Public Interest Law

Prospective attorneys interested in becoming a public interest lawyer must endure the same rigorous training and education as any other specific type of lawyer. Law school students who are more interested in protecting individual rights rather than making a huge profit should consider working under the public interest law umbrella. Public interest lawyers serve low-income individuals, marginalized groups and also give representation for social causes, while working for numerous types of employers.

Employers include:

Government agencies
Non-profit organizations
International organizations
Prosecutor and public defender offices
Legal-aid clinics

Public Interest Lawyer Issues

Public interest lawyers bring on lawsuits that try to obtain positive results for a large class, or group of people. There are numerous different issues (or, type of case) they may or may not have to deal with at some point in their life. Whatever the issue, the goal of the lawyer is to protect the rights of the clients.

Issues include:

Bankruptcy/Debt
Human Rights
Gun Control
Business/Economic
Death Penalty
Disability
Domestic Violence
Environment/Energy/Utilities
Intellectual Property
Labor/Employment
Municipal Law
Personal Injury
Medical Malpractice
Racial/Ethnic Justice/Cultural Rights
Property/Real Estate
Religious
Reproductive
Tax
GLBT
Women’s Rights
Trusts and Estates
Education
Family
First Amendment

Public Interest Lawyer Duties

There are also numerous duties a public interest lawyer must perform. They have a broad range of activities, which can be classified as either daily or occasional work duties. Some of these types of lawyers find themselves in court more often than others, while other public interest lawyers do their best to stay out of the court room. Some of it has to do with lawyering skills and some of it has to do with comfort. Either way, becoming a public interest lawyer means that there’s a job to be done.

Duties include:

Administrative Advocacy
Administrative/Management
Appellate
Civil Litigation
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Class Action
Client-based
Community Education
Community Organizing
Community Outreach
Enforcement
Factual Investigation
Impact Litigation
Individual Cases
Innovative Advocacy
Intake and Referral
Law Reform
Legal Writing
Legislative
Lobbying
Media Advocacy
Policy
Regulatory Reform
Research and Publications
Teaching
Training

Public Interest Lawyer Salary

According to the National Association for Law Placement, in 2008 public interest lawyers made an average median salary of $41,000 at entry-level. Public interest lawyers who have at least five years of experience can expect to make around $54,000 and those with ten or more years experience earn an average of $70,000 per year. You have to remember that this type of lawyer isn’t in it for the money. Yes, they make less annually, however the reward is far beyond the paycheck. In fact, many public interest lawyers go on to work pro bono after working for government agencies and other types of organizations for a few years.

Job Outlook for Public Interest Lawyers

Unfortunately, not all new graduates are jumping at the opportunity to work as public interest lawyers and attorneys. Fortunately for those who do, competition is usually not as high as in other areas of law. Still, due to the need for public interest lawyers coupled with the economic state of the country, the demand for public interest lawyers is higher than ever before. The demand is expected to rise due to other factors such as human rights, environmental rights, first amendment rights and other minority group rights issues continue to be topics of discussion, debate and justice. On the other hand, due to job cuts in government positions, competition for getting these positions can become difficult, especially for new graduates who did little or nothing to network during internships and law school events.