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Careers in Public Service
The law school is also committed to assisting students interested in pursuing public service careers. The Career Development Office (CDO) works with students seeking employment working for a public policy center, public interest law firm, membership organization, legal aid society, or direct legal services employer. CDO presents a public service career fair and sponsors students' participation in national job fair consortia including the Equal Justice Works Career Fair and the U.S. Attorney General's Honor and Summer Law Intern Program. CDO also hosts programs on funding summer and postgraduate public service work and organizes panels on practicing law in the public sector.
Nearly half the members of our most recent graduating class are now working for public interest organizations, in government, or as judicial clerks.
Individuals planning to pursue a public service career have ample opportunities to take clinics and other classes with a public interest focus. Many of these are taught by practitioners who become students’ valued professional colleagues. Students can also take part in the Pro Bono Program and obtain internships through the summer and school-year in public interest programs. Our externship and Asper Fellowship programs offer the option to obtain credit for unpaid public interest employment. Since many employers are unable to pay students for summer work, the Maryland Public Interest Law Project (MPILP) offers a variety of grants for students who volunteer year-round.
In addition, the law school offers a Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Programthat helps address the educational debt burdens recent graduates face when they pursue careers as public interest lawyers.
