W&L Law Commits $330,000 Annually to Public Interest Students and Alumni W&L Law has announced the creation of a program to guarantee financial support for current students and graduates interested or serving in public interest and government careers.

W&L Law has announced the creation of a program to guarantee financial support for current students and graduates interested or serving in public interest and government careers. The Path to Public Interest Program (PPIP) will supply over $330,000 in funds annually toward employment in public service positions.

“Attorneys who commit to serving in the public interest are a critical part of a fair and just society,” said Dean Melanie Wilson. “We want to ensure that we are exposing students to these careers and supporting those who choose this professional path.”

Public interest internships for current law students are typically unpaid, and recent graduates working in public interest positions do so at salaries below that of their counterparts in the private sector. For rising 2L students in particular, supporting their summer employment is critical for them to gain experience and develop skills that lead to future opportunities in both the public and private sector.

“Our students contribute to society through their summer government and public interest positions, and they gain essential practice experience that will benefit them regardless of where they go on to practice,” said Cliff Jarrett, Assistant Dean of Career Strategy.

The new program will pull together under one umbrella numerous existing resources and efforts dedicated to public interest support. One goal of this reorganization, says Wilson, is to shine a brighter light on W&L Law’s long-standing commitment to public service careers.

“W&L Law offers a generous continuum of public interest support to attract talented students and support dozens of them each summer in pro bono placements,” said Wilson. “And we do not stop there. We have put in place significant funds to help recent graduates serving in public interest positions to offset student loan payments, and we are actively fundraising to increase and expand financial resources dedicated to loan repayment.”

Components of PPIP include:

• $1.3 million endowment for public interest scholarships.
• Up to $5,000 per student each summer to support students working in qualifying government and public interest positions
• Transportation and lodging reimbursement for public interest job interviews
• $1,250 monthly, short-term stipends for recent graduates working in temporary public interest and government positions while awaiting their bar results
• $100,000 pool available annually for loan repayment for alumni during the first ten years following graduation.

Last summer, 70 law students received a portion of over $160,000 to support summer public interest work. Alumni taking advantage of the loan repayment program have received on average $5,000 per year to help with student loans.

Public interest work comprises a wide variety of government and non-profit positions, such as providing direct legal services to indigent and underserved populations and certain federal, state or local government service, including public defenders and prosecutors. Work in the military and higher education also qualifies for public interest funding.