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A career in public interest law can put your J.D. to use serving the underrepresented and fighting for social justice.
Public interest law jobs differ from other positions in that their primary mission is generally to serve underrepresented people or causes. Nonprofit organizations, government agencies and public interest firms all employ public interest lawyers. For instance, a public interest lawyer might represent domestic abuse victims, serve as legal representation to a nonprofit or work in an attorney general's office.
Renay Frankel, director for public interest and government with the Center for Co-op and Career Development at Northeastern University School of Law in Massachusetts, worked in the public sector for over a decade.
“It’s an incredible opportunity to put good in the world that you want to see, and there are lots of different ways you can do that,” says Frankel.
Many public interest positions pay significantly less than similar positions at private firms. While pay varies by position and employer, a 2023 survey by the National Association for Law Placement found that the median first-year associate salary across private law firms was $200,000, compared to roughly $60,000 across public employers in 2022.
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