PUBLIC INTEREST LAW
Choose one of the best public interest law programs in the country.
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PUBLIC INTEREST LAW
Top 10 Reasons to Study Public Interest Law at Minnesota 1 One of the country’s most robust public interest programs, with faculty who
are nationally recognized experts Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin holds the position of U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism. She previously held positions as U.N. Expert on Promoting Gender in Post-Conflict Peacemaking, expert to the Council of Europe, and expert advisor to the International Criminal Court’s Trust Fund for Victims. She teaches courses in international law to first-year students.
in the public interest arena.
Deeply engaged
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Centers and Institutes doing cutting-edge work in public interest law, include the James H. Binger Center for New Americans, Human Rights Center, the Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, and the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity Above: Students from the James H. Binger Center for New Americans Detainee Rights Clinic.
4 Robina Public Interest Scholars Program that offers specialized career counseling, summer funding, postgraduate fellowships, and loan repayment assistance.
Twin Cities public interest community with nonprofit and local and federal government agencies that offer schoolyear and summer opportunities.
5 Full-time employment in your third year and a guaranteed position postgraduation with the Saeks Public Interest Residency Program.
On the cover: Olivia Levinson, 2L, worked as a Research Assistant for the Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice in 2019–20.
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graduates were awarded prestigious post-
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A powerful global alumni network ready to mentor you in public service work.
Dedicated support from the Career Center’s Public Interest program staff and career counselors in planning your career path.
8 Substantive volunteer opportunities locally and nationally through Minnesota Justice Foundation and Aslyum Law Project.
graduate fellowships with Equal Justice Works from 2016–20.
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The Law School challenges all J.D. students to complete at least 50 hours
9 A record of success in graduates receiving prestigious postgraduate fellowships and state and federal clerkships.
of law-related public service before graduation.
43%
of graduates from the class of 2019 started directly in public interest careers and judicial clerkships, serving in nonprofit, government, and international organizations.
10 Numerous clinics committed to criminal justice work, including the Child Advocacy & Juvenile Justice, Federal Defense, Criminal Defense, Civil Rights Enforcement, Criminal Prosecution, and the Minnesota Innocence Project clinics.
37,795
hours of free legal service were provided to the public by Minnesota Law students last year.
The Innocence Project of Minnesota (IPMN), working with Minnesota Law students, recently helped overturn the conviction of a man who steadfastly maintained his innocence throughout five years of incarceration.
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PUBLIC INTEREST LAW
Jiaqui Li ’20 is currently a Saeks Fellow with the Minnesota Board of Public Defense. Students in the Saeks Public Interest Residency Program work full-time during their 3L year and have a position with the organization following graduation.
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LAW STUDENTS HAVE SERVED AS SAEKS FELLOWS SINCE 2016.
Students in Child Advocacy and Juvenile Justice Clinic with Professor Perry Moriearty (far right).
Learn by Doing There is no substitute for experience—the kind you get when you work with real clients on real-world problems. In our public interest-focused clinics, you serve low-income clients, immigrants, and refugees while building vital professional and experiential skills. Several concentrations focused on public interest advance career options in criminal justice, environmental, family, health, human rights, immigration, and international law.
In addition to the students who worked in our nationally recognized clinics last summer,
46%
of current 2Ls and
37%
of current 3Ls worked at government agencies or nonprofit organizations, in the U.S. and internationally in Summer 2020.
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< The Law School’s Petitioner team, comprised of 3Ls Kris Wathne, Sarah Allen, and Connor Shaull, advanced to the National Moot Court finals competition in New York City.
Study with World-Class Faculty
Professor Stephen Meili and students in the Immigration & Human Rights Clinic have helped immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, West African nations, Iraq, and other countries around the world gain asylum in the U.S.
Dynamic and engaged, the public interest faculty at Minnesota Law are preeminent scholars and committed teachers. Our faculty includes:
Professor Myron Orfield, director of the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity and one of the most influential demographers in America’s burgeoning regional movement, is an expert on fair housing, civil rights, school desegregation, and charter schools.
• Professor June Carbone, who is the Robina Chair in Law, Science, and Technology, and an expert in family law, assisted reproduction, property, and law, medicine and bioethics. • Professor Jennie Green, who in conjunction with Amnesty International USA, recently submitted testimony to the U.S. Congress on statutory protections against grave human rights violations. • Professor Jill Hasday, who a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Centennial Professor of Law, teaches and writes about anti-discrimination law, constitutional law, family law, and legal history. • Professor Alexandra B. Klass, who is a nationally recognized expert in the areas of energy law, environmental law, natural resources law, tort law, and property law. • Professor Richard Painter, one of the country’s leading experts on ethics, former White House ethics lawyers, and frequent media commentator on ethics in government and business.
Professor Perry Moriearty is one of the country’s leaders in successfully opposing mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles, a position with which the U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed in two separate rulings.
• Professor Kevin Reitz, whose work focuses on sentencing law and correctional policies. Last year, he completed a 15-year update to America’s sentencing code for the American Law Institute’s Model Penal Code: Sentencing. • Professor Ben Casper Sanchez ’97, an internationally renowned immigration expert, faculty director of the Binger Center for New Americans, and recipient of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association’s Access to Justice Award for 2020. 5
PUBLIC INTEREST LAW
Our public interest partners in the Twin Cities include: The Advocates for Human Rights Gender Justice Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota Mid Minnesota Legal Aid Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy Minnesota Children’s Law Center Minnesota Federal Defender’s Office U.S. Attorney’s Office U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission U.S. Immigration Court
The Twin Cities is often ranked as one of the best places to live in the country.
Live in a Community You’ll Love The Twin Cities community has long been known for its deep commitment to the public interest. With hundreds of nonprofits headquartered here, as well as state and federal courts, and the state capitol near the Law School, this is one of the best places in the world to study and work in the public interest.
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PROFESSIONAL AFFINITY GROUPS in the Twin Cities
With easy access to the state capitol, Minnesota Law offers students the opportunity to take the classroom to the statehouse in courses such as Legislative Process.
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Downtown Minneapolis, as seen from campus.
Prepare for Success We offer students an experienced employer relations team, lifetime alumni career counseling, and professional development resources, as well as dedicated public interest staff who are happy to assist with your public interest career search, advising on strategy, opportunities, judicial clerkships, connections, and funding programs. Our unique Professional Essentials Workshops—taught by staff, faculty, alumni, and experts in career development and the legal field—help you build skills critical for career success.
Learning to represent clients in the Child
Advocacy and Juvenile Justice Clinic and the Civil Practice Clinic motivated and shaped the way I practice law. —Eva Rodelius ’13 Associate Attorney, Wilson Law Group and Adjunct Professor, Criminal Prosecution Clinic
2019 J.D. and LL.M. graduates with Dean Garry W. Jenkins at the 2019 University of Minnesota Law School commencement.
94%
BAR PASSAGE (MN July 2019)
WHERE OUR GRADS GO CLASSES OF 2017, 2018, AND 2019
94%
EMPLOYMENT RATE (2019 Grads; FT/ LT JD Required/ JD Advantage/ Grad)
TOP MARKETS FOR 2019 GRADS: Minnesota Law Alumni are working in all
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STATES
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Illinois Minnesota New York Washington, D.C. Wisconsin
COUNTRIES > For more information, visit LAW.UMN.EDU
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JDADMISSIONS@UMN.EDU
University of Minnesota Law School Admissions N130 Mondale Hall 229 19th Ave. South Minneapolis, MN 55455
The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Š 2020 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
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