Public Interest Law

Every year the YLS community brings energy and vision to work for the public good. In a typical academic year, 60 percent of students participate in public interest activities, through clinics and voluntary student groups, and students can also choose from an array of public interest-related courses.

The YLS community's commitment to public interest continues beyond the academic year, as approximately three-quarters of the first-year class and one quarter of the second-year class take jobs in the public interest, (many funded by Summer Public Interest Fellowships). After graduation, the Law School provides financial support for public interest work in the form of loan forgiveness and specialized fellowships. Five years after graduating, more than 25 percent of each YLS class works in public service .