From the entire Bernard Koteen Office of Public Interest Advising (OPIA) team, we are excited to welcome you to Harvard Law School and into our vibrant public interest community!  

During your first year at HLS, there are many ways to get involved with the public interest community, including becoming part of the Public Interest Law Collective (PILC). The PILC is a student-led effort designed to provide support and uplift students with a strong desire to use their legal education in service of the public good. 

To join, take 10 minutes to fill out the registration form by September 19. The form asks you to briefly describe what areas of public interest law you are curious about, what you are anxious about, and what you hope to give/get out of the PILC. Based on the information provided, OPIA will divide 1L PILC members into groups of 8-10 students, based on career interests, hobbies, and other shared enthusiasms.  

Each small group will be assigned two upper-class leaders, one 2L and one 3L, who are also navigating the public interest path at HLS and are available for one-on-one peer mentoring conversations. Together with your leaders, your group will co-create community building activities designed to foster connection and solidarity. 

As part of your membership in the PILC, you also have the opportunity to be matched with an HLS alumni mentor who works in public interest. Signing up for a mentor is not a requirement to be part of the PILC. We ask that you only request an alumni mentor if you can commit to 2-3 touch points over the course of the school year. Once matched, the onus will be on you to do the initial outreach. 

As a program graduate, you will become a vital part of fostering and supporting the public interest community at HLS for future generations of law students. 

We ask that each PILC member commit to the following: 

  • Support and uplift your public interest classmates as individuals and as a law school constituency. 
  • Contribute to and participate in two community building activities in each of fall and spring terms (four total for the academic year) that your group plans together. These activities are up to each group to determine and could be anything from social outings (meals, game nights) to community engagement (volunteering, attending lunchtime programs together) to whatever your group finds meaningful and connective. 
  • If you decide to also opt-in to the alumni mentor offering, you commit to an additional 2-3 touchpoints with your alumni mentor over the course of the academic year. 

Finally, mark your calendars for a PILC kickoff event on September 30 at 6:15pm, where you will meet other 1L members and your upper-class leaders. 

Questions about the PILC? Please email OPIA.