Exploring public interest law? Forum

[a_j_l]

Hey all!

I’ve just recently begun to think about getting a JD and am looking for resources or tools to help me explore the law and figure out if it’s a good fit for me and my career goals.

I’m particularly interested in public interest law; I’m several years out of undergrad and have spent the last few years working in program administration, first at a public agency and now at a non-profit. In both places, I have worked with clients as they apply to and navigate our programs and also handled the back-end of grant management and day-to-day administration.

I know I want to continue working for and with low-income and working class people, but want to do so in a way that involves more advocacy and less administration. Right now, much of my work on a day-to-day basis is pretty rote; and, while I don’t mind having some of that in my life—I have a particular skill for navigating bureaucracy and managing lots of detail-oriented but dull work (we all need talents, right?)—I also am looking for a career that allows for more intellectual work and critical thinking.

With all of that in mind, are there resources out there that would help me explore public interest law and/or get a sense for the type of work it involves? Or, do you have any thoughts on the matter? Thank you in advance!

***I already have listened to a lot of the LST podcasts and seen the thread in Legal Employment where lawyers describe a typical day. I’m looking for something a little more substantial, if it exists!

[zot1]

Here's what you need to know in a few sentences: public interest work does not pay a lot of money, but you still need to pay for an expensive law education and chances are that you will likely have to get into debt to get through it. Further, getting a job in public interest is a lot more difficult than it should be because the market is over saturated and a job is a job.

So if you're okay with giving up three years of your life for a 40k/salary, then go for it!

I know you wanted to learn about the substance, but for me, substance doesn't matter if you can't pay your own rent.

[BigZuck]

I would look up some organizations you are interested in, see if you can find bios of their attorneys on their websites, and send them an email and see if they would be willing to chat. That might sound intimidating but from my experience lawyers love talking about themselves and are happy to talk to prospective law students (if it's a super prominent place like the ACLU then don't expect a higher up attorney to even respond to your email but I bet you could find a lot of people willing to chat if you take the initiative).

[BigZuck]

I will say though that if you're looking for something less rote/boring and requiring more critical thinking you might not necessarily be enamored with the law (depending on what you end up doing as a lawyer, of course)

[a_j_l]

Yeah, I would only go if I managed to get into a school with a solid LRAP and/or was offered significant scholarship money. I'm familiar enough with the non-profit pay scale that I have no interest in adding 200k of debt to my financial situation. Mostly I am just trying to figure it out if it's worth pursuing it far enough to see if I can make the above happen.

And BigZuck, do you really think cold calls work? I've managed to get a few names of folks to talk to through personal connections, but am hesitant about reaching out to someone I have no connection to.

[zot1]

Reach out to people. Some won't answer but some will.

[BigZuck]

Yeah, I would only go if I managed to get into a school with a solid LRAP and/or was offered significant scholarship money. I'm familiar enough with the non-profit pay scale that I have no interest in adding 200k of debt to my financial situation. Mostly I am just trying to figure it out if it's worth pursuing it far enough to see if I can make the above happen.

And BigZuck, do you really think cold calls work? I've managed to get a few names of folks to talk to through personal connections, but am hesitant about reaching out to someone I have no connection to.

Yes

And what do you have to lose anyway?