Social Justice Initiatives (SJI) produces resources to help students find jobs in public interest and public service. Explore the department’s publications below, along with video tutorials, links to job sites, and other online resources.
- Public Interest Job Search Toolkit
- International Supplement to the Public Interest Job Search Toolkit
- LL.M. Supplement to the Public Interest Job Search Toolkit
- SJI Student Job Search Resource Sheet
- SJI Graduate Job Search Resource Sheet
- New York Public Interest Index
- Networking: Building Your Team (video tutorial)
- Developing Your Legal Résumé (video tutorial)
- Public Interest Cover Letters (video tutorial)
- 3L Job Market (video tutorial)
- How to Find a Job (4 part video tutorial)
Recognizing the importance of the transition to law school, the Career Advising Offices will not begin offering one-on-one career counseling or application document reviews to first-year students before October 1.
First-year students: Get quick feedback on your materials for your 1L summer job in public interest or government work through our 1L Résumé and Cover Letter Review portal after October 1. You may also use this form to submit quick questions about your job search to an SJI advisor.
LL.M. students: Get quick feedback on your resume and cover letter for public interest, international or government positions through our LL.M. Résumé and Cover Letter Review portal.
- Guaranteed Summer Funding Program Guide (2020)
- Guaranteed Summer Funding: Organization Request Form (ORF)
- GSF Basics (video tutorial)
- Finding Your Summer Internship (video tutorial)
See the Financing Your Career and Office of Financial Aid pages for additional resources.
- Federal Government Honors Programs
- Department of Justice Honors Programs
- Federal Government Careers in National Security Law & Policy (2017-2018)
- Federal Government Careers in Banking & Financial Systems (2017-2018)
- Webinar by the Department of Justice Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management (July 10, 2019) (Covers employment opportunities with the Federal Bureaus of Investigation and of Prisons, the National Security Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Trustee Program)
- Usajobs.gov contains a nearly complete list of federal government jobs (not just those that are legal in nature). Some listings may not qualify for loan repayment assistance.
- Roll Call Jobs features jobs in government affairs, lobbying, and other positions with organizations that do lobbying and other work with the federal government.
- Arizona Guide: The Arizona Handbooks Government Honors and Internship Handbook offers comprehensive information on federal, state, and local government internships and postgraduate honors programs. Get the Columbia Law School password. (You must be signed into Lionmail.)
- Public Interest/Civil Rights Law Firms Information Sheet
- Guide to Specific Public Interest/Civil Rights Law Firms (this resource is for CLS students and graduates. To access this document please contact Tory Messina)
- Listen to Grads on Public Interest/Civil Rights Law Firms (audio)
- Postgraduate Fellowship Toolkit
- Postgraduate Fellowships Overview (video tutorial)
- Columbia Postgraduate Fellowships (video tutorial)
- Project-Based Fellowships (video tutorial)
- SJI's Guide to International Fellowships
- Finding and Funding International Public Service Opportunities (made available by PSJD)
Other Job Search Resources
- PSJD. A public interest legal job search database of approximately 13,000 U.S. and international organizations, government agencies, and public interest law firms. Free for Columbia students when you register individually at “Getting Started.” You can sign up for daily or weekly job posting emails.
- Capital Defenders. A list compiled by Boalt Law School of law student internship opportunities (both summer and year-round) in offices around the country that are engaged in the defense of death row inmates or capitally charged defendants.
- Idealist.org. Job listings in public service, including human rights positions throughout the world. If you fill out your profile, Idealist will send you relevant listings.
- National Legal Aid & Defender Association. An excellent resource for postgraduate jobs in civil legal services organizations and defender organizations. Other public interest organizations are also listed. Searchable by state.
- UN Jobs. Job postings at the United Nations.