Where to Start: Mapping a Public Interest Career

The world of public interest law presents boundless possibilities — so many that it may feel hard to know where to start or how to plan a career path. Join Wasserstein Fellow Tory Nugent for a discussion that combines conceptual frameworks, practical advice, and personal experience. Through the lens of her 30+ year career working for public interest organizations and litigating complex consumer, environmental, and public health cases, Tory will talk about the skills, knowledge, and experiences that she accumulated and carried from one project to the next. In this lunchtime chat, you will hear about the different types of practice – policy, legislating, and litigation — as well as the wide-range of subject matter that falls within the definition of public interest work. And perhaps most importantly, you will talk about ways to think about work and define meaning and satisfaction – personally and professionally — as you start to envision daily work, a job, and a career arc.

Lunch provided. Please RSVP below! Open only to the HLS community.

If you or an event participant requires disability-related accommodations, please contact HLS Accessibility Services at accessibility@law.harvard.edu two weeks in advance of the event.

Tory (she/her) has dedicated the past 25 years to developing novel legal theories, advancing public policy efforts, and driving complex, multi-party litigation on behalf of ordinary and vulnerable citizens. She is currently the Director for State Litigation and Emerging Issues at Democracy Forward, where she leads impact litigation designed to disrupt anti-democratic lawmaking at the state and local level, including efforts to: ban books, dismantle DEI programs, restrict access to information about contraception and abortion services, prohibit consideration of climate risk in public investing and contracting, and usurp the powers of locally-elected officials and boards.