OPIA

Calling all public interest 1Ls and 2Ls! Classes are nearly over, and it's time to celebrate with your public interest classmates as you head into your second or third year of law school. Join OPIA at the HLS pub for some food and drinks, and help fortify the public interest community as you head into finals and your summer jobs. RSVP below!

Adrienne Mendle ’15 Asha Ramakumar ’23 Catherine Bendor ’92 David White ’17  Nathan Lobel ’22 Sam Dinning ’16 Jessica Frisina ’14 Zoè Russell ’22 Molly…

Zoè Russell ’22 David White ’17 Nathan Lobel ’22 Asha Ramakumar ’23 Sam Dinning ’16 Jessica Frisina ’14 Molly Cohen ’14 Hannah Bolt ’13 Abbey…

Entry-Level Job Search Strategy Info Session Date: 3/21/2025
Runtime: 24:29 Speaker: Catherine Pattanayak, Assistant Dean for Public Service and Director of OPIA This webinar is…

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.

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.

Every year, HLS students land a wide variety of entry-level positions and fellowships in government agencies, nonprofits (both here and abroad), the military, prosecutor and…

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.

Learn about this exciting 2-year post-graduate/post-clerkship fellowship to a non-profit organization from the Executive Director of the Skadden Foundation, Kathleen Rubenstein. Kathleen will discuss eligible projects and the application process. Previous HLS Skadden Fellowship recipients will also discuss their experiences with the process. Attendance at the info session is required if you plan to apply for the Skadden Fellowship. If students cannot attend the mandatory session because of time conflicts, they must make an appointment with Judy Murciano to discuss the application.

A fun and casual event for the HLS public interest community and hopefully the start of a new annual tradition. Grab some appetizers while listening to passionate public interest attorneys and soon-to-be attorneys tell a story about why they fight for justice. Each storyteller will share—in just five minutes! —what inspires them to do public interest work. It will be part poetry slam about justice, part public interest pep talk, and, if YOU come, a whole lot of fun. Join us!  Food and beverage provided. RSVP below!

As a follow-on to our OPIA’s Life After Law School Series: Is Big Law Right For Me? program, gather with other public-interest-minded students in a judgment-free space to discuss the decision to participate in EIP. Whether you are on the fence about participating, or do not plan on participating, join others who may be considering similar factors — from finances to family expectations to FOMO. Dinner provided.

Please join our panel of HLS alumni who will speak about their own career transitions across a variety of public interest and private sector practice settings. Of varied backgrounds, a panel of HLS alums will share what they did to successfully pivot and what they experienced along the way. They will offer invaluable tips on how best to use your time in law school and early in your career to ensure that if you choose, you can achieve similar transitions! Lunch provided. RSVP below.

Interested in learning more about public interest salaries? Excited about public interest work but concerned how you will manage loan repayment? Hear from a panel of public interest alumni as they candidly share their experiences participating in the Low-Income Repayment Program and discuss their lifestyles on public interest salaries (no, they don't eat ramen noodles every day). Catherine Pattanayak, Assistant Dean for Public Service, and Katy Harger, Assistant Director for the Low-Income Protection Plan and Public Interest Funding, will moderate and answer your questions. Lunch provided. Please RSVP below.

Public interest-minded students contemplating whether to pursue a clerkship after graduation are encouraged to attend this panel discussion at which public interest alumni who have clerked will talk about their experiences. The discussion will explore how a clerkship can be beneficial, the differences among various types of clerkships, and whether a clerkship might, or might not, be necessary for the kind of public interest work you hope to pursue.  Audience: This event is for public interest-minded 1Ls and 2Ls who are curious about clerkships.  Lunch provided. Please RSVP below.

Are you wondering if Big Law is right for you? Debating whether to participate in the Early Interview Program? Are you worried that if you don’t go to a large law firm, you’ll be left without “options”? Join us for a panel discussion with public-interest-minded current students as they reflect on their own decisions about whether to spend a summer or begin their careers in Big Law. Lunch provided. Please RSVP below.

Wondering how students land public interest employment immediately after graduation? Does the path seem confusing compared to private sector recruitment? Join OPIA as we demystify post-graduate pathways to public service, including a high-level overview of entry-level hiring, fellowships, and government honors programs. We will discuss hiring vehicles and key steps and strategies to ready you for post-graduate public interest job success. Lunch provided. Please RSVP below.

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.

Have a quick question about the public interest job search? Join Jillian's Zoom meeting room during her virtual drop-in office hours. Please note that virtual 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.