Public Interest Issue Areas
Many students come in to law school with a passion for a particular issue or set of issues, such as education or civil rights. Others develop a strong interest for a substantive area during law school. Still others find a practice setting or work style that they like and the issues they work on are less important. In any event, public interest work covers a huge range of issue areas, including some that people typically think of as “corporate.”
The following are some issue areas public interest lawyers work in, along with links to relevant guides.
- AIDS / HIV
- Animal Issues
- Arts / Entertainment
- Bankruptcy / Debt
- Business / Economic Issues
- Children / Youth (.pdf)
- Civil Rights / Liberties (.pdf)
- Communications
- Consumer
- Criminal
- Death Penalty
- Disability
- Domestic Violence
- Economic Development (.pdf)
- Education (.pdf)
- Elderly
- Environment / Energy / Utilities (.pdf)
- Family
- Farm / Migrant Worker
- First Amendment
- Gay / Lesbian / Bisexual / Transgender Issues (.pdf)
- Gun Control Issues
- Government Accountability / Legal Reform / Whistleblowers
- Health / Medical (.pdf)
- Homelessness / Housing
- Human Rights
- Immigration / Refugee (.pdf)
- Intellectual Property / Technology
- Juvenile Defense (.pdf)
- Labor / Employment
- Municipal Law
- Native American / Tribal Law
- Personal Injury / Medical Malpractice / Products Liability
- Prosecution (.pdf)
- Poverty
- Public Defenders (.pdf)
- Legal Services (.pdf)
- Prisoner Issues
- Property / Real Estate
- Racial / Ethnic Justice / Cultural Rights
- Religious Issues
- Reproductive Issues
- Security / Defense / Arms Control
- Tax
- Trade
- Transitional Justice / Democratic Process
- Trusts and Estates
- Voting / Campaign Finance
- Women’s Issues (.pdf)