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Public Interest
At Fowler School of Law, we believe that law students and attorneys have a responsibility to give back and support public interest law. This includes advocating for individuals in poverty or marginalizes populations. As with other practice areas, and because of the breadth of public interest practice, in exploring public interest career paths, you need to fully research the field. Below are resources that you will find helpful in your search.
- PSJD is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive online resource for law students and attorneys to find public service employment opportunities. The database includes open job postings for attorney positions, post-graduate fellowships, and paid and unpaid law clerk positions. Additionally, it contains relevant information about securing jobs with both government and public interest employers.
- Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) is a Fowler School of Law student organization that supports students pursuing public interest practice and offers grants for summer internships.
- National Legal Aid and Defender Association
- Equal Justice Works
- Idealist
- Pro Bono Net
- OneJustice
Government
USAJOBS is the federal government's website for listing opportunities with federal agencies.
The Government Honors & Internship Handbook includes detailed information on over 100 federal, state, and local government honors programs (legal internships - both paid and unpaid). In addition, there are entry-level attorney positions which you may apply for through the Honor's Program.
Public Policy
The Public Policy Handbook contains information about hundreds of employers who are offering internship and fellowship programs in the public policy arena. In addition to opportunities in the DC area and New York City (where a majority of public policy organizations are headquartered), it now includes many states. The federal government is the nation's largest employer, with more than one million full-time, permanent workers (excluding the U.S. Postal Service).
Judicial Clerkships
Many notable legal professionals and scholars have embarked upon their careers with a post-graduate judicial clerkship. A clerkship will give you an opportunity to observe and understand the inner workings of the judicial system in a way that no class or other job can. If you are interested in learning more about the judicial clerk application process, contact Assistant Director Sara Kakuris at kakuris@chapman.edu.
Alternative Careers
Explore the Alternative Career Guide on Symplicity under "Guides & Resources."
Researching Employers
Martindale is an online compilation of information on individual lawyers, law firms, and companies. Students can use Martindale to do research on prospective employers and interviewers, identify alumni or other attorneys for informational interviews, and obtain useful information for personalizing application materials.
The NALP Directory of Legal Employers lists and provides information on hundreds of legal employers nationwide, with a strong emphasis on large firms.
Job Search Websites
While Symplicity houses the Career Services Office's crated online job board, there are a number of external websites for additional searching.