Public Interest Law

Golden Gate University School of Law has a well-deserved reputation as one of the top public interest law schools in the nation. A number of public interest programs at Golden Gate demonstrate our commitment to public interest law.

The full-time Director for Public Interest Programs provides career counseling, supports student groups, and champions public interest issues and concerns within the School of Law and the greater community. E-mail the Director. The adviser maintains a student listserv, sending out regular updates about public interest/public sector employment issues, conferences, events, and volunteer opportunities. Students are encouraged to meet with the Director when they begin law school. Students may earn a Certificate of Specialization in Public Interest Law upon graduation. Upon successful completion of the certificate program requirements, students are invited to a special Public Interest ceremony and reception and receive a notation on their transcript that informs potential employers of their demonstrated commitment to public interest.

The certificate application is found here.

To earn the certificate, students must complete the following requirements:

• 14 units of approved public interest law courses
• 400 hours of supervised legal work at a public interest organization or government agency
• 25 hours of off-campus community service

Practical Legal Training
Golden Gate takes pride in its reputation as a provider of excellent hands-on legal training. This practice-based approach is evident in many of our regular J.D. and LL.M. courses. The school also boasts one of the most extensive clinical programs in the country. Clinics give law students practical experience working with both attorneys and clients. Our faculty are actively involved in social justice scholarship and service, and many play active roles in local and national public interest organizations.

Law School Partners With OneJustice
The School of Law and OneJustice have formed a partnership to run the Law Student Pro Bono Project. Through the Project, Golden Gate students have access to an online database, receive a weekly newsletter, and can work with a dedicated AmeriCorps fellow at OneJustice to find the right project.

Golden Gate enthusiastically supports the ABA's mission of developing attorneys who accept the responsibility to promote justice and to make justice equally accessible to all people.

Golden Gate's practical legal training curriculum gives students the skills they need to begin assisting clients while still in law school. Pro bono (volunteer) work not only helps to develop professional skills, but it also provides valuable legal services to needy populations. Many Golden Gate students are engaged in activities that assist the homeless, people with AIDS, survivors of domestic violence, environmental protection, civil rights, conditions of employment, and other problems common to the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Director for Public Interest Programs maintains close relationships with local bar associations and other non-profits, which offer important volunteer service learning opportunities for our students, and actively promotes these to the student body. Golden Gate also provides financial support to students engaged in activities that assist the poor and underrepresented, such as its Public Interest Work-Study program.

Golden Gate is proud to offer scholarships, income support, and professional development stipends to students and alumni who pursue public interest and social justice careers.

Below are some of the resources for public interest law students at Golden Gate University.

• Career panels, events, and networking opportunities for public interest oriented students.
• The School of Law subscribes to PSLawNet through which students may use the Internet to access a national database featuring paid and volunteer public interest employment opportunities locally, nationally, and internationally.
• Participation in the annual Northern California Public Interest/Public Sector Legal Careers Day (www.pic.org), an event through which many Golden Gate students find summer and part-time employment.
• Many additional print and on-line resources for students and alumni pursuing public interest careers.

For more information, visit the Law Career Services page.

Golden Gate students and alumni work in a wide variety of public interest settings including:

• California Attorney General
• Legal Aid Society of New York
• Public Defender offices
• California Indian Legal Services
• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
• National Labor Relations Board
• Environmental Protection Agency
• American Civil Liberties Union
• California Supreme Court
• District Attorney offices
• U.S. Attorney
• Private public interest firms

Campus groups play a vital role in promoting public interest issues and concerns both on-campus and in the community.

Contact:
Elana V. Konstant
Assistant Director for Public Interest & Student Leadership Programs
Golden Gate University School of Law
62 First Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415-369-5391
Fax: 415-543-6680
E-mail: publicinterest@ggu.edu