Transcript Public Service Careers: Beyond the Obvious

Public Service Careers:
Beyond the Obvious
Legal Services Organization
 Legal services organizations provide direct legal services to
indigent individuals and families in civil matters, including
transactional work and litigation.
 These organizations are sometimes analogized to public
defender offices, which are distinguished by the fact that
public defenders provide legal representation in criminal
matters.
 Legal services attorneys represent clients with regard to a
broad range of issues, including housing discrimination,
consumer bankruptcy, predatory lending, immigration issues,
and many others.
 Alyssa Williamson, Northwest Justice Project
International Legal Work
 International law is one of the fastest growing legal fields.
The types of public service work and practice settings vary
widely.
 The U.S. Government hires attorneys to work on international
issues in many of its agencies, including the Department of
State, the Department of Commerce and the Environmental
Protection Agency, to name just a few. Hundreds of lawyers
also work at the United Nations, the World Bank, the
Organization of American States, international tribunals, the
International Criminal Court and other intergovernmental
organizations.
 Finally, there are thousands of non-governmental
organizations throughout the world that focus on
international issues, including but not limited to,
development, human rights, the environment law, energy,
trade, arms control, and transitional justice.
 Laurel Yecny
Public Defender Offices
 Public defenders provide legal representation in criminal
cases for clients who cannot afford to pay for counsel.
 Like legal services attorneys, public defenders have a high
degree of client contact. Generally, a public defender’s office
is a state agency, but can also be funded through non-profit
organizations, government subsidies, and grants.
 Public defenders represent clients at all phases of the legal
process, from bond and probation hearings to complete jury
trials.
 Laurah Bernard, Associated Counsel for the Accused
Prosecutor’s Offices/ State
Attorney General/ DOJ
 Work at a prosecutor/solicitor’s office, the state
Attorney General’s office, or the Department of Justice
is also sometimes considered to fall under the umbrella
term “public interest law.”
 Note that the Department of Justice also includes
divisions that prosecute civil rights violations and work
to protect battered women, among other things.
Legal Staff at Government
Entities/Organizations
 Government entities at both the state and federal levels often
have in-house legal staffs that enforce laws and regulations and
further the goals of these organizations in other ways.
 For example, attorneys at the United States Department of
Housing and Urban Development investigate and fight housing
discrimination and work with developers to encourage affordable
housing development. Attorneys at the Environmental Protection
Agency work to enforce federal environmental regulations.
 Federal agencies also employ attorneys who work to ensure that
the agencies themselves are in compliance with the law; for
example, attorneys might work to ensure that a federal agency is
distributing grants or awarding contracts in a non- discriminatory
matter.
Courts

The nature of a judicial clerkship depends on the court's level and the individual judges.

At the highest levels, such as the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals and the
highest state courts, the appellate clerk conducts intensive research and writes on the
complicated questions of law that remain on appeal.

In federal district courts and in the lower state courts, the clerk has more direct
exposure to many aspects of the litigation process and becomes more involved in
judicial decision-making and opinion writing, depending on the judge.

Clerks get insider-views of the judicial process, help to shape case opinions, sometimes
formulate new laws and forge professional relationships that may benefit them for the
rest of their careers.

Many appellate courts also employ attorneys in permanent staff positions. Often, these
attorneys screen pending cases and make recommendations to the court on how the
case should be treated – such as whether there should be full briefing and oral
argument, whether the case should be decided summarily and whether the case
presents novel issues of law. These attorneys also draft opinions, research legal issues
for judges, make recommendations on how to proceed with complex procedural matters
and help oversee the court's workflow.
Policy Advocacy Organizations
 Policy advocacy organizations work for changes in legislation,
regulations, and other types of policy
 Policy advocacy groups are involved in many different issues,
including environmental justice, education, immigration,
consumer rights, community development, affordable
housing, capital punishment, domestic violence, and child
welfare.
 The attorneys in this area work for systemic change in many
different ways; examples include lobbying members of
Congress or a state legislature for legislation favorable to
disenfranchised groups (or against legislation that would harm
these groups), raising public awareness of injustices or
environmental abuses, educating community members about
their rights, and working with community groups and local
governments to find solutions to local problems.
 Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin
Tribal Law
 Sam Page, Kalispel Tribe
Pro Bono Work at Law Firms
 Some firms, especially larger ones, offer opportunities
for their attorneys to become involved in public interest
law through pro-bono work.
 Some firms may also encourage attorney’s to volunteer
their time to non-legal pro bono causes; for example,
attorneys at private firms often serve on the boards of
non-profits
Labor Unions
 Labor unions, representing both public and private sector
employees, offer a significant number of public service lawyering
opportunities.
 Almost all national and international unions have central legal
departments that provide overall legal direction and advice for
both the leadership and for local constituents.
 Work in a union legal department can include advising officers in
contract negotiations, strategizing on organizing campaigns,
representing the union before the National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB) and working with lobbyists and legislators to develop
federal and state legislation.
 Lawyers representing unions have extended their practice areas
beyond traditional labor law. For instance, these lawyers now
practice in such fields as bankruptcy law, as many employers are
forced into reorganization or liquidation and corporate law, as
more employees become partial or full owners of their corporate
employers through employee stock ownership plans,
cooperatives or various other kinds of profit-sharing
arrangements.
Foundations
 Foundation philanthropy appeals to many law students
and lawyers interested in building and maintaining
public interest programs. The prospect of learning
about, selecting, and supporting creative projects
attracts those looking for an alternative to traditional
legal work. Lawyers can play various roles at
foundations.
 http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/careers/opia/pla
nning/career-resources/docs/guide-foundations.pdf
Academic Administration
 An increasing number of lawyers are hired by academic
institutions, especially in law schools, in positions such
as academic affairs, student services, career services
officers for both public interest law and private sector
employment, counselors and law librarians.
 Other academic administrative jobs include
undergraduate pre-law advisors and positions on the
university-wide level, such as such as affirmative action
officer, director of community affairs and assistant to
the president.
Non-Profit Management
 Management, administrative and lobbying positions with
nonprofit organizations provide another major source of lawrelated public service jobs.
 Individuals with legal training can become directors and
administrators of a diverse array of nonprofit organizations
including museums, social service organizations, youth job
corps programs and international human rights organizations.
 Many nonprofits that aim to influence government policy,
legislation and funding often have in-house lobbyists or hire
lobbying agencies that specialize in public sector clients.
Bar Association
 Bar associations employ lawyers in management and
program administration positions, such as continuing
education for lawyers, lawyer assistance programs,
referral and pro bono programs.
Non-traditional Careers/Jobs -Government Sector
 Environmental Protection
Specialist
 Research Director
 Policy Advisor
 Civil Rights Investigator
 Criminal Investigator
 Analyst of Social Legislation
 Policy Director
 Foreign Service Officer
 Investigator
 Financial Enforcement Specialist
 Government Relations/Public
Affairs Director
 Foreign Affairs Specialist
 Chief of Staff
 Customs Inspector
 Ethics Program Specialist
Non-traditional Careers/Jobs -Non-Profit Sector
 Law Librarian
 Career Counselor
 Advocate/Advocacy Director
 Admissions Officer
 Community Relations
Specialist
 Grants Administrator
 Development Director
 Consumer Advocate
 Non-profit Executive Director
 Program Analyst
 Director of Planning
 Chief Development Officer
 Director of Alumni Affairs
 Mediator/Ombudsman