OPIA

How to Land a Public Interest Job
Date: 3/03/26
Runtime: 49:02 Wondering how students land public interest employment immediately after graduation? Does the path seem…

Explore the possibilities of gaining two years of support at the job of your dreams with an innovative project at a U.S.-based organization by meeting with Jessica Ryckman, Director of Fellowships at the Equal Justice Works Foundation. Jessica will give an insider’s view on the fellowship selection process. Attendance at the info session is required if you plan to apply for the fellowship. If students cannot attend the mandatory session because of time conflicts, they must make an appointment with Judy Murciano to discuss the EJW application. Lunch provided.

What is it like to be a racial justice lawyer in the current climate? Join OPIA for a community discussion with Wasserstein Fellow Kevin Jason, Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, to learn more about how the field of racial justice impact litigation has changed throughout his career, especially with the current retrenchment of civil rights and hostility to equity efforts. Kevin will discuss the day-to-day experience of legal advocacy, challenges encountered since he began this work, and the different roles attorneys can play in the pursuit of racial justice. Lunch provided. Please RSVP below! Open to the HLS community.

Students with an interest in religious liberty law typically orient towards litigation - where there is indeed a great deal of activity, much of it cutting-edge, as the courts continue to work out the contours of various legal doctrines and exemptions applicable to religious organizations and individuals. But there is also fascinating and important work to be done as in-house counsel to religious organizations. This work, too, is cutting-edge and exciting; it requires a lawyer to be up-to-date on all of the latest court decisions and to exercise superb practical judgment in real-life scenarios where faith-based organizations must make difficult and consequential decisions about how to operate consistent with the religious beliefs that animate them. Call it "religious liberty, applied." Join Wasserstein Fellow Jennie Bradley Lichter as she offers students a window into practicing law as in-house counsel to faith-based organizations. Lunch provided. Please RSVP below! Open to the HLS community.

Feeling like you want to do a little bit of everything in public interest law but aren’t sure what that looks like? Join Wasserstein Fellow Liv Warren '17, a (mostly) criminal defense attorney at a boutique trial firm in Durham, NC, for a conversation about building a career that truly lets you have it all. Liv will share what it’s like to juggle criminal, civil, trial, appellate, and post-conviction cases in state and federal court, take on high-stakes matters including death penalty and civil rights cases, and push for change through legislative advocacy—all without burning out. She’ll also talk about transitioning from non-profit to small-firm practice, using media and advocacy skills effectively, and finding ways to thrive personally while maintaining a law practice consistent with your values. This is a chance to get honest and practical advice about leaving the beaten paths in public interest and diving into local communities to build an expansive and exciting career. Lunch provided. Please RSVP below! Open to the HLS community.

Landmark cases from Bosnia, Rwanda, and elsewhere around the world have made international criminal law part of our everyday conversations and have attracted a generation of law students to this practice area. But next year may see the lightest trial schedule the modern international courts have ever had, as scandals and other challenges limit their work. Join Wasserstein Fellow and former international criminal prosecutor Arthur Traldi, as he discusses his own career in international criminal law and discusses strategies and challenges for students seeking to build their own international careers. Lunch provided. Please RSVP below! Open to the HLS community.

Have a quick question about public interest fellowships? Come to OPIA for drop-in office hours. Please note that drop-in office hours are for quick questions only on a first-come, first-served basis.

Have a quick question about public interest fellowships? Come to OPIA for drop-in office hours. Please note that drop-in office hours are for quick questions only on a first-come, first-served basis.

"Do the right thing” is a common refrain for prosecutors. There is an inherent privilege in going to work every day with the only objective of doing the right thing. Join OPIA for a community discussion with Wasserstein Fellow Ellen Sise '14, Assistant United States Attorney and Deputy Chief of the National Security and Cybercrime Section in the Eastern District of New York. Ellen will disabuse you of the notion that you need to have a background in the military or intelligence to work in National Security, explain the threat landscape and types of national security prosecutions brought by the Department of Justice (international terrorism, domestic terrorism, counterintelligence, counterproliferation, and cyber-threat actors), and discuss more broadly the role of an Assistant United States Attorney. We will explore the thrill of criminal trials and hot bench appeals, the importance of judgment for a prosecutor, and what is surprising about being an AUSA. Lunch provided. Please RSVP below! Open to the HLS community.

Have a quick question about the public interest job search? Drop by OPIA's office for drop-in office hours. Please note that office hours are for quick questions only on a first-come, first-served basis.

Have a quick question about the public interest job search? Come to OPIA for drop-in office hours. Please note that drop-in office hours are for quick questions only on a first-come, first-served basis.

Introduction Immigration law relates to the laws, policies, and practices that govern who can enter, stay, or become a citizen in the United States. This…

Curious about working in state or local government? Want to learn more about policy work? Hear from a panel of alumni of the Rappaport Summer Fellowship in Law & Public Policy to gain insight into the program and how you can be a part of it. The Rappaport Public Policy Summer Fellowship challenges graduate students from across Greater Boston to immerse themselves in the region's public sector through a dynamic summer internship experience. Students accepted into the program are placed in a paid, 10-week internship in key state and local agencies around Greater Boston. Fellows also participate in a weekly seminar series throughout the summer featuring discussions with leading practitioners and scholars from across the region and excursions to key sites like Fenway Park and Boston City Hall. Through the Fellowship, host agencies benefit from the skills, talent, and dedication of students who are passionate about public service. And students gain real-world experience while learning about how public policy is created and implemented. Learn more about the program! Lunch provided. Please RSVP.

While it’s true that the tech industry has immense control in the current political climate and offer many financially appealing jobs, there is a growing and urgent necessity for energy and legal skills to advocate for the average person in the digital age. Whether it’s working in a variety of government roles, as part of housing or immigration work, at a civil society organization, in political activism, or influencing better behavior from inside some companies, there is an opportunity and sometimes an obligation to engage in tech policy work. The widespread abuse of data and use of AI in nearly every sector demands legislative, regulatory, and legal intervention work by people with public interest as their north star. Wasserstein Fellow Ben Winters will talk about his roles in academia, government, civil society, and political groups – furthermore, he will provide a survey of job paths available for people who want to explicitly focus on tech policy as well as people looking to integrate it into any work they plan on doing. He’ll also discuss the challenges and opportunities of working on the less resourced side. Lunch provided. Please RSVP below. Open to the HLS community.

Did you know low-income Americans did not receive any or enough legal help for 92% of their civil legal problems, driving them deeper into poverty? Join Wasserstein Fellow Lena Silver ('13) to learn about the opportunities for diverse forms of advocacy in poverty law including direct client services, community outreach and organizing, and systemic work through coalition building, legislative and administrative advocacy, and impact litigation. As an expert in public benefits law, with an emphasis in immigrant access to public benefits, Lena will also make the case for why every public interest attorney should be knowledgeable about the safety net, and how pursuing legal work in public benefits is both exciting and critical to fighting poverty. Lunch provided. Please RSVP!

The Seaman/Plancher Legal Aid Fund (SPLA) awards an annual $65,000 fellowship to fund law students and judicial law clerks who demonstrate exceptional promise as public…

Whether you are interested in corporate law, privacy, antitrust, consumer protection, civil rights, tort defense, employment, criminal, appellate, or almost any other practice area, State Attorneys General offices offer unparalleled opportunities to do good, serve the public, and engage in impactful legal work. Best of all, you can do it from your home state! Join Wasserstein Fellow and Deputy Colorado Attorney General Nathan Blake to learn more about how State AGs are on the front lines of defending the rule of law and taking on the biggest corporations harming consumers. From high-stakes Supreme Court cases to counseling government agencies to engaging in possibly the last place in the country where constructive bipartisan work occurs, working for a State Attorney General should be on your shortlist of promising career paths. Lunch provided. Please RSVP below! Open to the HLS community.