Public Interest Law

PUBLIC INTEREST LAW DePaul’s public interest law program provides opportunities to explore social justice issues such as civil liberties, voting rights, community economic development, public health, public benefits, and asylum and immigration, as well as hands-on experience through a variety of public interest experiential learning opportunities.

PUBLIC INTEREST LAW CERTIFICATE: Public Interest Law

To earn a certificate in public interest law, you must complete the 86 credits required for the JD degree. Within the required coursework, you must complete at least 15 credit hours from the approved course list, fulfill the service in public interest law requirement and earn a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the certificate courses. If you take more than 15 hours from the approved list, all grades earned in those courses will be factored into the GPA requirement for the certificate.

In order to fulfill the service in public interest requirement, students must satisfy both of the following: (I) One semester in a public-service oriented clinic or externship and (2) 50 hours of service through the Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative.

For detailed certificate requirements and an approved course list, visit go.depaul.edu/certificates.

PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES

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Externships with public interest law firms and organizations Specialized 1L legal writing section focusing on public interest law Eight legal and field clinics related to public interest law Journal for Social Justice JD/MS in Public Service Management Center for Public Interest Law Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative National Lawyers Guild Public Interest Law Association

UPPER-LEVEL COURSES Course offerings may vary from year to year.

• Administrative Law • Animal Law • Asylum & Refugee Law & Policy • Catholic Social Justice & the Law • Civil Rights • Community Economic Development • Constitutional Torts & Section 1983 • Consumer Protection • Criminal Procedure I: Investigation • Criminal Procedure II: Adjudication • Domestic Violence Practicum • Elder Law

• Election Law • Employment Discrimination • Employment Law • Environmental Law • Evidence • Federal Courts • Federal Criminal Law • First Amendment: Freedom of Speech and Religion • Housing Law • Immigration Law & Policy • International Criminal Law • International Human Rights Law Practicum • International Law • Juvenile Justice • Labor Law • Legal Clinic I & II

• Legislation & Statutory Interpretation • Mission-Based Lawyering: Legal Practice in the Non-Profit Sector • Poverty Law • Predatory Lending • Privacy Law • Prosecuting & Defending Criminal Cases • Race, Racism & United States Law • Senior Research Seminar • Sex, Gender & the Law • Women’s Human Rights Under International Law

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