brown Bag Lunch Series – Sponsored by the Emory Public Interest Committee, this lunch series has guest speakers on a public interest topic.
Public Interest Conference – A one-day public interest conference in the fall with panels arranged on a public interest theme.
Faulkner University Thomas Goode Jones School of Law
During New Student Orientation, the Director of Career Services introduces students to the Public Interest Program. In addition, the Career Services Office sponsors a series of career-option seminars that includes a public interest component. Students are encouraged to participate in the volunteer partnerships the school has formed with local advocacy, policy, and community groups and to incorporate those experiences into class discussions and assignments.
Florida A&M University College of Law
The Center for Professional Development sponsors a Dine & Discover Career Series that includes programs on Equal Justice Works Post-graduate fellowships and Public Interest Law Careers featuring public interest lawyers.
Florida International University College of Law
Brown v. Board of Education
Florida State University College of Law
Public Interest Law Days is an event co-sponsored by the Office of Career Placement and the Public Interest Law Student Association. This event, held in the Spring, features speakers from state agencies, local state attorney and public defenders and non-profit organizations.
Fordham University School of Law
Public Interest Luncheon – The Social Justice Institute invites representatives from all of the local public interest agencies and provides pizza and drinks. This luncheon helps to kick off the auction fundraising efforts as it reminds students about the wonderful careers there are in public interest.
Bownes Forum – A speaker is invited every year to address the school community and the greater Concord community about constitutional law issues. This year the Bownes Forum speaker was Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU
Community Service Days – Each year during Orientation we have a community service day where new 1Ls can join 2Ls and 3Ls in doing projects for the local community. Also, in the first semester we have a community service day in honor of the founder of our civil clinic.
Public Interest Auction – This fundraising event is an annual tradition for the school community and also the local bar. It not only raised money for students working in the public interest, but also heightens awareness of the need for more lawyers working in public interest.
Fun Run for Justice – An annual event which raises money for our loan repayment assistance program.
Phinny Fund Golf Tournament – In it's first year, this tournament raised over $15,000. It kicks off reunion weekend and raises money for our loan repayment assistance program.
George Mason University School of Law
George Washington University Law School
Georgetown University Law Center
Dozens of career-related workshops are conducted each year, including a brown bag series featuring alumni in specific public interest careers (such as public defender and legal services). Numerous other activities and events are also held annually, such as a public interest auction, issue-specific symposia (e.g., women and the law), an international human rights law week, and a speaker series. Public interest programs are conducted virtually every week.
Sam Dash Conference on Human Rights – This annual conference was established to honor Professor Dash's contributions to international human rights and domestic civil rights. The conference brings together leading human rights scholars and policy-makers to discuss current issues involving the promotion of human rights throughout the world.
Georgia State University College of Law
Golden Gate University School of Law
Jesse Carter Lecture Series - The School of Law's Jesse Carter Speaker Series focused on California Legal History, and honored distinguished graduate, Hon. Jesse Carter. Justice Carter was elected to the State assembly, and served as an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court from 1939-1959, where he was known as "the lone dissenter."
"Sex and the Statutes" School of Law Film Symposium - This symposium focused on how law mixes up sexual practice, marriage, parenting and gender to the detriment of us all. It featured films critiquing legal policy; nationally-recognized attorneys challenging the law; a multi-media discussion of how law and culture deal with sexuality; and an online journal of cases and commentary.
Public Interest Law Scholars Lecture Series - The Public Interest Law Scholars Program sponsors a lecture series once a semester. A previous topic was “Advocating for the Protection of Women & Children.”
Fulbright Symposium - Golden Gate’s Center for Advanced International Legal Studies hosts this symposium each year which features topics of public interest law at the international level, as well as other topics of international law.
Academic Affairs Lecture Series - The Office of Academic Affairs sponsors a bi-weekly lecture series on a variety of topics, including many topics of public interest such as “The Interpretation of Dreams: A Psychoanalytical Re-reading of MLK.”
Progressive Lawyering Day -Annual program focused on public interest law and radical lawyering. Students work in conjuction with National Lawyers Guild to secure speakers.
Gonzaga University School of Law
SBA Club Fair - Club Fair
GPILP Public Interest Fair - Public Interest Job Fair
Gonzaga Journal of International Law Symposium – Symposium on international human rights
Luvera Lecture Series – Lecture on public service and public policy
William O. Douglas Lecture– Lecture on First Amendment issues
Hamline University School of Law
Public Law Heroes Brown Bag Lunch Series – On a monthly basis, speakers who practice in the area or who volunteer a significant amount of time to pro bono work speak to students, faculty & staff.
Human Rights Program 20th Anniversary Celebration- A weekend long celebration and conference that included prominent alumni active in the field of human rights, such as the head of Amnesty International, and academics.
A series of discussions with Professor Jon Hanson entitled "We've Got it All Wrong: A Year-Long Conversation Melding Social Psychology, Economics and Law." - This installment, "The Illusion of Choice," will seek to explore how policy is currently made, who it serves, and how we might - by reconceiving ourselves and re-imagining our laws - begin to better achieve the goals of freedom, justice and equality.
Tips for 1Ls from a Progressive Perspective – HLS Democrats, American Constitution Society, Civil-Rights Civil Liberties Law Review, Black Law Students Association. Come learn from the experiences of 2Ls and 3Ls as they provide tips on everything from preparing for class to getting involved in extra-curricular activities - from a progressive perspective.
An Interview with Mary Bonauto – Harvard Law School welcomes Mary Bonauto, 2004 Wasserstein Fellow, Civil Rights Project director at Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, and attorney for Goodridge et al. v. Dept. of Public Health.
Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review 40th Anniversary Conference – “Join us March 18-19th for the CR-CL 40th Anniversary Conference, "Bridging the Gap: Construction of Rights and Liberties in the New Civil Rights Era."
Competing Notions of Liberty and Security in the War on Terror - see http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/crcl/2005conference/
Talk with David Crane, Prosecutor, Special Court for Sierra Leone – “Join us for a conversation with David Crane, Prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Rasul, Padilla and Hamdi: The Evolving Jurisprudence of Terrorism - This is a panel discussion about the three major terrorism cases that the Supreme Court handled last term.
"Take Back the Courts" - Film and Panel – “Take Back the Courts" is a twenty-minute film that describes the human consequences of the rollback of civil rights by the federal courts.
The Roots and Legacies of the Nuremberg Trials International Justice. What does and could it mean to pursue justice internationally, especially in the wake of mass atrocities, wars and genocides?
Religion, Morality and Choice – Join HLS for Choice, the American Constitution Society and the Harvard Law School Democrats for an exciting discussion on "Religion, Morality and Choice: The Intersection of Values and Reproductive Rights."
Civil Liberties In the Current Climate – Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU will speak about “Civil Liberties In the Current Climate”.
Is Accountability a Pre-Requisite to Sustainable Peace? – A discussion between Justice Richard Goldstone and Professor Michael Ignatieff. Moderated by Professor Martha Minow. This is the last event in a week-long series of events related to Darfur and the national launch of the Genocide Intervention Fund.
Panel on Domestic Violence in Immigrant Communities – "Sponsor: StopDV Please join us for a panel on issues of domestic violence in immigrant communities. Panelists will discuss topics related to legal rights and strategies for helping survivors, assessing unique risk and lethality indicators, and changes in the aftermath of September 11th.
Transgender Law 101: Sex, Gender and the Law
Public Service Orientation – Designed to bring together entering 1L students with an interest in public interest, inspire them and provide them with an introduction to the extensive resources available at HLS to support public service. Features a prominent alumnus keynote, Dean Kagan, Professor David Barron and Alexa Shabecoff, Assistant Dean for Public Service. 2Ls and 3Ls attend as well to talk about the Auction and the Student Public Interest Network and to generally start the process of befriending 1Ls. Public service guides are distributed.
Public Interest potlucks – Sponsored by OPIA – designed to bring together public interest minded students. Generally at least two per year – one at Alexa Shabecoff’s house and one at another HLS staffer’s home or at the Legal Aid Bureau offices.
Student Public Interest Auction – Raises money for summer public interest funding but is also the premier social event of the year. Run by 1Ls, the planning starts in September and ends with an April silent and live auction. Dean Kagan has been one of the Auctioneers since she became Dean. Hundreds of students, faculty, staff and alumni attend and raise well over $100,000.
Public Service Alumni Reunion (March 2008)
Hofstra University School of Law
Hofstra's Office of Career Services also sponsors public interest programming and panels throughout the school year.
Howard University School of Law
- Dean's Lecture Series
- Numerous brown-bag programs
- Special Conferences
Illinois Institute of Technology: Chicago-Kent College of Law
Housing Rights For All: Promoting and Defending Housing Rights in the United States -Gathering for a one-day workshop, people impacted by homelessness, grassroots organizers, advocates, attorneys and many more joined together to discuss ways to build a movement to promote housing as a human right.
The People Speak Forum - Chicago-Kent hosted a forum as part of The People Speak, a series of nationwide town hall meetings hoping to increase public involvement on global issues in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
The Jewish/Muslim Initiative - Chicago-Kent and the University of Illinois Chicago have joined together to inaugurate the world's first visiting professorship of Jewish/Muslim relations. We have held a series of lectures on topics such as "The Importance of Jewish/Muslim Dialogue: Judaism and Knowledge in the Abrahamic Faiths."
Harry Morris Lecture in International & Comparative Law - This annual lecture features a speaker in International & Comparative Law. Lectures have included: "The Uncertain Self-Identity of International Criminal Courts" and "Decision making in the WTO."
Insitute for Law & Humanities Lecture - The Institute for Law and the Humanities was created to facilitate, support and encourage symposia, lectures, scholarship, and faculty discussion on the relationship between law and other humanistic disciplines. It provides opportunities for faculty and students to integrate humanities-based studies with the study of law and to explore the increasingly rich and diverse scholarship in areas such as legal philosophy, legal history, law and literature, and law and religion.
Centennial Lecture - This is an annual lecture. Speakers have included: Jeremy Waldron, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Law and Philosophy, Columbia Law School discussing "Torture and Positive Law: Jurisprudefnce for the White House."
Section 1983 Civil Rights Litigation Conference - This annual conference features nationally prominent law professors and practitioners who offer instruction on both the fundamentals and more advanced aspects of Section 1983 practice and trial skills, and analyze the latest case decisions.
Annual Conference on Not-For-Profit Organizations - This annual one-day seminar features a comprehensive program on the most current developments in taxation, legislation and regulation on non-profits presented by leading experts in the area.
Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington
PILF Student Retreat – retreat held at Bradford Woods, a property owned by the university
Lecture Series – Speakers are invited to the School to discuss a wide variety of public interest issues.
Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis
Norman Amaker Retreat – http://indylaw.indiana.edu/clinics/amaker/retreat.htm
Inter American University of Puerto Rico: Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law
Orientation to high school students in low income neighborhoods about civil rights issues.
John Marshall Law School – Atlanta
Lewis & Clark College School of Law
NW Public Interest Career Fair – In the Spring, Career Services, in cooperation with ten other area law school, sponsors the Career Fair providing students and graduates the opportunity to meet representatives from 50-60 government agencies or public service organizations in order to learn more about the agency or organization and their work. Participating offices are also invited to interview students and graduates for law clerk or attorney positions. More detailed information is posted on the website in late fall of each year.
Liberty University School of Law
Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center
Reforming Eyewitness Identification - Convicting the Guilty, Protecting the Innocent
Defining Crimes - The Theory of the Criminal Law's Special Part
Barry Sheck - Guest speaker
Sister Helen Prejean - Guest speaker
LSU Law Center Public Interest Law Lecture Series - Past lecturers include Professor Barry Scheck, Sister Helen Prejean and Professor Bill Quigley.
Loyola Law School: Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
The Public Interest Law Department is an active participant with the Alliance for Justice promoting First Monday campaigns (ex. Gun Violence).
The Public Interest Law Department offers open forums and speaker presentations to discuss various public-interest topics during lunch sessions.
Social Justice Mondays
Loyola University Chicago: Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Public Service Convocation - Mandatory ceremony recognizing the law school community's public service mission.
Coffee Talk - Monthly programs on child law related topics.
Meet the Public Service Employers - Opportunity for students to network with a large number of prominent public interest employers.
PILR Symposium - An academic symposium involving presentations and discussions on involving current issues in public interest law.
International Human Rights Lecture Series - Presentation by visiting scholar.
ChildLaw and Education Lecture Series - Presentation by visiting scholar.
Loyola University New Orleans: Loyola University New Orleans School of Law
Distinguished Speaker Series
Classroom visitors
Two major and three smaller lectures
Marquette University Law School
Mercer University School of Law
Michigan State University College of Law
Lecture Series, Symposia and Brown Bag Lunchs, including the following:
- Dredd Scott and International law, sponsored by International Law Society (ILS)
- Animal law for Fun and Profit, sponsored by Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF)
- You Downloaded WHAT? The Law, Economics and Ethics, sponsored by IP Law Program
- The Day May Come Towards Legal Rights for Animals, sponsored by SALDF
- In-House counsel Panel, sponsored by Business Law Society (BLS)
- Justice at Dachau, sponsored by Hillel
- Speaker Mr. William Simons, sponsored by IP Law Society
- Pet Loss Support Workshop for Legal Professionals, sponsored by SALDF
- Speaker Prof James Lingren from Northwestern University, sponsored by Federalist Society
- Training Program for ACT 312 Arbitrators, sponsored by MSU Law ADR
- International Criminal law and Terrorism Symposium, sponsored by JIL
- Michigan's Water Debate, sponsored by Environmental Law Society
- Legislation with Legs: Lobbying for Animal Issues, co sponsored by Sports & Ent Law Soc
Mississippi College: Mississippi College School of Law
Christian Legal Society (meets weekly)
Environmental Law Club (meets monthly)
New England School of Law: New England School of Law
New York Law School: New York Law School
South Asian Law Students Association and Asian American Law Students Association – Tsunami Community Relief Effort
Just Democracy - volunteers help voters at high-risk polling places exercise their rights, to ensure that eligible voters are not wrongly turned away and that election law is properly applied. A group of Just Democracy students from NYLS traveled to various polling sites during the 2004 elections.
Tony Coelho Lecture in Disability Employment Law & Policy - Each October, New York Law School's Labor & Employment Law Program, in cooperation with ongressman Coelho and other generous financial supporters, presents the Tony Coelho Lecture on Disability Employment Law & Policy. A national leader in politics, government, policy, business, organized labor, entertainment, the disabilities community, or other related communities will present a major address at New York Law School that contributes to our understanding of the issues associated with increasing the employment rate among people with disabilities.
Justice Action Center Annual Adoption Policy Conference
Advance Week Public Service Day
Sidney Shainwalk Public Interest Lecture - The Sidney Shainwald Public Interest Lecture Series, established in 2004, has attracted notable and distinguished speakers, such as: Kenneth R. Feinberg, special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, who gave the inaugural lecture, “The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund: Public Law and Private Pain,” and United States Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who spoke on the topic “Justice—What’s Ahead?” The most recent speaker was United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer, whose topic was “Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice.”
Public Interest Coalition Annual Goods and Service Auction – An annual goods and services auction which raises money for students working in otherwise unpaid summer public interest positions.
Stonewall Law Students Association Annual HIV/AIDS Charity Raffle and Dinner – An annual fund raising event which also includes programs relating to HIV/AIDS
City Law Breakfasts – The Center for New York City Law invites government, business, legal, and judicial leaders from the United States and abroad to speak at the Law School.
Pizza and Politics – The Center for New York City Law hosts Pizza and Politics lunch discussions for student, staff, and faculty.
New York University: New York University School of Law
Leaders in Public Interest Series, see www.law.nyu.edu/depts/publicinterest/events.html PILC Student Advisors Lunch Series
Numerous public interest lunches and career panels throughout the year
Numerous public interest lectures and symposia such as the Bell Lecture on Race in American Society, the Korematsu Lecture on Asian Americans and the Law, Labor and Employment Law Workshops
North Carolina Central University School of Law
Each semester the Pro Bono Program sponsors several events to highlight pro bono opportunities, public interest law careers, and the needs of under-served people and communities. These events include nationally known speakers; panels featuring local public interest and government attorneys, many of them alumni/ae of the Law School; and information meetings about the Equal Justice Works annual Conference and Career Fair and NC LEAF, the state loan repayment assistance program for public interest attorneys.
The Pro Bono Program sponsors an Orientation and introduction to the Pro Bono Program and lawyers’ professional responsibility to help insure equal access to justice.
Equal Justice Works Information/Interest Meeting – Information/interest meeting held in September or early October each year to introduce students to Equal Justice Works and promote the annual conference and career fair
Fall Public Interest Law Panel – Panel discussion with attorneys from various public interest law organizations to familiarize student with their work and opportunities to volunteer, usually held in October.
Spring Public Interest/Public Service Brownbag – Brown-Bag lunch with public interest law and government attorneys, held during Law Week in April.
Innocence Project Major Speaker – Te NCCU Law Innocence Project sponsors a major speaker each semester on a topic related to wrongful conviction and the criminal justice process. Recent speakers: In Fall 2004, former NC death-row inmate Alan Gell, whose conviction of first-degree murder
Northeastern University: Northeastern University School of Law
School of Law Visions and Ideals Award – Julius Chambers, legendary civil rights attorney and advocate, delivered the 2005 Commencement Address. We awarded to Mr. Chambers the first Northeastern University School of Law Visions and Ideals award, to be awarded to an individual who exemplifies the melding of theory and practice in service of social justice ideals.
Teach In – Committee on the Solomon Amendment
Sudan Forum – Prisoners' Rights Luncheon
Consultation: Program for Human Rights and the Global Economy – Realizing Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights: Communities, Courts and the Academy.
http://www.slaw.neu.edu/clinics/rights_esc2005.html
The Domestic Violence Institute (DVI) – In the fall and winter, the Institute staff sponsor seminars and events to familiarize students with domestic violence issues in general and local abuse prevention initiatives in particular.
The Valerie Gordon Human Rights Lecture – “Back in the Day' is Today: The Fight for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Deep South" - Jaribu Hill, Executive Director and founder of the Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights. This is an annual event that brings a distinguished human rights scholar or activist to the Law School for a lecture and reception. Lecturers have included Randall Robinson, founder of TransAfrica, Hon. Albert Sacks of the Supreme Court of South Africa and Professor Gerard Quinn, holder of the main statutory chair in law at the National University of Ireland, Galway. The lecture was founded in honor of a ’93 graduate of the law school, a human rights activist who tragically passed away at the beginning of her career.
NU Law Forum – The Northeastern Law Forum is a quarterly speaker series that focuses on legal issues of contemporary concern. The forum provides a space for open dialogue on contested social issues of interest to students, faculty and graduates.
Public Health Advocacy Institute Annual Conference – Legal Approaches to the Obesity Epidemic. Three day conference.
JD/MPH Program Speaker Series – “Forensic Epidemiology: The Intersection Between Public Health and Criminal Investigation.
Daynard Public Interest Visiting Fellows Program – The Daynard Program brings two distinguished practitioners of public interest law to the Northeastern campus each academic year for a three-day visit. The fellows, nationally recognized public interest leaders, serve as role models for students, demonstrating how legal skills can be used effectively and creatively to make the world a better place. The Daynard Fellows each deliver an address that focuses on the strategic use of law to promote public interest goals, participate in classes, consult about professional opportunities for students and graduates, and meet individually with interested faculty, administrators and students.
Paths to Public Interest Faculty Lunch Series – The Paths to Public Interest Faculty Lunch Series is sponsored by the Public Interest Law Scholars and features a different faculty member each quarter. This forum is a way for faculty to speak informally with students about his/her career path, academic focus and scholarly work,legal interests and goals/aspirations.
Northern Illinois University: Northern Illinois University College of Law
A number of brown-bag luncheons featuring speakers are offered throughout the school year. These luncheons are sponsored by various student organizations as well as the law school.
Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law
Northwestern University: Northwestern University School of Law
Innocence in Capital Sentencing Symposium – Panel of diverse group of professors and practitioners discussed the impact of wrongful convictions on the capital punishment debate.
Reforming the United Nations Conference – Participants from the U.S. and Europe examined, among other issues, how the United States' decision to act without Security Council authorization in the war with Iraq has impacted the future role of the United Nations.
Janet Reno – Former U.S. Attorney gave the keynote speech for Women's Symposium focused on "Women Finding Their Voices" and urged involvement in public service.
"Countdown to Execution" film and panel – Center on Wrongful Convictions hosted premiere of documentary about the capital case of Darnell Williams. The post-film panel included former Indiana Governor Joe Kernan, a death penalty proponent, who commuted Mr. Williams death sentence, the lawyers and law students who represented Mr. Williams and the lead prosecutor.
Public Interest Law Week – The Public Interest Law Group organizes Public Interest Law Week (PILW) each fall. PILW includes a keynote address, numerous panels on public interest topics, a reception, and a variety of other events.
Public Interest Brown Bag Series – PILG sponsors a series of brown bag lunches focusing on the practical aspects of public interest work -- jobs and internships, financing a public interest career, and the law and course offerings at the law school.
DREAM Committee – The group that plans the annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration sponsors public interest programs.
Public Interest Speaker Series – PILG sponsors a spring speaker series featuring faculty discussing their areas of public interest expertise.
Journal of International Human Rights – presented a number of panels on topics such as, “Abu Ghraib”, “Human Rights in the Shadow of China: the case of Taiwan”, “The trial of Saddam Hussein”, and a panel on human rights in Islam.
“Gautreaux at 40: Race, Class, Housing Mobility and Neighborhood Revitalization” --conference commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Gautreaux decision.
The Children and Family Justice Center – hosted a number of programs, including a meeting of the National Children’s Law Center Network, a conference on the health and human rights of children involved in the juvenile justice system, a program called “Making Child Poverty History”, a meeting of the Midwest Coalition for Human Rights, and a reception for attorneys doing children’s law.
Notre Dame: Notre Dame Law School
-
Career Service Lecture Series
Fall & spring lecture series: In Search of Public Interest
Brown Bag Series
Organized by the Center for Civil & Human Rights (includes human rights issues)
Research Workshops
Organized by the Center for Civil & Human Rights to provide opportunities for students to contribute research support of litigation applying universal jurisdictional statutes.
Nova Southeastern University: Shepard Broad Law Center
Public Interest Law Day
During Public Interest Day, which is held each February, approximately 50 employers visit the law school to educate students about public interest law and recruit them for summer internships.
Lunch and Learn/Career Cafe Lecture Series
The series, which is held every Wednesday during the academic year, includes topics related to public interest law.
Ohio Northern Claude W. Pettit College of Law
Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law
Woodside Speaker Series – The Pro Bono Research Group (PBRG) provides research assistance to Legal Services and Legal Aid attorneys throughout Ohio. Second and third-year Research Fellows conduct quality researches akin to the law journals and gain practical legal experience like that provided by the clinical programs. In addition, PBRG sponsors events that promote public interest law, including the Frank Woodside III Speaker Series, an annual poverty law symposium.
Oklahoma City University: Oklahoma City University School of Law
NAALS Annual Meeting – Pace hosted the National Association of Environmental Law Students' annual meeting. Pace students are very active in the governance and programming of NAELS.
International Criminal Moot Court Competition – The International Criminal Moot Court Competition was conceived of and planned during the 2004-5 year, with the first competition taking place in November 2005. It involves teams from U.S. and international law schools arguing a hypothetical case before the International Criminal Tribunal from the perspectives of the prosecutor, the defense counsel, and the victims' rights advocate.
National Environmental Moot Court Competition – The subject matter of the National Environmental Moot Court Competition is an issue of current public interest environmental law.
Pennsylvania State University The Dickinson School of Law
Annual Public Interest Speaker – Past speakers: Barry Scheck, Morris Dees, Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Public Interest Law Week – Bring in Fellowship speakers, provide lunches with local attorney on relevant topics, etc.
Robert M Cover Retreat – Annually send students to attend the retreat and organized the 19th Annual retreat in 2006.
Pepperdine University: Odell McConnell Law Center
Public Counsel's Adoption Project
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
Quinnipiac University School of Law
Public Interest Law Project – Annual auction run by the PILP student group to fund summer public interest employment of students.
VITA Program – Student volunteer service project that helps low income tax payers file returns.
Law Students' Legal Action Fellowship – Annual event which provides grants to students for public service projects.
Thurgood Marshall Award Reception – Annual event that recognizes community service and diversity initiatives
Baldwin Award Reception – Annual event that recognizes community leader for public service
Regent University: School of Law
Public Interest Auction – Each spring the student organization; Public Interest Legal Advocates of Regent conduct a public interest auction to raise funds to support students who perform public interest work during the summer. Each year the organization raises approximately $6,000 to be distributed.
Roger Williams University: Ralph R. Papitto School of Law
Pubic Interest Law Speakers Series - A series of speakers and panels on public interest topics are presented each semester.
Public Service Forum - Representatives from public service placements conduct table talk with students about pro bono opportunties.
Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Center for Law and Justice (Newark)
Lawyering for Social Change – Symposium held here at the law school.
First Monday Program
Brown Bag Public Interest Speaker Series
Public Interest Fellows' Dinner
Rutgers: The State University of New Jersey School of Law, Camden
Through the Philadelphia Bar Association's Public Interest Outreach Committee, the law school co-sponsors a series of Summer Brown Bag lunches for law students working in the greater Philadelphia area.
Various panels and programs are sponsored by student groups such as Association for Public Interest Law and the American Constitution Society, including programs on eminent domain, etc.
Others include panels on same sex marraige, immigration reform, etc.
Saint John's University School of Law
Saint Louis University: Saint Louis University School of Law
Saint Mary’s University of San Antonio: St. Mary’s University of San Antonio School of Law
Saint Thomas University: St. Thomas University School of Law (FL)
- Lunch & Learn Programs
- Approximately ten programs per semester include public interest opportunities.
- Government/Public Interest Job Fair Annual Event
- Distinguished Speakers Lecture Series (four each year).
Samford University: Cumberland School of Law
Student-sponsored:
Cordell Hull Speakers Series
Thurgood Marshall Symposium
PILO-sponsored:
Bill Fuller, Department of Human Resources
Lecture, orientation/training recruiting students to participate in PILO
Santa Clara University: Santa Clara University School of Law
Social Justice Mondays – Joining theory and practice, the Center sponsors a lunchtime speakers series on contemporary social justice issues. Topics are as varied as community law practice; private practice in the public interest; the digital divide; international human rights; or race, class and criminal justice. Speakers are prominent attorneys who describe their practice, as well as scholars who discuss recent work. Faculty serve as facilitators.
Social Justice Thursdays – Many first year students feel that issues of social justice and legal ethics can get lost in a thicket of technical knowledge. The Social Justice Thursday series addresses these feelings by providing first year law students with a forum to discuss social justice issues, alternate perspectives on legal education, and first-year subject areas. Faculty serve as discussion leaders.
Social Justice Workshop – The workshop features nationally prominent scholars, whose talks are open to the community.
Judicial Roundtables – Students, faculty, and alumni share ideas about social justice and public service with judges in an informal setting.
Trina Grillo Public Interest and Social Justice Law Retreat – The Grillo Retreat provides a unique opportunity for public interest law students, faculty and practitioners to forge an alliance by exchanging viewpoints, exploring career opportunities, and formulating strategies for social justice during this annual weekend retreat. Co-sponsored by Santa Clara University School of Law and the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT), with other Bay area law schools, this retreat honors the memory of Trina Grillo, 1948-96, who was a source of inspiration to many law students, professors, and public interest lawyers.
Public Interest and Social Justice Mentor Program – Co-Sponsored by the Santa Clara University School of Law Office of Career Services and the Center for Social Justice and Public Service, and in conjunction with the Public Interest Resource Center, the essential part of the program is providing law students with an additional resource in the legal community who is engaged in social justice and public interest work, as well as helping legal organizations meet the next generation of lawyers working for the public interest.
Seattle University: Seattle University School of Law
Battered Women and the Hague Convention Symposium – The purpose of the Hague Symposium was to discuss the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and its impact on battered mothers and their children seeking safety in the U.S. The symposium featured presentations from two local victims, authorities on the Hague Convention and domestic violence, and two panels of experts who reflected on possible strategies for representing clients and implementing change in U.S. and international law. The symposium was attended by 13 students, 39 attorneys and 26 local legal advocates.
Washington State Access to Justice Conference – The Washington State Bar Association hosts the annual Access to Justice Conference, a meeting of the state-wide legal service community, gathering to discuss equal justice issues as they relate to the delivery of legal services to low-income people. The Access to Justice Institute sponsors up to five students and attorneys to attend the conference each year. The 2005 and 2006 conferences were attended by 7 students and 4 staff attorneys.
Reflective Seminars Film Series – The Reflective Seminars is a human rights film series open to law students and the community at large. Through the Reflective Seminars, the Access to Justice Institute (ATJI) aims to generate dialogue that informs and prepares future lawyers to address human rights problems in our own communities.
Seton Hall University: Seton Hall University School of Law
First Monday – Coinciding with the first Monday of the U.S. Supreme Court oral argument calendar, we hold a First Monday event, including a panel on a key public interest and constitutional law issue to be considered by the court for that term.
Brown Bag Series – Throughout the semester, we host brown bag lunches with public interest lawyers to provide students with the opportunity to obtain real-world advice from those attorneys in an informal setting.
Distinguished PI Scholars Speakers Series – Each semester, we host a public interest leader for the audience of our Distinguished Public Interest Scholars and other merit scholars.
South Texas College: South Texas College of Law
Death Penalty Symposium
Hate Crimes Symposium
Southern Illinois University School of Law
Lesar Lecture Series – This lecture series, endowed by our founding dean, generally focuses on human rights issues. For example, the co- lecturers in the fall of 2005 were Linda Brown Henderson and John Stokes who spoke of their personal experiences related to the Brown vs. Board of Education case.
Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
Southern University Law Center
Southwestern University: Southwestern Law School
Public Interest Law Week – The Public Interest Law Committee coordinates and sponsors the annual Public Interest Law Week in November. In November 2004, the event included: a Keynote Speaker, Congresswoman Maxine Waters; Practitioner's Panel; Public Interest Employer Fair; Silent and Live Auction to raise money for summer grants and loan forgiveness; Bake Sale and Basketball Tournament to raise money for summer grants and loan forgiveness; and a screening of a public interest related film.
Treusch Public Service Lecture Series – The Paul E. and Phyllis Treusch Public Service Lecture Series bring national leaders in the public interest field to campus to share their unique experiences with the Southwestern community.
The Levin Center offers numerous extracurricular and co-curricular programs, including:
- Public Interest Faculty Speaker Series
- Public Interest Faculty and Student Mentoring Program
- Public Interest Alumni Mentor-in-Residence Program
- Public Interest Awareness Week, coinciding with the campus interview program, which provides a week of public interest programs including faculty speakers, alumni mentors, and pro bono training workshops
- Workshops on Fellowships and other post-graduate opportunities
- Panels on how to conduct a Public Interest summer job search
- Mock Interviews
- Public Interest "Day in the Life" forums
- Student Public Interest Fellows Advisory Committee Programs
- Annual Public Service Awards reception honoring two public interest advocates whose work on behalf of the public has had national impact
- Shaking the Foundations Conference, which is an annual conference that brings together law students, practitioners, and academics from around the country who share a commitment to use the law for positive, progressive social change. Through panels, workshops and speakers, the conference is designed to provide a forum for advocates and law students to discuss innovative strategies and solutions to the world's most pressing social justice issues. It is organized by students and supported in part by the Levin Center
Stetson University: Stetson University College of Law
Pro Bono Fairs - Pro Bono Fair is scheduled each fall and spring semester, and brings 30-40 local legal and non-legal service opportunities to campus to discuss their services with the students.
Brown Bag Lunches with Public Interest Alumni– Informal lunches held throughout the school year and sponsored by the Career Development Office.
Annual SPILG Auction – Raises an average of $25K-30K per year to fund summer public interest fellowships.
Annual IL Orientation Public Interest Reception– Allows entering 1Ls the opportunity to meet the members of the law school community engaged in or with backgrounds in public interest work.
Syracuse University: College of Law
Syracuse sponsors an annual Lawyering for Social Justice series, which consists of three funded lectures by a distinguished practitioner, a scholar and a jurist-in-residence. http://www.law.syr.edu/ej/dls_sp_2001.asp http://www.law.syr.edu/hotnews.asp?id=24 http://www.law.syr.edu/hotnews.asp?id=7 &type=archive
Syracuse has a Social Justice Reading/Film Group http://www.law.syr.edu/ej/index.asp
In 2001, Syracuse sponsored an Equal Justice Colloquium in conjunction with the AALS's national program. http://www.law.syr.edu/hotnews.asp?id=5 &type=archive
Temple University: James E. Beasley School of Law
The Herbert F. Kolsby Distinguished Lectureship in Trial Advocacy – Delivered by Bryan Stevenson
Dean's Invitational Forum – Featured LAMBDA attorney Alphonso David
Paula Johnson – Presented a colloquium on her work with women in prison
Public Interest Mondays – Weekly brown bag lunch series featuring discussion of various public interest topics
Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review Symposium – During the fall semester Temple Political & Civil Rights Law Review sponsors a symposium and invites nationally recognized scholars and practitioners to speak on a topic of current interest in political or civil rights.
Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Texas Tech University School of Law
Texas Wesleyan University School of Law
Public Interest Law Week – The week features information, ads, daily speakers with free lunches, and end with the Equal Justice Day when the public serive legal providers have an information fair to education students on opportunities for pro bono and public interest law.
Wesleyan Night Live and Weselayn Faculty Auction – Two special events are hosted to raise money for the summer fellowships.
Thomas Jefferson School of Law: Thomas Jefferson School of Law
The Public Interest Lawyer in Residence program – This program brings a public interest lawyer to school for two days of lectures, classroom participation and chances to mix informally with students.
Woman in the Law Conference – An annual conference that attracts prominent women from the international legal community the topics always have a public interest/ public access slant.
Pro Bono Practice – An annual program which focuses on ways that students can become involved in Pro Bono activities.
Touro College: Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
Public Interest Lawyer In residence – Every year Touro has a "Public Interest Lawyer in Residence" program. During this two day event a distinguished leader in the national pulic interest community teaches classes, meets informally with students and delivers a public lecture.
Robert Cover Retreat – Touro students organized the 2005 retreat that brought together over 200 law school participants wi
Rebellious Lawering – Touro students and administrators participate
How I Spent My Summer Doing Good – Annual program in which public interest summer fellowship students report on their summer activities
Tulane University: Tulane University School of Law
Trafficking In Persons Symposium – http://www.law.tulane.edu/symposium/
Tulane Annual Environmental Law Conference – In Spring 2005, Tulane Law School held its 10th annual environmental law conference. http://www.law.tulane.edu/enviroNew/conferences.cfm
Human Rights Roundtable Discussions – The Human Rights Law Society holds a series of lunch sessions to discuss various topics in human rights.
Pro Bono Fair – The Community Service Office holds an annual Pro Bono Fair featuring representatives from a variety of local public interest organizations where students can engage in pro bono work.
University at Buffalo Law School, SUNY
The Career Services Office, faculty, local and specialty bar associations (e.g. WNY Chapter of the Women Bar Association of the State of NY (WBASNY) and WNY Chapter of the Minority Bar Associations) and student groups sponsor lectures, brown bag lunches, job fairs, and career panels. Summer public interest fellows also make panel presentations. Occasionally symposiums and conferences sponsored by faculty focus on public interest practice and areas of law practiced primarily in public interest settings.
University of Akron: C. Blake McDowell Law Center
During the 2006-2007 academic year students were provided the opportunity to attend various public interest programs including Amraker Public Interest Law Retreat, Midwest Public Interest Career Conference and the Midwest Public Interest Law Retreat.
University of Alabama: University of Alabama School of Law
Michael Figures Law Day – At-risk teens visit the Law School for a leadership conference
Voting Rights Act – A celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1964
Voting Education – 40,000 ABA Voter Rights and Responsibility cards were distributed throughout the nation with the help of Alabama law students.
Public Interest Speaker Series – www.law.ua.edu/pubinterest/
University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
Homecoming CLE Celebration for Students and Alumni – Free CLE for alumni and students. In 2004-05, the program was "Inherit the Wind -Celebrating Academic Freedom and the 75th Anniversary of the Scopes Trial," followed by a Courtyard BBQ and mariachi band.
Annual Marks Lecture – The 2004-05 lecturer was The Honorable Guido Calabresi, U.S. Circuit Court Judge for the Second Circuit, on “Equality in the American Constitution”
Annual McCormick Lecture – The 2004-05 lecturer was Pulitzer Prize winning author and scholar, Samantha Power, on “Can American Foreign Policy be Fixed?”
Annual Supreme Court Highlights CLE – Cosponsored by the American Constitution Society Student Organization, this annual event always includes numerous public interest issues, with specifics depending on the Court's docket. In 2004-05, topics included Guantanamo Cases, U.S. v Blakely, U.S. v Cheney, Ashcroft v. ACLU, City of Littleton, Locke v. Davey. A reception followed in the Courtyard.
Border Tour of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico – Each year, the Immigration Law class takes a border tour to Nogales through BorderLinks, a border educational organization. In 2004-05, following the tour, the class assisting BorderLinks in its annual holiday toy drive.
Distinguished Visiting Scholar Series – Jointly sponsored by the law school's Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy Program and Udall Center's Native Nations Institute, 2004-05 topics included “Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations,” a talk and book signing by Charles Wilkinson, Distinguished University Professor, Moses Lasky Professor of Law, University of Colorado School of Law.
University of Arkansas at Little Rock: William H. Bowen School of Law
Street Law Program with Hall High School
University of Arkansas School of Law
University of Baltimore School of Law
University of California - Los Angeles
University of California at Davis: University of California at Davis School of Law
- Public Interest Law Program;
- Public interest speakers through the Career Services Office and student organizations;
- King Hall Pro Bono Program; and
- Public Interest Clearinghouse Pro Bono Project.
University of California, Berkeley: University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall)
University of California-Hastings
Lectures, talks and brown bags arranged through a host of organizations and campus departments.
University of Chicago: University of Chicago Law School
Chicago Policy Initiatives: The Chicago Policy Initiatives combine the collective work and experience of faculty and students to address specific social problems with the intent of providing potential solutions. Several of these initiatives have public interest and community-oriented goals.
The Chicago Policy Initiative on Foster Care is a project that unites former foster children, scholars, policy makers, judges, and lawyers in an effort to understand the special problems facing foster youth aging out of the child welfare system and to identify opportunities for legal reform that help make a successful transition to independent adulthood.
The Chicago Project on Animal Treatment Principles is an interdisciplinary initiative in animal rights law that is intended to generate information about animal treatment standards, and disclosure of varying levels of adherence to those standards, which in turn will help inform and educate consumers and investors in making choices in the market. The Project involves faculty and students examining best practices and developing disclosure guidelines for the treatment of animals in various industries.
The Parental Leave Project will examine parental leave disparities across professions, industries, and nations in order to make policy recommendations and to determine economic incentives appropriate for a more responsive system.
Regular Panels and Other Programs:
- 1L Options Series: Public Interest & Government Service Positions
- 1L Options Series: International Opportunities, including International Human Rights
- Working for the Federal Government Program
- Department of Justice Informational Session
- Public Interest Employers Networking Reception
- Post-Graduate Fellowship Information Sessions
- Various practitioners from the public sector also speak to students
throughout the academic year
University of Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati College of Law
Distinguished Public Interest Speaker Todd Portune - President, Hamilton County Commisioners
Jon Rosenberg, Distinguished Visitor – Former DOJ attorney and Director Emeritus for APPALRED Presentation on a Life in Public Interest.
Breakfast Club Series – Weekly series held in the fall highlighting a regional practioner including those in the public interest/governmentsectors.
University of Colorado: School of Law
Challenges Facing Developing Countries – This was the Doman International Law Society's three day law conference which was held in conjunction with the Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law & Policy in 2004.
Gilvary Symposium – This symposium was privately funded on the topic of law, religion & social justice.
Natural Resources Law Center's Conferences – http://www.colorado.edu/law/centers/nrlc/events.htm
University of Connecticut: University of Connecticut School of Law
The Law School sponsors many different activities to promote public interest. Most recently the Law School hosted an event that included a lecture series, a film series, a symposium, and faculty presentations on Human Rights.
The lecture series featured the following presentations:
- "Images of Blacks in the Media" – a lecture featuring Robert Stephens, Director of the Institute for African-American Studies, and Ann-Marie Adams, a staff writer for The Hartford Courant
- "Business Responsibility for Promoting Human Rights in the Global Economy" – a lecture by Harold Koh, Professor of Law at Yale Law School and former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the United States, Department of State
- "Who's Qualified" – a lecture by Lani Guinier, Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and author of "The Tyranny of Majority: Fundamental Fairness in Representative Democracy" and "Who's Qualified?"
- "Human Rights in South Africa" – Nasila Rembe, Professor at University of Fort Hare in South Africa and the UNESCO Oliver Tambo Chair for Human Rights
- "South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission" – a lecture by Justice Albie Sachs of the Constitutional Court of South Africa
- "Life, Liberty and Poverty: Do We Provide Equal Justice for the Poor in Capital and Other Criminal Cases?" – a lecture by Stephen Bright, Director of the Southern Center for Human Rights
- "When the State Kills: Capital Punishment and the American Condition" – a lecture by Austin Sarat, Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College
- "Reparations for Human Rights Violations" – a lecture by Rhoda Howard-Hassmann from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ohio
- "Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Discrimination Act of 2000" – a lecture by Judge
Ralph Zulman of the Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa
- The viewing and discussion of the South African films "Long Night's
Journey Into Day" and "A World Apart"; the Argentine film, "The Official Story"; the Italian
film, "La Scorta"; the American film, "The Long Walk Home"; the Greek film, "Z"; and the
Latin American films "Death and the Maiden" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman."
- It featured presentations by: Cesar Vieira, Coordinator of the Pan
American Health Organization Regional Program of Public Policy and Health; Zita Lazzarini,
Esq., MPH, Director of the University of Connecticut Health Center's Division of Medical
Humanities; Jennifer Joni, Esq., with the AIDS Law Project in South Africa; Joanna Csete,
HIV/AIDS Director at Human Rights Watch; Richard Adelstein, Ph.D., from the Department of
Economics at Wesleyan University; Kaveh Khoshnood, Ph.D., from Yale School of
Epidemiology and Public Health; Daniel Drexler, Esq., from Cantor Colburn, LLP; J. M.
Spectar, Ph.D., Director of Rockefeller College at Princeton University; and Laurel E. Baldwin-
Ragaven from Trinity College.
The Law School also recently hosted a Military Tribunals Panel and discussion. Captain Brain Baldrate, a criminal prosecutor for the US Army and a recent graduate of the Law School, moderated the televised event. Members of the panel included: Professors Laura Dickinson and Hugh Macgill from the Law School, Major Mike Lacey from the Army Judge Advocate General School, Lieutenant Colonel Denise Lind from the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, and Teresa Younger from the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union.
University of Dayton: University of Dayton School of Law
A lecture series is in the planning stages. Gilvary Symposium was privately funded on the topic of law, religion & social justice.
University of Denver: Sturm College of Law
Both the Association for Public Interest student group and the Center for Governmental Responsibility Public Service Law Fellows hold Public Interest Programs open to all students.
Public Interest Environmental Law Conference - Sponsored by the Environmental and Land Use Planning Law Society
Public Interest Law Group Events - PILG encourages involvement in the community through its tutoring program, educates and provides a forum for discussion by bringing in and co-sponsoring speaker panels, raised its own funds to allow students to work for non-profit organizations during the
Rocky Mountain Government/Public Interest Career Fair - Every spring, the Career Services office and the Public Interest Office help to coordinate a career fair that has both government and non-profit organizations in attendance.
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
University of Florida: Fredric G. Levin College of Law
The Center for Career Services holds several Public Interest Information sessions that all students are welcome to attend.
Both the Association for Public Interest student group and the Center for Governmental Responsibility Public Service Law Fellows hold Public Interest Programs open to all students. Also, our Environmental and Land Use Planning Law Society holds a yearly Public Interest Environmental Law Conference which is open to all students.
University of Georgia School of Law
Students, faculty and staff serve as volunteers in a wide range of activities supported by the law school and its student organizations including: food, clothing, book, holiday gift and blood drives; law-related educational programs; mentoring initiatives; highway and shelter cleanups; and housing construction.
Specific programs include:
- VITA (volunteer income tax assistance) program
- Habitat for Humanity
- Visiting Career Consultant (alumni in various fields, including public interest, share with students their experiences)
- Mentoring Program (alumni in various fields, including public interest, provide guidance to those considering a similar career path)
University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law
University of Houston Law Center
The UHLC Immigration Clinic hosts an annual dinner to focus on immigration issues and to recognize immigrant achievement.
University of Idaho: College of Law
University of Illinois College of Law
Numerous public interest programs are available throughout the year. The following lists some primary examples:
Nationally Renowned Speakers
The College of Law and many student groups bring in nationally known speakers to discuss issues of importance to public interest. For example, each Fall and Spring semester, the College of Law presents the David C. Baum Memorial Lecture Series on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights. In spring 2002, the distinguished lecturer was Pamela S. Karlan, the Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law at Stanford Law School.
Public Interest Programming
The Office of Career Services provides career-related public interest programming throughout the year, with November and February traditionally reserved for focusing on public interest information. In fall 2001, speakers from various public interest and public service employers came and spoke at the College of Law about their careers and employers, including persons from the Champaign County State's Attorney, the Office of the State Appellate Defender, and the Illinois Legislative Research Unit. In February 2002, Public Interest Law Month Programming was presented on four consecutive weeks. The programs included presentations concerning how law students can learn about, apply for, and fund summer internships dedicated to public interest law, advocacy and non profit organizations, and legal aid and legal clinics; careers in public interest from the perspective of practitioners in advocacy and non-profit organizations; and first-hand advice from students who have participated in public interest positions.
Public Interest Law Foundation
PILF is dedicated to bringing public interest law careers to the attention of law students. It raises money for a grant program that allows students to undertake public interest work over the summer. PILF also finances student participation in public interest career fairs throughout the country and facilitates information networking among students interested in working in public interest.
Prisoners' Rights Research Project
Indigent prisoners incarcerated across the country write to the Project requesting answers to specific legal problems. Working under a student supervisor and faculty advisor, volunteers hone their research skills and gain significant insight into the corrections system by answering these complex questions.
Community Service
Members of the College of Law participate in a wide variety of community service in the Champaign-Urbana area on both individual and organizational levels. For example, law students tutor at local schools, assist in preparing tax returns for low-income persons, give time at a battered women's shelter, and coordinate an Angel Tree during the holiday season for the benefit of children whose parent(s) are incarcerated. One avenue of facilitation for community involvement is the Volunteer Fair, which featured representatives of the following groups in 2002: Red Cross; Big Brothers, Big Sisters; Champaign Park District; Urbana Park District; A Woman's Place; Generations of Hope; YWCA; Adult Daycare Center; Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois; and Carle Hospice Care.
University of Iowa College of Law
Through the Lawyers & Leaders series, the College makes available to students and faculty a variety of lectures, workshops, and other programming that focuses on pro bono and community service work and practical lawyering skills.
Additionally, the law school and student organizations host a wide array of lectures and conferences focusing on many topics.
University of Kansas: School of Law
Public Interest Law Casino Night– The KU Law Public Interest Law Society (PILS) sponsors an annual Casino Night to raise money to fund summer stipends for students working for public interest organizations. In both 2004 and 2005 PILS raised over $2000 at the Casino Night.
University of Kentucky College of Law
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (“VITA”) program is offered each Spring semester under the direction of Professor Douglas Michael. The College of Law makes space and computers available to Professor Michael and the students who provide the volunteer tax assistance. Many of the individuals who take advantage of this free assistance are indigent. This program is available to any law students who wish to participate. Students receive neither academic credit nor compensation for this work.
University of La Verne College of Law
University of Louisville: Louis D. Brandeis School of Law
Public Interest Law Fair - Students with the Public Service Office organized a public interest law fair with approximately thirty agencies attending.
Lunch 'n' Learn Series/Norman Amaker Retreat- Public Interest attorneys are invited to speak and describe opportunities for law students to complete their public service requirement or law students present on public service activities. Four students and Public Service Director attended the Norman Amaker Public Interest Law Retreat hosted by Indiana U/Purdue U at Indianapolis Law School.
University of Maine School of Law
University of Maryland: University of Maryland School of Law
Post-Conviction: Appellate Advocacy & Arvinger Case– Professor Milleman and his law students worked for over two years to earn clemency for Walter Arvinger, a man wrongfully imprisoned for more than 36 years for a murder he did not commit. In December 2004, Governor Robert Ehrlich commuted Mr. Arvinger's sentence as a result of the students work. In celebration, the Law School hosted a Program & Reception in Spring of 2005, at which Mr. Arvinger attended.
Public Interest Week – Every October, there is Public Interest Week. It begins with a First Monday Program and continues with events throughout the week. Public interest attorneys and faculty meet with students throughout the week.
University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
University of Miami School of Law
HOPE Programming – http://www.law.miami.edu/hope
Center for Ethics and Public Service Programming – http://www.law.miami.edu/ceps
University of Michigan: University of Michigan Law School
The Office of Public Service offers a variety of programs and the Inspiring Paths speaker in residence series designed to educate students about public interest and government careers and to encourage students to integrate public service with their professional development. For a representative sample of such programs, please see http://www.law.umich.edu/currentstudents/PublicService/workshops.htm
University of Minnesota: University of Minnesota Law School
None.
University of Mississippi School of Law
University of Missouri - Columbia: School of Law
Student groups such as Law Students for a Better Community, the Missouri Equal Justice Foundation, the National Lawyers’ Guild, and the Public Interest Law Association focus on pro bono/public interest issues.
University of Missouri Kansas City University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law
Career Services sponsors panels with speakers on various issues concerning students interested in public interest work
The Public Interest Law Association(PILA) has monthly meetings with speakers from various Public Interest Organizations to discuss opportunities
Career Services and PILA sponsor a volunteer fair every year for organizations to seek out volunteers and interns for public interest work
University of Montana: University of Montana School of Law
None.
University of Nebraska: University of Nebraska College of Law
Career services sponsors public interest speakers and workshops.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas: William S. Boyd School of Law
Social Justice Discussion Lunch Series – The Public Interest Law Students Association sponsors this luncheon program.
University of New Mexico School of Law
University of North Carolina: University of North Carolina School of Law
Social Work Collaborative Training – This program brings together law students and social work students in the hopes of preparing social work students to testify in court.
Public Interest Retreat – Conducted annually, the retreat brings together students, faculty, administrators and practitioners to discuss careers in public interest law and timely issues in the public interest field, ranging from legal issues in a particular practice area to loan repayment assistance and debt management.
Public Interest Week – Public Interest Week highlights public interest student groups at the beginning of the school year to introduce incoming students to different public interest options at the school.
Public Interest Peer Mentor Dinner
University of North Dakota School of Law
University of Oklahoma College of Law
University of Oregon: University of Oregon School of Law
Oregon Trial Lawyers – Sponsored by Career Services, this group presented on access to justice issues, and the life of a trial attorney advocating for justice.
Street Law Orientation – Fall meeting to introduce new students to Street Law, and the various opportunities to teach.
Fellowship Workshop – Fall session to teach 2L and 3L students about fellowship opportunities, resources, application procedures and more.
Presidential Management Fellowship Program – Session designed to introduce students to the PMF program, the application and interview process.
Public Interest Careers – Session as part of Career Services "Public Interest Month," in which students are introduced to varied public interest careers. Includes separate sessions on: Legal Services; Government Careers; Judicial Clerkships, and more.
State Trial Court Clerkships – Session introduces students to post-graduate judicial clerkships at the state trial court level, including local and out of jurisdiction opportunities, search resources and job search advice.
Federal Court Clerkships – Introduces students to the judicial clerkship application process for federal courts at the circuit, district, magistrate and bankruptcy court levels.
Labor and Employment Law Center (LERC) – Situated close to the law school, LERC hosted employment law session.
The O'Connell Conference – Professor Tom Lininger (lininger@law.uoregon.edu) helps coordinate this annual judicial conference, attended by judges from the US Circuit and District Courts, and other appellate courts.
Public Interest Public Service Program – Each October, PIPS sponsors an annual Conference, "Against the Grain," hosting speakers, panel sessions and a keynote on varied public interest topics. PIPS also hosts at least three high-profile, national level speakers each year. Such visits most often include a career chat, participation in a classroom lecture, and a public evening lecture.
Coalition Against Environmental Racism (CAER) – Each spring, CAER hosts an environmental justice conference for students, professors, activists, churches, government, and any other interested individuals, to learn about environmental justice. Its website is: University of Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Law School
Public Service Mentors Series
Penn graduates serving in the public service advise current law students on public interest pro bono and career opportunities.
Public Service Awareness Series
Public interest lawyers speak on a variety of topics relevant to the public interest legal practice.
Feminist Working Group
Students teach Feminist Jursiprudence Seminar and conduct research for gender bias project.
United Students of Color
Students host talks and conferences relevant to topics in critical race theory.
University of Pittsburgh: School of Law
Annual Law School Pro Bono/Volunteer Fair along with various programs throughout the year that bring public interest practitioners to the law school.
University of Puerto Rico School of Law
University of Richmond T. C. Williams School of Law
University of Saint Thomas: School of Law (MN)
Vocation Retreats – The law school offers a weekend Vocation Retreat at the start of each semester which focuses, in part, on helping students reflect on how God is calling them to use their gifts to be of service to those in need, both as a law student and, in the future, as a lawyer. In addition, as part of Orientation and as part of all Admissions Open Houses, we take time to talk with students about the Public Service Requirement and the importance of pro bono service.
University of San Diego School of Law
LRAP Texas Hold'em Tournament
PBLA Public Interest Speaker Events
University of San Francisco School of Law
University of South Carolina: University of South Carolina School of Law
Public Interest Speaker Series – PILS sponsors a speaker series that brings local public interest lawyers to campus to speak to students once or twice a month.
University of South Dakota School of Law
University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Conference on direct democracy – Sponsored by the USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics, the Initiative and Referendum Institute at USC,