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 Law Project

The Family Law Project is a civil law project serving incarcerated clients. Students in the Family Law Project, like those in the Legal Assistance to Institutionalized Persons Project, work under the direct supervision of clinical faculty to provide legal assistance to state and federal prison inmates throughout Wisconsin. The clinical, which is available to second- and third-year law students, requires a two-semester commitment.

Learn more about the Family Law Project »

Labor Law Externship

The Labor Law Externship provides placements for students in a labor law setting.  Students spend two days a week working under the supervision of attorneys of the National Labor Relations Board in Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission in Madison, the Department of Labor's Chicago regional office, or in other similar agencies.  They attend hearings, write draft opinions, conduct legal research, write memos, and in general are exposed to the broad range of work done by the agency.

Learn more about the Labor Law Externship »

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 »

Unemployment Compensation Appeals Clinic

The Unemployment Compensation Appeals Clinic is staffed by volunteer student advocates who assist clients in obtaining unemployment compensation benefits. Student advocates work closely with supervising attorneys and gain litigation and case management experience while helping those in need of benefits who cannot afford representation.

Learn more about the Unemployment Compensation Appeals 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.

Lock Icon