Public Interest Support and Outcomes

The University of Chicago Law School supports students on a public interest path with counseling, informational and networking events, guaranteed summer funding, a faculty public interest mentor program, our Public Interest Alumni Network, and more—but our support does not stop at graduation. Our alumni take advantage of fellowship opportunities and loan repayment assistance as they build public interest careers at organizations across the world.

Postgraduate Public Interest Law Fellowships

The University of Chicago Law School Postgraduate Public Interest Law Fellowships are awarded to a limited number of competitively chosen graduating JD students who develop public interest fellowship projects with public sector host organizations. Thanks to the generosity of alumni funders, each Fellow is awarded $60,000 to work full-time for one year following graduation at an eligible public service host organization on public interest legal issues such as welfare rights, affordable housing, domestic violence, immigration, workers rights, special education, environmental protection and juvenile justice.

Over sixty graduates have completed public interest law fellowships at agencies across the nation and abroad and 96% of those fellows have remained in public service. View the list of past and current Fellows and their host agencies.

Loan Repayment Assistance

The University of Chicago Law School Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) is intended to alleviate the debt burden of our graduates who work in public interest.  The most inclusive program of its kind, our LRAP includes a straightforward application and a generous $80,000 salary cap. In addition, all graduates who serve as judicial clerks are eligible for the program. The LRAP works in concert with current federal debt relief programs to offer the opportunity for any graduate staying in public interest for ten years to attend law school for free.

Pro Bono Service Initiative 

The Pro Bono Service Initiative encourages our law students to complete at least 50 hours of pro bono service before they graduate. Participants in the voluntary Pro Bono Service Initiative contribute to their legal education by gaining exposure to important legal issues, invaluable experiences, and a hands on opportunity to influence how law affects real people. Students who fulfill their pledge and log their hours will receive a Dean's Certificate of Recognition, receive special recognition at graduation and receive a special notation on their transcript indicating that they completed the Pro Bono Service Initiative. The graduating student completing and recording the most hours will also receive a special Award of Excellence.

Employers

Students with a passion for public interest have many choices after graduation. Some become professors. Others become clerks. Still others go directly to work at a public service organization. Here are some of the public interest organizations who employ our alumni:

  • Access Living
  • ACLU (17 offices)
  • Advance Illinois
  • AIDS Legal Council of Chicago
  • Alabama Public Service Commission
  • Alameda Co. Public Defender's Office
  • American Anti-Trust Institute
  • American Civil Liberties Union (11 offices)
  • American Constitution Society
  • American Law Institute
  • American Red Cross
  • Animal Legal Defense Fund
  • Appellate Government Division
  • Associated Counsel for the Accused
  • Atlanta Legal Aid Society
  • Attorney General's Office (29 states)
  • Bakersfield City Attorney's Office
  • Bay Area Legal Aid
  • Better Government Association
  • Beyond OCD
  • Brattleboro Conservatory of Justice
  • Brennan Center
  • Brinson Foundation
  • British Columbia Securities Commission
  • Bronx Defenders
  • Bronx Legal Services
  • BronxWorks
  • Bundesministerium der Justiz
  • Business & Professional People for the Public Interest
  • Cabrini Green Legal Aid
  • Community Action Legal Alliance
  • California Office of the Attorney General
  • California Rural Legal Assistance
  • Center for Children's Advocacy
  • Center For Class Action Fairness
  • Center for Disability & Elder Law
  • Center for Economic & Social Justice
  • Center for Economic Progress - Midwest Tax Clinic
  • Center for Food Safety
  • Center for Family Representation
  • Center for Health Law, Ethics and Technology
  • Center for Workplace Democracy
  • Central District of California
  • Central Intelligence Agency
  • Cermak Health Services of Cook County
  • Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation
  • Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice
  • Chicago Cares
  • Chicago Community Trust 
  • Chicago Finance and Economic Development Department
  • Chicago Housing Authority
  • Chicago Independent Police Review Authority
  • Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc.
  • Chicago Legal Clinic
  • Chicago Park District
  • Chicago Public Schools
  • Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
  • Chula Vista City Attorney
  • Children's Law Center
  • Cincinnati Public Schools
  • Circle of Service Foundation
  • City & County of San Francisco
  • City of Ann Arbor
  • City of Cambridge
  • City of Chattanooga
  • City of Chicago
  • City of Duluth
  • City of Indianapolis
  • City of Irvington, New York
  • City of New York
  • Clean Air Council
  • Committee for Public Counsel Services
  • Commodity Futures Trading Commission
  • Community Legal Services Philadelphia
  • Community Legal Services Phoenix
  • Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto
  • Connecticut General Assembly
  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
  • Cook County
  • Cook County Assessor's Office
  • Cook County Department of Homeland Security
  • Cook County Public Defender's Office
  • Cook County State's Attorney Office
  • County of Los Angeles
  • Court of Appeal for Trade and Industry
  • Court of Chancery
  • CREW
  • Defender Association of Philadelphia
  • Department of Attorney General
  • Department of Defense U.S. Navy
  • Department of State
  • Department of the Treasury
  • Disabilities Rights Center, Inc.
  • District Attorney's Office (32 counties)
  • District of Maryland
  • Domestic Violence Legal Clinic
  • Douglas County Attorney
  • Douglas County Public Defender's Office
  • DuPage County Public Defender
  • EarthJustice (4 offices)
  • Education Law Center
  • Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
  • Environmental Defense Fund
  • Environmental Law Institute
  • Environmental Law & Policy Center
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Comm.
  • Equip for Equality
  • Endangered Habitats League
  • Erie Neighborhood House
  • Eureka County District Attorney
  • Evanston Community Defender – Moran Center
  • EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
  • Export-Import Bank of the U.S.
  • FCC Public Safety & Homeland Security
  • Federal Community Defenders
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Federal Communications Commission
  • Federal Trade Commission
  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
  • Federal Housing Finance Agency
  • Federal Labor Relations Authority
  • Federal Public Defender (18 offices)
  • Federal Reserve System
  • Federal Trade Commission
  • Financial Ind. Regulatory Auth., Inc.
  • Financial Supervisory Authority
  • Flagg Creek Water Reclamation District
  • Georgia Court of Appeals
  • Government of Saskatchewan
  • Government of Singapore Investment Corp.
  • Government Relations and International Law
  • Greater Boston Legal Services
  • The Hague
  • Harlem Defender
  • Health & Disability Advocates
  • Heritage Foundation
  • Humanity United
  • Human Rights Law Network
  • Human Rights Now
  • Illinois Education Labor Relations Board
  • Illinois Environ. Protection Agency
  • Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission
  • Illinois General Assembly
  • Illinois Housing Development Authority
  • Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission
  • Illinois Secretary of State
  • Illinois State Charter School Commission 
  • Illinois Workers' Compensation Comm.
  • Indian Law Resource Center
  • Indiana Legal Services, Inc.
  • Industrial Commission, N.C.
  • Institute for Justice (3 chapters)
  • Institute for Policy Studies
  • Institute for Public Representation
  • Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad
  • Internal Revenue Service
  • International Criminal Courts
  • International Institute of the Bay Area
  • International Justice Mission
  • Irish Immigration Center
  • Italian Antitrust Authority
  • Jefferson Pilot Financial Insurance Co
  • Justice Integrity Project
  • Kane County Board
  • Kansas Legal Services, Inc.
  • Kent County Prosecutor's Office
  • Knox County
  • Lambda Legal (3 offices)
  • Law Library of Congress
  • Lawndale Christian Legal Center
  • Lawyers’ Collective
  • Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
  • Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing
  • Legal Aid Bureau of Metropolitan Family Services
  • Legal Aid of Central Michigan
  • Legal Aid of Northwest Texas
  • Legal Aid Society of Memphis
  • Legal Aid Society of San Diego
  • Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia
  • Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago
  • Legal Council for Health Justice
  • Legal Momentum
  • Legal Services Corporation of Iowa
  • Legislations and Intergovernmental Affairs
  • Levine School of Music
  • Liberty Justice Center
  • Library of Congress
  • Louisiana Capital Assistance Project
  • Maine Office of Securities
  • Maricopa County Attorney's Office
  • Maryland Defender
  • Massachusetts Attorney General
  • Media Matters For America
  • MFY Legal Services
  • Miami-Dade Public Defender
  • Ministry of Fisheries
  • Minnesota House of Representatives
  • Mississippi Center for Justice
  • N.D. Ind. Federal Community Defenders
  • National Assoc. of Attorneys General
  • National Center for Law & Economics
  • National Center for Lesbian Rights
  • National Consumer Law Center
  • National Grid USA
  • National Housing Law Project
  • National Labor Relations Board
  • National Security Agency
  • National Women’s Law Center
  • Natural Resources Defense Council  (4 offices)
  • Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem
  • Neighborhood Legal Services
  • New York County District Attorney
  • New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG)
  • New York State Div. of Human Rights
  • New York Works Task Force
  • NJ Appleseed Public Interest Law Center
  • NM Public Regulation Commission
  • Norton Museum of Art
  • NYC Administration for Children’s Service
  • NYC Law Department
  • NYC Transit Authority
  • Oceana
  • Office of Administrative Hearings
  • Office of the NY Appellate Defender
  • Office of Budget and Management
  • Office of Financial Stability, U.S. Dep’t of the Treasury
  • Office of Info. & Regulatory Affairs, Office of Mgt. & Budget
  • Office of Inspector General
  • Office of the Illinois Executive Inspector General
  • Office of Management and Budget
  • Office of Representative Mike Pompeo
  • Office of the Attorney General
  • Office of the Comptroller of Currency
  • Office of the District Attorney
  • Office of the General Counsel, FBI
  • Office of the King County Prosecutor
  • Office of the Legislative Counsel
  • Office of the Public Defender (41 counties/districts)
  • Office of the State Appellate Defender
  • Office of U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell
  • Office of the Colorado State Public Defender
  • Ohio Environmental Council
  • Open Society Foundations
  • Open Society Institute
  • Open Society Justice Initiative
  • Oregon Department of Justice
  • Oregon Law Center
  • Organic Trade Association
  • Orleans Public Defender
  • PA Assn. of School Administrators
  • Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
  • Planned Parenthood
  • Port Authority of NY and NJ
  • Prairie State Legal Services
  • Progressive Public Affairs
  • PSAOB
  • Public Citizen Litigation Group
  • Public Defender Service for D.C.
  • Public Employment Relations Board
  • Queens County Supreme Court
  • Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
  • Rockefeller Foundation
  • Salt Lake City Attorney's Office
  • Sanctuary for Families
  • San Francisco Pre-Trial Diversion Program
  • San Francisco Public Defender
  • Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
  • Scio Township Land Preservation Comm.
  • Seattle Housing Authority
  • Securities & Exchange Commission
  • Securities and Futures Commission
  • Senator Debbie Stabenow
  • Service Members Legal Defense Network
  • Shelby County Public Defender
  • Sierra Club (three offices)
  • Snohomish County
  • Social Security Administration
  • South Asians for Human Rights
  • Southern Environmental Law Center
  • St. Louis City Counselor
  • State Department of Health and Welfare
  • State of California
  • State of Colorado
  • State of Connecticut
  • State of Hawaii
  • State of Illinois
  • State of Iowa
  • State of Israel Antitrust Authority
  • State of Maryland
  • State of Michigan
  • State of Minnesota
  • State of Montana
  • State of Nebraska
  • State of New York
  • State of Texas
  • State of Utah
  • State of Vermont
  • State of Wisconsin
  • State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor (6 districts)
  • Tennessee Institute for Public Policy
  • Tennessee Valley Authority
  • Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • The American Enterprise Institute
  • The Bronx Defenders
  • The Center for Law and Education
  • The City of Chicago
  • The Committee to End Homelessness
  • The District of Columbia
  • The Federalist Society
  • The Hunger Project
  • The Joyce Foundation
  • The Legal Aid Society
  • The Office of NOAA General Counsel for Fisheries
  • The Pro Bono Institute
  • The Violence Against Women Commission
  • The Voter Participation Center
  • THE WHITE HOUSE
  • The World Bank
  • Third Way
  • Transparency International
  • Transportation Security Administration
  • Twin Falls Country Prosecuting Attorney's Office
  • Two Rivers Institute
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • U.S. Attorney's Office (all)
  • U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
  • U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
  • U.S. Copyright Office 
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • U.S. Department of Defense
  • U.S. Department of Education
  • U.S. Department of Energy
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
  • U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
  • U.S. Department of Justice (all Divisions/Components) 
  • U.S. Department of Labor
  • U.S. Department of State
  • U.S. Department of the Army
  • U.S. Department of the Air Force
  • U.S. Department of the Coast Guard
  • U.S. Department of the Interior
  • U.S. Department of the Treasury
  • U.S. Department of Transportation
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  • U.S. Federal Communications Commission
  • U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services
  • U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  • U.S. General Services Administration
  • U.S. House of Representatives
  • U.S. International Trade Commission
  • U.S. Military/JAG (all branches)
  • U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
  • U.S. Postal Service
  • U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
  • U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
  • U.S. Senate Committee on Finance
  • U.S. Social Security Administration
  • United States Department of State - Office of the Legal Adviser
  • United States House of Representatives
  • United States Senate
  • Uptown United
  • Vermont Legal Aid
  • Village of Arlington Heights
  • Virginia General Assembly
  • Washington Attorney General
  • Washington Environmental Council
  • Western Rivers Conservancy
  • West Virginia Innocence Project
  • Wisconsin Department of Justice
  • Women's Prerogative
  • YMCA – Legal Department