Best Law School for Public Interest in USA – Do you like to help and fight for people? Do you hate injustice with a passion? Then Public Interest law might be just right for you. Public Interest law simply involves legal practices carried out to help the poor, less-privileged and disadvantaged people. It also involves using legal practices to effect changes in social policies that will be beneficiary to the public. There are a number of Law schools in the United States that really prioritize Public Interest Law in their curriculum. You will be getting to know about 10 best law school for public interest and also the peculiarities of each of this school.
List of 10 Best Law Schools for Public Interest in USA
Boston University School of Law
It is a private university located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts. The school was established in 1872. The law school is well-diversified ethnic-wise and is one of the first law schools in the United States to admit students from different race and culture. The law school is a charter member of the American Bar Association. It is one of the oldest law school in Massachusetts.
The university ranks 17th position on the list of best law schools in America.
The school offers J.D degree and LL.M degree program.
Admission into this university is very competitive with an acceptance rate of 18%.
CUNY School of Law
The school is one of the best school of law for public interest in USA.
The school has two mission:
- To serve the needs of mankind through the practice of law.
- To create opportunity for less-privileged and marginalized people to study and practice law.
CUNY law school is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. The School is also approved by the Board of Regents of New York State to confer the Juris Doctor (J.D) degree and accredited by the American Bar Association. This implies that graduates of this school are free to sit for the Bar Exam in all 50 states.
Yale Law School
It is the law school of Yale University. It was created in 1824 and ever since being rated one of the best law school in the United States. Admission is very selective with acceptance rate of about 4%. The school enrolls about 200 students every year.
The school has clinical programs that students get to participate in. Clinical programs allow students represent clients (most especially the less privileged and the marginalized) in real world legal problems. Students get to represent clients before the courts at all levels of judiciary: state, federal, tribunal and others.
The school has produced a lot of graduates, some of them occupy prominent positions in government and law. Some of them include former United States presidents Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford and a host of others.
University of California Law School
The school of law created in 1987, is one of the 12 professional schools in the university of California. It is located in the Westwood area of Los Angeles. The school of law is well-ranked as one of the best in the United States.
As a law student, you can specialize in any of the following;
- Public interest law
- Business Law and Policy
- Entertainment law
- Critical race studies
- Law and Philosophy
The school pioneered clinical legal education. Students are organized into clinics, where they get opportunity to represent clients in the law court in different legal issues. The aim of the clinic is to offer legal service to people that cannot afford it.
Alumni of the school occupy varying leadership positions in judiciary, business, government service, sports and entertainment law and public interest law.
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
The law school is one of the 8 schools at Case Western Reserve University and is one of the first school to be accredited by the American Bar Association. The school was founded in 1892 and is a member of the Association of American Law school.
In the first year of study, student get to work with clients. During this time, they get to learn transactional drafting, financial literacy, statutory and regulatory analysis. In the second year, students get to specialize and build on skills acquire in the 1st year. By third year, students get to practice law full-time by working in clinics, externship programs in the United states or in other countries.
Curriculum in this law school comprises health care law, security law, international law and others.
Notable graduates of this prestigious school include former Ohio Attorney General, Marc Dann, former U.S representatives, Stephanie Tubbs Jones and a host of other important personalities.
Northeastern University School of Law (NUSL)
It is the law school of Northeastern University established in 1898 and located in Boston, Massachusetts.
The school is nationally recognized for two its programs; Cooperative legal education and Public interest law. In fact, the school has been recognized as one of the best public interest law school in the United States.
Most of the students are actively involved in the clinical programs in the school. Students during the 1st year, students are mandated to complete a social justice project which usually spans for 12months.
Stanford Law School
It is the law school of Stanford University, a private research institution and is located in California. The school enroll students both for Juris Doctor (J.D) degree and advanced degrees; Masters of Law(LL.M), Masters of Studies in Law (M.S.L), Master of the science of Law (J.S.M) and Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D). Admission into this school of law is very competitive with an acceptance of 6.3%.
The university is well-ranked among the best law schools in the United States.
The school’s curriculum is quite flexible. First year students take a large number of courses including Legal and Research writing, Criminal law, Constitutional law, Federal Litigation and other courses. In the second and third year of study, students get to work in one of the 11 legal clinics and gain some hands-on experience while at it.
New York University School of Law (NYU)
This is the law school of New York University located in New York City. This school of law established in 1835 is the oldest law school in New York City. The school is one of the best school of law in the United States.
The school offers Juris Doctor (J.D), Master of Law(LL.M) and Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D) degrees in law.
Scholarship at New York University School of Law
Root Tilden Kern Scholarship Program: It is a full-tuition scholarship awarded yearly to students that are committed to public service.
Hauser Global Scholarship: this scholarship is for LL.M students. The scholarship covers both tuition and accommodation.
Lawrence Lederman Fellowship: scholarship is valued at $5,000 for students to study Law and Economics.
Other scholarships include Hugo Grotius Scholarship and Vanderbilt Scholarship.
The university awards several fellowships to students admitted to the LL.M program.
Loyola Law School
This law school was founded in 1920. It is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a catholic-owned private school located in Los Angeles, California.
Programs offered in the school include:
- Juris Doctor (J.D),
- Master of Science in Legal Studies (MLS),
- Master of Laws(LLM),
- Master of Laws in Taxation,
- Juris Doctor/ Master of Business Administration(J.D/MBA).
Loyola law school has been approved and accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of America Law Schools.
Loyola has 21 clinics, which the students get to actively participate in order to provide legal services for the less privileged.
Study abroad programs are available in Loyola law school for J.D students in Beijing, China, Italy, etc.
University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
It is the school of law of the University of Maryland located in Baltimore. University of Maryland is a public university. This law school was founded in 1816 and is one of the oldest law school in U.S. The school is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. This school is one of the best law school in the United States .
Programs offered in the law school include J.D degree and LL.M degree.
J.D students take courses in constitutional law, civil procedure, property, contract and criminal law. The students also take courses that are focused on the legal skills of analysis, research, writing and oral argument. The students also undergo more specialized studies in some elective courses, seminars, externships, independent studies and simulations. Students also undergo clinical programs, providing legal services for the less-privileged people.
LL.M degree program is for students who has previously earned a J.D degree. LL.M students are required to complete a coursework in a specialized field and write a thesis.
There are specialty programs that allows students explore areas of interest. Some of these programs include: Business Law, Criminal Law, Cybersecurity and Crisis Management, Intellectual Property Law, Public health law, Health Care Law and others.
Conclusion
As a public interest lawyer, money is not your goal but rather seeing smiles on the faces of the public is what gives you fulfillment. There are so many issues that you can pick from and work as public interest lawyer. Some of the issues include ethnicity, gender discrimination, child abuse, human rights, rights of a disabled person, domestic violence and many more.
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