Public Interest
The University of Minnesota Law School offers students numerous ways to get involved in public interest activities through groups such as the Public Interest Law Students Association and the student chapter of the Minnesota Justice Foundation. These groups bring practicing attorneys and other speakers to campus, raise and award funds to support fellow students interning in the public interest, and support the annual 5K Race for Justice. Public interest opportunities also are available through numerous other student organizations research institutes and clinics.
Public Interest Law Students Association
The Public Interest Law Students Association (PILSA) is dedicated to furthering post-graduation careers in public interest law. PILSA encourages curriculum related to public interest law, produces a speaker series featuring professionals working in public interest, and helps fund the Minnesota Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP).
Numerous organizations provide students with public interest opportunities for academic study and community service. For example, Raise the Bar is a student group dedicated to promoting the values of Martin Luther King, Jr. through volunteerism. The Asylum Project encourages first-year students to organize trips during the spring and winter breaks to work on asylum cases for immigrants in Florida and Texas.
The Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting pro bono legal practice in Minnesota. Law students have the opportunity to serve as volunteer law clerks and research assistants to legal service organizations and legal clinic attorneys.
Students may apply for funding for study or work in public interest law both during and after law school. A number of programs offer students and graduates working in the public interest offer financial support.
The Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) has many resources for students who are looking for a career in public interest law or for volunteer and summer job opportunities during law school.
The Human Rights Center and Institute on Race & Poverty bring speakers to campus, develop educational publications, and fund fellowships to support students in work and study in the public interest.
The clinics offer second- and third-year law students opportunities to develop practical skills and gain experience. Students may prepare for work in the public interest through the Workers’ Rights clinic, Housing Law Clinic, or Philip C. Carruthers Public Interest Law Clinic, among others.
