About Public Interest Law

Civil

Public interest law is not a substantive area of law or a practice area in the same sense as, for example, criminal law, family law, or employment law. Rather, public interest lawyers work in many different practice areas and for a broad range of employers. Public interest lawyers may do litigation or transactional work. A public interest career can involve administrative law, appellate practice, landlord-tenant issues, or prisoners' rights, and, increasingly, employment, immigration, health, and elder law are all subject areas in which there are public interest careers. Many public interest lawyers represent indigent clients and have frequent client contact, but others focus on public policy issues, analyze or draft legislation, or are involved in lobbying. 

One common denominator of public interest jobs is that they often provide representation for causes or groups that are not adequately served by the for-profit bar. Another is that a public interest law career usually involves working for a non-profit organization or, in some cases, a government agency. A third is that public interest organizations are generally struggling for funding, and salary ranges and benefits are low. However, despite low salaries, competition for public interest jobs is strong, and lawyers who pursue public interest careers find a deep sense of personal and professional satisfaction in their work.

Criminal

For information about Criminal Law, see the Criminal Law Curriculum Guide.

Courses

Note: Whether a particular course is scheduled depends on faculty availability and student demand. View the Course Descriptions for more information about each course and when it's offered.

Core/Foundation Courses

Employers will expect that a student interested in public interest law will have participated in at least one clinical course.

Recommended Courses

Students interested in public interest law should consider including one or more of the following courses as electives.

Enrichment Courses

Many of these courses deepen or broaden the skills and substantive information that a public interest lawyer needs, and also provide advanced courses for students interested in a specialty within the broad field of public interest law.

Related Curriculum

For more information about specific substantive areas of law that are public interest-related, please also see the curriculum guides for: 

Clinics, Internships, & Externships

Students interested in a public interest career should participate in at least one clinical program. Listed below are civil clinics and externships. For criminal law clinics, see the full list of clinical opportunities.

Center for Patient Partnerships

The Center for Patient Partnerships is a national resource for strengthening the consumer perspective in health care and building more effective partnerships among patients, providers, and other stakeholders.

Learn more about the Center for Patient Partnerships »

Consumer Law Clinic

The Consumer Law Clinic represents low- and moderate-income consumers in individual and class action lawsuits in federal and state courts. The Clinic operates year-round and is open to students who have completed their first year of law school. The Consumer Law Clinic trains students in all aspects of civil litigation.

Learn more about the Consumer Law Clinic »

Family Court Clinic

The Family Court Clinic is a program designed to help make the legal system more accessible to low-income, unrepresented people with divorce, post-divorce, paternity, and restraining order matters. Students do not serve as advocates, but rather as facilitators/mediators, working with the parties to prepare cases for decision. Students undergo in-depth skills training in interviewing, counseling, and negotiations, and learn the nuts and bolts of family law.

Learn more about the Family Court Clinic »

Family Legal Advocacy & Supports Clinic (FLASC)

The Family Legal Advocacy and Supports Clinic (FLASC) uses a multi-disciplinary approach to assist families who are at risk of becoming involved in the child welfare system. County agencies and community organizations refer individuals to FLASC who would benefit from preventive legal advocacy. Law students then work collaboratively with social work students to provide varying levels of assistance, including providing legal information, forms, and guidance to unrepresented litigants on family law issues; direct representation in family law cases; and referrals for non-family law issues. The Clinic’s goal is to prevent child welfare system involvement and family separation.

Learn more about FLASC»

Immigrant Justice Center

The Immigrant Justice Center represents clients in immigration proceedings before the Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The Center also represents clients in state courts related to their immigration status. The Center's primary focus is to help individuals facing immigration consequences as a result of criminal charges. However, we also assist in a wide range of other cases, e.g., representing individuals fleeing persecution and seeking asylum and individuals who have been the victims of domestic violence or other crimes. IJC students also conduct presentations in the community to educate non-citizens about their rights and to raise awareness about the challenges faced by immigrants. Students regularly visit immigration detainees in jail to provide "know your rights" information and to conduct case intakes. Students develop core lawyering skills, such as interviewing, counseling, fact-investigation, legal research and brief-writing, and trial advocacy. Students also have the opportunity to present a case in immigration court. Students develop public-speaking and community-relations skills through outreach and education projects. The Center encourages students to engage in a reflective practice that examines broader issues of human migration, social justice and human rights, and the role of lawyers and the legal system.

Learn more about the Immigrant Justice Center »

Neighborhood Law Clinic

The Neighborhood Law Project provides a broad range of legal services designed to enhance the economic well-being of the residents of one of Madison's neighborhoods. The Neighborhood Law Project is open to students who have completed their first year of law school. The project is a two-semester commitment, and includes a weekly seminar in addition to the clinical work.

Learn more about the Neighborhood Law Clinic »

Externships

Second and third-year students can earn academic credit and gain hands-on experience at a wide variety of nonprofit organizations that do public interest work.  Examples include externships at End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, where students assist with legal inquiries and research regarding domestic violence issues; externships at Midwest Environmental Advocates, Wisconsin's only non-profit environmental law firm, working with MEA lawyers on litigation, rule-making and policy development at the state and local level; and externships at Disability Rights Wisconsin, the state's protection and advocacy agency for persons with serious disabilities.  These and many more externships at public interest organizations can be done through the Law Externship course.  

Learn more about Externships or contact Externship Director Erin McBride at erin.mcbride@wisc.edu for more information.

Student Organizations and Related Activities

Employers look for a demonstrated commitment to public interest law and a commitment to public service shown by a history of volunteer activities. There are many volunteer opportunities in the Madison community and through the Student Bar Association.

For a full list of student organizations at UW Law, view the Student Organizations, Journals, & Activities.

Faculty

Here are some of the full-time faculty who teach or have an interest in public interest law (non-criminal):

In addition to our full-time faculty, the Law School's adjunct faculty members — prominent practicing lawyers and judges — bring their specialized knowledge and experience to the classroom. Filter by "Adjunct" in the Law School Directory for a full list.

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