Planning Your Public Interest Career

Many factors go into a successful public interest job search. This  overview provides some ideas to help you analyze what you want out of your career, identify your strengths and weaknesses, get a sense of what your options are, build experience while in law school, and find a job that is a good fit for you. Figuring out what you want to do at graduation involves self-assessment, learning what the options are and trying out different kinds of practice settings/issues/types of work so that you can start to narrow what suits you and what does not. Details on each section are below; our most popular links are also on the right.

Career Exploration

This section includes information on self-assessment; public interest issues areas, types of work and practice settings; and networking tips.

Career Preparation

Click here for information on the clinical and pro bono programs at HLS, as well as the pro bono requirement, along with links to course suggestions, student practice organizations, and journals. 

Public Interest Career Resources

All of OPIA's specialty guides can be found here, along with links to job search sites, online public interest resources, and information about public interest in the private sector. 

Advisors and Contacts

Explore these links to find out more about OPIA's advisors, visiting Wasserstein Fellows, faculty with public interest experience, student contacts and mentors, summer and post-graduate employers ("Who Worked Where"), and the alumni advising network. 

Resources for Deferred Associates

Learn how to get started on your search for a position, what job search resources and postings are available, and additional resources for deferred associates.