Building A Public Interest Career

Getting Started

Most successful public interest careers begin during law school. Often times, public interest and government employers want to see a demonstrated commitment to public interest before they consider interviewing or hiring an applicant.  Check out the number of ways UST Law offers to get you started on your path to public service:

• CPD programming
• Classes
• Clinic
• Legal volunteer opportunities
• Student organizations
• Clerkships & summer funding
• Post-graduate fellowships

Public Interest & Government Job Searching

You will find law clerk positions and post graduate jobs in public interest and government in many ways.  It is best to take a multi-faceted approach, which includes checking out the following resources: 

• CPD highlights jobs in its bi-weekly Public Interest Press, there are opportunities posted on our Career Center and many opportunities are posted on www.pslawnet.org, so create your own account, log in and search opportunities and organizations to find those with mission statements that resonate with you.

Public Interest Job Resources & Databases

• Check out the websites of your favorite nonprofit organizations.  Don’t know one that fits your interests?  Visit the Minnesota Council for Nonprofits for a local list or Idealist for a nationwide list, postings and job fairs for nonprofits. 
• If you are interested in government, be sure to visit the Government Honors Handbook website, email lawcareers@stthomas.edu to get the password and username.  It includes information on federal, state, county and city offices and information on both civil and criminal government work.  

Government Job Resources & Databases

• Attend a public interest career fair!  Examples include: the Minnesota Quad Schools Public Interest Expo here at UST this November, the Equal Justice Works Conference & Career Fair in D.C. in October, or the Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference in Chicago in February.

Finally, remember that many nonprofits, legal aid offices and some government offices are running on shoestring budgets, so you may need to apply for a summer fellowship or a post-graduate fellowship to get paid for the job of your dreams!

International Public Interest

Building a career and looking for opportunities in international public interest work can be challenging.  We have compiled a number of international public interest resources to give you a place to start and help make the process more manageable

International Job Resources & Databases

 

Public Interest Perspectives
Angie Streit, Class of 2008	Recipient of Amnesty International Grant for Summer 2007
Public Interest Work: Midwest Environmental Advocates "Working for Midwest Environmental Advocates has been a great experience.  I get to work for Wisconsin's only nonprofit environmental law center with amazing people who are 100% dedicated to environmental justice.  I have traveled throughout Wisconsin helping to build local leadership and solve environmental problems.  The law is increasingly addressing environmental concerns and it is exciting to be a part of this movement!"

Start Here, Start Now!  Make an appointment with Cathy at CPD to discuss your public interest career.