The Career Services Office (CSO) is committed to assisting students and alumni in all aspects of their career development, from job search strategy and interview preparation to professional development and beyond. We also actively engage with employers to promote the School of Law and to encourage them to consider our students when making hiring decisions.
Public Interest
Public interest generally refers to attorneys working for legal services organizations and other non-profits, though some also work at for-profit law firms who serve the public interest. Attorneys working as public defenders are also generally categorized as public interest attorneys, even if the defender’s office is a government entity. Public interest attorneys represent the members of our society who are unable to represent themselves or who cannot afford to hire a private attorney.

Case Western Reserve University School of Law encourages students to explore the public interest as a career choice that serves a vital role in our country’s justice system. To assist students interested in the public interest, the law school offers several summer funding opportunities that are available only to CWRU Law students. The school also offers a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) to graduates who accept employment in the public interest.

Salaries for attorneys working in the public interest have traditionally been lower than those for attorneys working in private practice. According to the NALP Publication Jobs & JD’s: Class of 2008, the national median salary for 2008 graduates taking jobs in the public interest was $43,765. Graduates beginning careers as public defenders earned a national median salary of $45,000.

The following is an introductory list of resources the CSO recommends to students who are interested in pursuing employment in the public interest. This is not a comprehensive list, but simply a starting point for research:
  • PSLawNet Nonprofit, Public Interest Law Firm, and Career Fair Guides
  • PSLawNet job postings (requires free account registration)
  • PSLawNet Summer Funding Resources
  • The Equal Justice Works website and annual Conference and Career Fair
  • Information about loan assistance and loan forgiveness through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA)
  • CWRU Law summer fellowships, which include the Klatsky Human Rights Fellowship, Adelstein Environmental Law Fellowship, Biskind Public Interest Fellowship, Center for Social Justice Fellowships, Law-Medicine Center Stipends, and Cox International Law Center stipends. Speak to your CSO counselor to learn more about criteria and application procedures.
  • International Public Interest law: Guide to Opportunities in the U.S. and Abroad (available in the CSO Resource Room)
  • National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA)