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October 18, 2006
So You Want to Practice Public Interest Law?
According to The Official Guide to Legal Specialties: An Insider’s Guide to Every Major Practice Area, by Lisa L. Abrams, J.D., the following skills are most important to public interest lawyers:
• Passion for public service
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Oral advocacy skills
• Patience
• Tenacity and resourcefulness
• Foreign language skills
• Ability to cope with crises
• Organizational and time management skills
• Sense of humor
And public interest lawyers recommend that law students take the following classes and get the following types of experience if they want to pursue public interest law:
• A wide range of classes, including family, immigration, contracts, civil procedure, real estate, tax, evidence, bankruptcy, wills and trusts, and criminal law – as well as classes that focus on your areas of interest
• Public interest internships
• Leadership in the school’s public interest organizations
• Community service
• Network with public interest lawyers
• Become familiar with the salary ranges in the public interest sector
The Public Interest Law chapter of The Official Guide to Legal Specialties can be found on pages 347-366, and this terrific book is available in our resource room!
Posted by asa13 at October 18, 2006 10:17 AM