Public Interest & Government

While many legal careers contribute to the public good, public interest practice typically focuses on a specific issue (disability rights, human trafficking, internet neutrality) or constituency (victims of domestic violence, immigrants), with a focus on meeting unmet legal needs. This can encompass both policy work and direct representation of clients.

Careers in local, state, and federal government range from positions with government agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, as well as service as federal or state prosecutors and public defenders, service in a state’s Attorney General’s office or in a municipal law department.

About

Public interest and government lawyers practice in a wide range of settings that include law school clinical programs, public defender and prosecutor’s offices, civil rights organizations, international nongovernmental organizations, think tanks, legislatures, banks, businesses, courts and tribunals, neighborhood organizations, government agencies, foundations, small and large nonprofit organizations, and intergovernmental bodies.

Public interest and government lawyers handle a diverse range of cases and issues that include human rights, civil rights and liberties, affordable housing and community development, nonprofit management, environmental law, immigration, employment and labor law, criminal law, juvenile justice, poverty law, disability law, and the rights of children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups. Individual attorneys, law firms, nonprofit organizations, and government entities serve the public by representing individuals, groups, government agencies and causes.

Representation takes many forms such as trial and appellate litigation in courts and administrative agencies, serving as in-house counsel, writing amicus briefs, transactional work, legislative advocacy, developing public policy, community organizing, alternative dispute resolution, teaching, managing nonprofits, and serving on nonprofit boards. Public interest law encompasses many additional substantive issues, areas of practice, and forms of representation. This is just a glance at an evolving landscape.

Employers expect a demonstrated commitment to the work they do or the clients they serve in making hiring decisions. Obtaining post-graduate employment in this sector, therefore, is critical. The process of building your public interest credentials can begin as early as your first semester of law school and continues throughout your studies at BU Law.