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III.
Practicum
opportunities
Preparation for public interest practice should
include a healthy dose of practice experience
during law school. “Real world” experience
serves several functions. It broadens students’
understanding of available areas of practice;
provides valuable on-the-job training; fosters a
web of public interest contacts; and
allows students to “give back” from an early
stage in their careers.
Clinics
see separate
Center for Social Justice
curricular guidance
Externships
Through the
Externship Program,
approved students obtain
credit hours and hands-on legal experience
working for non-profit or governmental
agencies. For information, contact
Stephanie Kauflin, Associate Director of
the Office of Career Services, at
kauflist@shu.edu
or 973-642-8778.
For information on
Judicial Externships, visit the website, linked
here.
Pro Bono
Program
Under the
Pro Bono Program, students gain legal
knowledge and practical skills serving
non-profit organizations, including the Federal Public Defenders’ Office, the United States Attorney’s Office,
and the Urban Justice Center Mental Health
Project. Students completing the Program
receive notations on their transcripts and
recognition at commencement. For information, contact Professor Philip Ross, Center for
Social Justice, at
rossphil@shu.edu or 973-642-8700.
Internships
Students interning in non-profit and government
agencies obtain invaluable educational
experiences, attaining substantive and practical
knowledge in the field. Students have interned
for many organizations, including the United
Nations, Human Rights Watch, The Center for
Democratic Development in Ghana, American
Friends Service Committee, and Housing Conservation
Coordinators. Many such
internships are unpaid, although the law school
provides fellowships to students in some
internships. For example, a student interning for
a non-profit
and governmental organization serving
an underrepresented population over a summer can
qualify for the Public Interest Summer
Fellowship.
Events
Students can foster interest and awareness of
public interest issues by attending events,
conferences, and public interest career fairs
throughout the year. Faculty, administrators
and students host educational forums on a range
of issues on and off campus. The school also provides for attendance
to several conferences, including the Equal
Justice Works Conference in Washington, DC, and the Public Interest
Career Fair in New York City.
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Conclusion
The public interest curriculum at the school is
as varied as this diverse field. The
educational opportunities range from classroom
instruction in substantive law to field
experience through which students apply
substantive knowledge.
Vital to public interest education are also
interpersonal exchanges of ideas among students,
faculty and administration. A non-exclusive list
of full-time faculty engaged in public interest
scholarship and practice include: Mark Alexander,
Michael Ambrosio, Baher Azmy, Carl Coleman, Jenny-Brooke Condon, Elizabeth Defeis, Mark Denbeaux,
David Feige, Linda Fisher, Paula
Franzese, Bernard Freamon, Shavar Jeffries, E.
Judson Jennings, Rachel Godsil, Kevin Kelly,
John Jacobi, Solangel Maldonado, Denis
McLaughlin, Lori Nessel, Marc Poirier, H. Kwasi
Prempeh, Ronald Riccio, Jonathan Romberg, Claudette St. Romain,
Philip Ross, and Charles
Sullivan.
Students are also encouraged to research faculty
biographies on the website to find other such
faculty. Students should also contact Veena
Seelochan, Esq., Director, Office of Public
Interest and Public Service. She can be
contacted at
seelocve@shu.edu or 973-642-8593. |
