This Guide to Public Interest at Rutgers School of Law - Newark introduces the many opportunities here at Rutgers Law School to do public service; to learn about current issues affecting the public interest; and to pursue public interest employment opportunities and careers.
Public service is an important part of Rutgers Law School - Newark, and a significant part of the law school's history and mission. We are proud of the many law students, alumni/ae, faculty and staff who have been committed to serving the public and assisting those in need. We invite you to join the great tradition here at Rutgers of devoting ourselves to the world and communities around us. Whether you intend to pursue a career in public interest law, or are looking to devote some hours of your time to public service, we have a range of resources and opportunities. Whatever your individual professional goals may be, public service is an important part of any lawyer's career. We urge you to begin now, and take advantage of the many exciting and varied ways to work in the public interest.
A vibrant and diverse public interest community exists here at Rutgers, which is also supportive and helpful. There are a wide variety of opportunities to gain work experience, to develop activities, to have conversations within the law school community about important and timely issues, and to pursue public interest careers.
When we speak of public interest work, we mean devoting your time and your developing professional abilities to serving individuals and communities who are poor or under-served, and who don't have access generally because of financial constraints to meaningful representation or legal assistance. We mean working to make our communities more just and fair. In the work arena, we see public interest broadly. Public interest jobs include work with legal services and public defender offices, public interest law firms, government agencies, and pro bono practice in the private sector.
In the spring of 2000, Rutgers-Newark launched the Eric R. Neisser Public Interest Program, which serves as the umbrella organization for the wide variety of public interest related activities and educational opportunities here at the law school. Created to honor the life and work of the late Eric R. Neisser, the former acting dean, long-time professor, and committed social activist, the Neisser Public Interest Program serves to promote a culture of public service within the law school community, increase and enhance opportunities for students to learn about and experience public interest work, and support and assist students interested in developing careers in public service.
The Neisser Program provides students with a variety of opportunities to experience public service during their time at the law school through school-based pro bono projects, fellowship programs, semester internships and paid public interest summer internship opportunities. Students may participate in a number of student organizations dedicated to enriching the law school community and increasing student access to and awareness of current public sector issues. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the law school's rich clinical program. Through any one of the law school clinics, students may work with real clients and real life problems. Through this experience, students study questions of law and policy, practice and professionalism; they develop a multitude of skills; and they serve people and communities in need. The Neisser Program also provides programming about current issues and work in the public sector, hosting speakers, symposia, and informal brown-bag lunches and afternoon gatherings. Finally, the program supports students seeking to work in the public interest by providing career counseling and assistance in seeking post-graduate funding through the Loan Repayment Assistance Program and through fellowship programs.
Contact: Jessica Kitson at jkitson@kinoy.rutgers.edu or Clinical Professor Laura Cohen at lcohen@kinoy.rutgers.edu, Co-Directors of Pro Bono and Public Interest Programs.
Many of our students are drawn to Rutgers-Newark because of their interest in public service, and still others discover their passion once they are here. Students looking back on their years at Rutgers-Newark often describe being a part of the law school's public interest community, being involved in student organizations that aim to increase knowledge about issues affecting the public interest, or working on behalf of those need, as a highlight of their experience here. It is easy to become involved.
The diversity, energy and commitment of students create an exciting and varied array of public interest student organizations and projects, including:
The Rutgers Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is involved in the protection of people's civil liberties. Students sponsor discussions and events within the law school, and link the Rutgers community with outside events and projects.
DVAP provides students the opportunity for hands-on experience working with victims of domestic violence who have cases seeking restraining orders pending in Essex County Superior Court. Students receive training and ongoing supervision. Director: Jessica Kitson, jkitson@kinoy.rutgers.edu
The Rutgers University chapter of the National Lawyers Guild is an active student organization that works to enhance awareness of current public interest issues and involvement in events bearing on the public interest. The Guild sponsors speakers, dialogues, and other events within the law school, and also connects the law school community to outside programs. The Guild also publishes "Rutgers Guild Notes," a monthly newsletter devoted to public interest news, issues and events. Student Co-Chairs: Kacy Wiggum, kacy@pegusus.rutgers.edu, and Gioconda Rodriguez, gioconda@pegasus.edu.
Through the Pro Bono Service Program, students provide valuable service to the community and gain experience in areas of public service. Students who complete at least 35 hours of service during a semester receive a transcript notation and a certificate at graduation. Student Coordinator: R. Emily Rodriguez, remilyr@pegasus.rutgers.edu
The Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) is a student organization that seeks to encourage and support law students interested in public sector work. PILF runs an annual fund-raising auction which raises money to fund students taking summer internships in the public sector, and hosts a variety of events featuring public interest lawyers. Student Co-Chairs: John Baranello, jbaranel@pegasus.rutgers.edu; Kelly Timoney, ktimoney@pegasus.rutgers.edu; Kathleen Wells, leenmw@pegasus.rutgers.edu
Rutgers-Newark has a number of faculty who specialize in and teach in areas of public interest law. Many members of the faculty also engage in public service, by serving individual clients, litigating important cases, participating in the development of policy and legislation, and providing training to other practitioners.
Students are encouraged to seek out faculty involved in public service, and to attend the Neisser Program's afternoon gatherings which invite Rutgers- Newark faculty, as well as local public interest lawyers, to speak informally with students about their work.
Numerous courses available to students throughout their three years are related to the Public Interest. Although courses and seminars change each year, below is a list of courses offered over the last few years. In addition, independent study credits and cross-registration with other departments may be arranged.
Sample Public Interest Related Courses and Seminars:
Rutgers-Newark has a vibrant and exciting clinical program. Students who enroll in a clinic are provided a unique opportunity for experiential learning, and serve real people and real communities in need. Working on cases under the supervision of clinical law professors, students are exposed to legal issues facing the poor and under-represented, and to issues raised by the practice of law. Students are encouraged to explore substantive policy questions raised in their work and their own professional identity. Students practice and develop their legal skills in areas such as interviewing, counseling, negotiation, legal writing, advocacy and trial skills, strategic thinking, and decision-making while gaining invaluable practical work experience.
The Child Advocacy Center (CAC). The Child Advocacy Center uses an interdisciplinary approach to serve the needs of children and families at risk and living in poverty. Students primarily provide individual representation to children and/or families in court proceedings, administrative hearings, and mediation conferences. In addition to direct representation, students participate in numerous community education and outreach projects.
The Community Law Clinic. The Community Law Clinic provides corporate, transactional, and intellectual property attorney services to nonprofit corporations, start-up for-profit businesses, and Charter Schools. The Clinic's primary focus is on businesses and organizations that provide services to and opportunities for the poor and low income residents of Newark and nearby urban areas. The Clinic provides initial corporate organizational work, non-profit status filings, charity registration, Charter School formation, real estate transactions, intellectual property and entertainment law advice and assistance for these business entities.
The Constitutional Litigation Clinic. The Constitutional Litigation Clinic has worked on cutting-edge constitutional reform since its founding in 1970. Through the clinic, students have litigated an array of landmark civil rights and international human rights cases.
The Environmental Law Clinic. Founded in 1985, the Environmental Law Clinic serves as the sole public interest law firm for the environment in the State of New Jersey, and has litigated many of the most important environmental cases in the State. The Clinic represents grassroots citizens' groups, and state and national environmental organizations in the enforcement of environmental laws and numerous challenges to actions that threaten to harm the human health and the environment.
The Federal Tax Law Clinic. The Federal Tax Law Clinic provides students with the opportunity to represent low-income taxpayers involved in controversies with the IRS who would otherwise be unable to receive the benefit of legal representation. Students represent clients in audits, negotiate with IRS Appeals, and actually litigate cases in the U.S. Tax Court.
The Special Education Clinic. The mission of the Special Education Clinic is to educate and advocate on behalf of indigent children with disabilities. The Clinic provides legal services to indigent parents of children with disabilities seeking to obtain appropriate educational and/or early intervention services and works to educate parents, caregivers, and school personnel.
The Urban Legal Clinic. The Urban Legal Clinic was established to assist individual low-income clients with legal problems that are caused or exacerbated by urban poverty. ULC now maintains both a criminal defense and a civil component. The Criminal Defense Section represents clients charged with minor criminal offenses. Students in the Civil Section handle a wide variety of civil matters, primarily in the area of housing, family, consumer law, and social security disability law.
The Women's Rights Litigation Clinic (Inactive 2007 - 08). The Women's Rights Litigation Clinic offers students the opportunity to work on projects related to discrimination and other harms based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The Clinic matters, which vary, have addressed harassment and discrimination in education, employment and housing, and issues of domestic violence.
Externships are available to students at the State Attorney General's Office, the National Labor Relations Board, and with federal and state court judges. New externship programs now exist in the areas of patent law and immigration law. In these programs students receive academic credit for working at the externship site and participating in a seminar. Students may receive independent research credit for individually designed externship placements as well.
In 1992-1993, Rutgers Law School-Newark began offering fellowships in the name of one of its most nationally prominent and treasured faculty members, the now late Professor Arthur Kinoy. In 2000, the program was expanded in honor of the late Morton Stavis, a co-founder with Professor Kinoy of the Center for Constitutional Rights, and one of the nation's preeminent civil rights lawyers and former adjunct professor at the law school.
Three Kinoy-Stavis Fellowships are awarded each spring semester to applicants from the first-year class who demonstrate commitment to public service and who are planning public interest careers. The Fellows normally serve until graduation. Fellows receive a stipend, are guaranteed enrollment in the Constitutional Litigation Clinc during their second year in law school plus the opportunity for a summer internship with the Center for Constitutional Rights at the end of the second year, and receive travel expenses to at least one public interest law student conference. Fellows serve on the law school's Public Interest Committee, organize the annual First Monday program, promote public interest activities throughout the year, and meet regularly with faculty advisers and invited guests from the field of public interest law to discuss aspects of public interest practice and career opportunities.
Created in memory of Marsha Wenk, a 1987 graduate of Rutgers-Newark, who dedicated her legal career to public service and died in 1996, the Wenk fellowship program seeks to support students interested in developing a career in public interest law, and to foster a cadre of law students involved in public interest activities during law school.
Two fellowships are awarded each year. Fellows receive a stipend, and intern part-time at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey during one semester. The Fellows serve on the law school's Public Interest Committee, and work with the Kinoy Fellows to help develop and participate in public interest activities at the law school.
Throughout each academic year, the calendar at Rutgers-Newark is filled with interesting programs on current public interest issues, and on practical topics aimed at assisting students who want to consider or pursue public interest careers.
Each year, the First Monday Symposium, held in October to coincide with the start of the new term of the United States Supreme Court, undertakes an examination of a timely constitutional issue. The Eric R. Neisser Public Interest Program arranges for twice-monthly afternoon Public Interest Gatherings, where faculty, alumni and local attorneys talk with students about their public interest work and careers. These gatherings are opportunities for informal discussion about current issues as well as career paths. The Neisser Program and student organizations sponsor numerous panels, lectures and other educational events. This past year, topics included: gay marriage, new issues in New Jersey's death penalty law, and minors' access to reproductive health care.
A panel on Public Interest Career Opportunities in September highlights for students some of the many kinds of public sector work that lawyers do, and introduces students to lawyers doing various kinds of public sector work. The Neisser Program and the Office of Career Services also provide workshops and sessions to provide practical information and advice to students seeking public interest employment, such as resume writing and funding opportunities.
This program provides interested students with opportunities to perform volunteer work with a wide variety of projects and offices engaged in public service, both in Newark and elsewhere. Completion of 35 hours of legal pro bono work will result in a transcript notation and a certificate upon graduation. This work can be with civil or criminal public interest offices, or with one of the law school based public service programs. The Pro Bono program has an office located on the Atrium level of the law school, which is staffed by program coordinators R. Emily Rodreguez (remilyr@pegusus.rutgers.edu).
The Domestic Violence Advocacy Project (DVAP) provides students with training and the opportunity for hands-on experience working with victims of domestic violence. Under the supervision of a staff attorney, students volunteer at Essex County Superior Court and provide information, advocacy, assistance and referrals to domestic violence victims who appear in court. The project also serves to increase the availability of direct legal advocacy and representation for those individuals. Jessica Kitson, who received her J.D. from Rutgers-Newark where she was a Wenk Fellow, editor-in-chief of the Women's Rights Law Reporter, and co-founder of the Domestic Violence Advocacy Project, is the supervising attorney for DVAP.
The student-initiated Street Law program trains law students to educate members of the general public and community groups about various areas of law that pertain to their daily lives. Supervising attorney and New Jersey Bar Fellow: Alycia Guichard (aguichard@kinoy.rutgers.edu). [More information at: http://www.streetlaw.org/lawschoolhome.htm]
The Office of Career Services is available to meet the needs of students interested in public interest law. One staff member, Jessica Kitson, who is Assistant Director and Public Interest Advisor, is specifically designated to develop programs and to offer counseling and other services for students pursuing public interest careers or employment opportunities.
The Eric R. Neisser Program works with the Office of Career Services to develop programs, workshops, networking opportunities and other services for students interested in public interest law. It serves as a clearinghouse of information and various kinds of opportunities that relate to public interest career development.
Every Wednesday from 12:15 to 1:15, students are invited to come by the Neisser Program office on the 4th floor to ask questions about anything related to public service opportunities or public interest career planning. No appointment is necessary.
Rutgers-Newark is a co-sponsor of the Public Interest Job Fair held each year in February at New York University School of Law, where hundreds of public interest employers participate. The Fair provides opportunities for individual interviews for summer and post-graduate positions, information tables, and panel presentations on public interest topics. Rutgers-Newark also supports students attending the Equal Justice Works Conference, a public interest job fair held over 2 days in October of each year in Washington D.C.. The conference features individual and group interviews, as well as career development and substantive law sessions. Information about and support for other public interest law conference are available.
Public Service Law Network ("PSLawNet") at www.pslawnet.org is a network of nearly 130 member law schools across the country (including Rutgers- Newark) and more than 12,000 law-related public interest organizations around the world. Through an on-line database, PSLawNet provides a clearinghouse of public interest information for law students and lawyers. Rutgers students can search the data base for opportunities ranging from volunteer positions and paid internships to post-graduate jobs and pro bono opportunities.
See also our page of links to selected public interest job sites.
Rutgers-Newark is committed to assisting students who are pursuing public service work with funding opportunities.
Each year, the Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) holds an auction to raise money to fund students who take summer employment in the public sector. The student-run auction has become a main event at the law school, and is widely supported. In the spring of 2004, the Neisser Program launched a campaign to raise additional summer fellowship funds with the goal of guaranteeing summer funding to any student who does public sector work. In addition, the Neisser Public Interest Program will assist interested students in researching other funding sources.
The PSLawNet website (www.PSLawNet.org) and the Equal Justice Works website (www.equaljusticeworks.org) provide information on other funding sources. One such source is the Charles H. Revson Law Student Public Interest Fellowship Program, which awards summer grants to students attending law school in New York and New Jersey. Many public interest organizations have their own funds for summer internship positions, and administer a competitive application process of their own. The Office of Career Services and the Neisser Program are available to assist students looking for those opportunities.
Building on its progressive traditions and in an effort to make public interest careers a viable alternative for our graduates, Rutgers Law School-Newark has established a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). This program provides eligible graduates with assistance in meeting their annual law school loan debt service. Awards are given out annually. Since its inception in 1999, our LRAP has been able to award a total of $633,556 to 101 different graduates engaged in public interest work. More information is available from Nicky Fornarotto (nfornarotto@kinoy.rutgers), Financial Air Coordinator and LRAP Administrator, and on our website at http://law.newark.rutgers.edu/students_lrap.html.
There are opportunities available for students pursuing careers in public service to apply for a post-graduate fellowship to work for a public interest organization. These fellowships are highly competitive, and students who may be interested are encouraged to get information and begin planning early in their law school career. The Public Interest Program provides information sessions about these opportunities, and assistance to individual students interested in applying. Again, www.PSLawNet.org and www.equaljusticeworks.org are important resources to explore.