Program in Law and Public Service Blog
at the University of Virginia School of Law
I have never had an internship outside of the government. At the same time, I submit that interning with the government is a highly diverse and rewarding experience. During my 1L summer, I interned within the Department of Defense (“DOD”) where I helped to investigate war crimes. During my 2L summer, I split my time… Continue reading Advice for Federal Government Legal Interns
Hi readers! When Jolena Zabel ‘21 suggested that I write a quick blog-post about my summer, I didn’t hesitate: There’s no faster way to win my affection than asking me to talk about myself and, more importantly, about my commitment to public service. This summer, I returned to my beloved Washington, D.C. where I had… Continue reading Summer in Our Nation’s Steamy Capital: Labor Law Edition
With summer internships coming to a close (and that extra two weeks of summer that skipping OGI gives us *wink wink*), we're finally finding some time to read books that we've chosen for ourselves! In case you'd like to follow along with us, check out the list of favorite books that our fellows compiled. The… Continue reading What We’re Reading
Grace Powell and Mariette Peltier are second-year students at the University of Virginia School of Law. Prior to law school, Grace worked as a Community Intake Advocate at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem for three years—an experience which inspired her to attend law school to become a public defender. During college, Mariette interned for… Continue reading Courtroom Adversaries, Classroom Friends
The IRAP-tor with one of the winning school chapters “Sarah, you have to let it go.” My supervisor slowly took the file I was holding out of my hand as I gave her a sheepish smile. It was the last day of my 1L summer internship at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and… Continue reading From Former UN Ambassadors to Dinosaurs: Why IRAP’s Student-led Model Gets it Right
This fall I flew to Austin, Texas to attend the GRITS Conference hosted by the University of Texas School of Law. GRITS stands for Getting Radical in the South, which is both a brilliant acronym and an important mantra that, I feel, is equally relevant and necessary here in Virginia. The conference featured practitioners across… Continue reading Getting Radical in the South
Interested in public defense? Intern in Alaska. Not interested in public defense? Visit Alaska. Applying for jobs for my 2L summer, I wanted to get the most experience I could in the courtroom. I had no idea where I would want to end up post-graduation (and still don’t), so I knew it would be best… Continue reading An Adventurous Summer in Alaska: In and Out of the Courtroom
Admittedly, my public interest career aspirations are niche. So niche, that when I tell people I aim to eventually work in the Jewish communal advocacy sector they often have no idea what I am referring to. Thus, before I share the genesis of my career goals, I must elaborate on the sector itself. While the… Continue reading A Common Quest for Justice: The Value of the LPS Community for a Student with Niche Public-Interest Goals
For better or worse, an inherent part of the aspiring public interest lawyer’s path is to go against the grain of the typical law school experience and be at least a bit off-kilter from the vast majority of your peers. But as “public interest” is certainly not a one-size-fits-all career path, I have found myself… Continue reading Exploring Career Paths in the “and more” Category
Below is a letter addressed to the Fellows of our Program from our outgoing student Co-Presidents, Maya Iyyani ‘18 and Jeremy Bennie ‘18 For the last year the two of us have had the privilege and pleasure of serving as Co-Presidents of the Program in Law and Public Service. With graduation approaching quickly, we are filled… Continue reading A Letter to Our Fellows
