Financing Your Public Interest and Public Service Career

Careers
Public Interest and Public Service Careers
Financing Your Public Interest and Public Service Career

Columbia Law School is committed to supporting students’ dreams of pursuing careers in public interest and government work.

The Office of Public Interest/Public Service Law and Careers (PI/PS Office) works with students and graduates to manage the financial realities of pursuing a public interest career. Through individualized guidance, the PI/PS Office hosts a series of programs with staff and alumni to discuss salaries, LRAP, cost of living, and financial planning aspects of public interest careers.

To learn more about how to include finances in your long-term career planning, 1Ls and 2Ls should make an appointment with Grace Shim via Symplicity. Third-year students and graduates should make an appointment Grace Shim or Tory Messina.

To learn more about LRAP, contact Ms. Seandell James by email or at (212) 854-1245.

Three students work on laptops in Lenfest Cafe

Introduction

Resources to get you started as you think about how your career and financial considerations intersect, including through LRAP support.

• Intro to Financing video (coming soon!)
• Money Matters 101 video
• CLS offices that handle finances
• Prospective Students: Public Interest (Admissions) Fellowships and Greene Public Service Scholarships

Professor Bert Huang meets with students on Revson Plaza

Current Students

• Resources for scholarships, grants, and loans
• Summer Funding through Columbia Summer Funding (CSF), Human Rights Internship Program (HRIP), and select summer fellowships
• Additional financial support (i.e., for interviews and conferences)
• Connect with graduates directly or contact your PI/PS Office adviser.

Two students smile in their graduation regalia

Graduating 3Ls

Columbia Law School supports graduating J.D. students with bar review expenses and additional post-graduation funding through enhanced LRAP

• Key dates and resources for 3Ls for LRAP, Bridge Loan, and more
• Enhanced LRAP Fellowships
• Up to $10,000 through the Bridge Loan

Students stand in groups in the Jerome Greene Hall lobby and talk.

Salary Survey & Connecting with Grads

Learn what salaries, LRAP, and careers in public sectors look like for practicing Columbia Law graduates:

• 2024 Public Sector Salary Survey of Columbia Law Grads (requires UNI login)
• 2022 Public Sector Salary Survey of Columbia Law Grads (requires UNI login)
• Sign up with the PI/PS Office for one-on-one advising and to connect with graduates to discuss careers and finances
• To view previous Public Sector Salary Surveys from 2019 and 2017, please contact Tory Messina

Flowers in bloom in front of Jerome Greene Hall

Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP)

Find everything you need to know about Columbia Law School's LRAP, one of the most generous in the country, which supports graduates entering the public interest sector with their law school loans.

• LRAP programs and resources
• Sign up for one-on-one advising about LRAP and more with OFA