About the Center for Public Interest Law
The Center for Public Interest Law assists students individually in exploring the role of a public interest lawyer in a variety of areas including:
- nonprofit organizations
- government agencies
- international human rights organizations
- academia
- pro bono service in private law firms
The Center provides information, counseling, and guidance about permanent jobs, summer and semester internships, and houses Columbia's mandatory Pro Bono Program. The Center also serves as a focal point for students interested in the Law School's public service courses, clinics, and field projects, helping them forge a comprehensive education that meets their evolving individual needs.
The Center takes the lead in developing projects and internships with nonprofit, governmental, and law firm partners from the Lower East Side to the Bronx, from San Francisco to Atlanta, and from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe. With an ever-expanding list of pro bono and internship placements and resources to help students identify emerging nongovernmental organizations throughout the world, the Center can advise students no matter what their individual interests.
The Center's schedule of activities ensures that there are plenty of relevant events for public interest students to attend almost daily, as leading social justice advocates present panels and workshops on topics ranging from the rights of day laborers to the European human rights system.
The Center does more than merely foster a climate of intellectual ferment. Amid a bustling atmosphere, it is able to focus on the individual student and his or her aspirations. From ensuring that students meet like-minded peers and mentors, to helping them deal with the potential pressures of following a less-traditional path and maintaining a lifelong, fulfilling career, the Center provides abundant support and assistance. Few law schools offer this kind of "one-stop shopping."
Financial Support
Columbia Law School has a strong belief in providing financial support to law students who choose to enter public interest law.
Guaranteed Summer Funding: Columbia Law School guarantees funding for all 1L and 2L JD students who timely apply and work in eligible public interest summer internships. Stipends cover a range of placements both domestic and international including NGOs, not-for-profit organizations, criminal prosecution and defense work, and federal, state and local government agencies.
Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP): Columbia Law School also offers a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) that is among the most generous in the country. Columbia provides all graduates who enter qualifying public interest employment within seven years of graduation with interest-free loans to repay a large portion of their law school debt. Loans are gradually forgiven after three years and completely forgiven after five years. Unlike programs at many other schools, Columbia Law School's LRAP has no salary cap because benefits are determined by the difference between annual loan repayments and expected contribution from income.
