Public Interest & Pro Bono Programs

Employment Resources

Each year Duke Law School receives hundreds of solicitations from public interest employers offering summer internships, as well as post-graduate fellowships and employment. Students are invited to browse through the collection, housed in the Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono, and the Symplicity program in the Career Center, which also maintains files on organizations and has a selection of books on work in all sectors. The Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono sends selected announcements to the public interest listserv and the post-graduate fellowship listserv.

Students seeking counseling about public interest employment should see Stella Boswell, the public interest counselor in the Career Center and the public interest dean who counsels students on both public interest employment and finding pro bono opportunities at a firm. Students are also encouraged to review faculty profiles to become familiar with the activities, connections, and research interests of faculty and use them to start conversations with faculty members for advice and networking opportunities.

Supporting National Organizations

Duke Law School is a member of several national organizations that provide employment-related services for students and alumni. PSLawNet, Equal Justice Works, National Association for Law Placement and the Arizona Law School Government Honors Handbook are described below, along with links to other national organizations and websites with useful information.

PSLawNet

Duke Law School is a member of the Public Service Law Network Worldwide (PSLawNet) which is a global network of some 120 member law schools and nearly 10,000 law-related public service organizations and offices around the world. PSLawNet fosters law student community service and encourages all future lawyers to incorporate public service into their careers. PSLawNet offers comprehensive, current information on a broad range of pro bono and public service opportunities -- short-term, volunteer part-time positions, summer internships, post-graduate jobs, and fellowships -- as well as resources and expertise to assist law schools in empowering future lawyers as public servants.

Equal Justice Works

Equal Justice Works is "the country's leading organization engaged in organizing, training, and supporting public service-minded law students, and is the national leader in creating summer and postgraduate public interest jobs." To learn more, visit the Equal Justice Works website.

Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair

The Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono strongly encourages all students seeking permanent or summer employment in the public interest sectors to attend the Equal Justice Works Conference and Job Fair in Washington, D.C. The largest public interest job fair in the country - more than 200 employers and organizations attend - the conference and job fair is a unique opportunity for students to learn about the wide array of public interest employment opportunities and hear speakers discuss "hot topics" in the public sector.

The job fair is open to law students of any year as well as alumni. Though first-year students are not eligible for pre-arranged interviews, they may participate in the "table talk" portion of the conference, during which they will have the chance to meet with employers to discuss career advice and career opportunities. Second and third year students should send their applications and requests for interviews to participating employers ahead of time. This process is explained on the Equal Justice Works website and is managed by the Career Center.

Interested students may register to attend the Equal Justice Works Job Fair Promotion in the Career Center. Some of the registration expenses are paid by that office.
To learn more about the many services provided by Equal Justice Works, visit the Equal Justice Works website.

Government Honors and Internship Handbook

Duke Law School subscribes to the University of Arizona School of Law's Government Honors and Internship Handbook, a comprehensive compilation of federal government honors and intern programs, including both summer and post-graduate positions.

NALP - National Association for Law Placement

The National Association for Law Placement, the governing body for law school and law firm recruiting administrators, maintains important statistics about legal hiring, information about judicial clerkships, and a bibliography for those seeking resources about non-traditional legal employment. It is now the home of PSLawNet.

 

Other Websites and Sources on Public Interest Employment

The following websites are just a few of the many that offer extensive information on public interest and government employment (both summer and post-graduate) for lawyers and law students:

Government Job Listings