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Area of law

Public Interest Law

Legal work for people and causes that would otherwise go unrepresented.

Find schools with programsAll areas of law

What this area covers

Public interest lawyers serve clients who cannot afford counsel and pursue causes that benefit the public. It describes a purpose more than a subject: the work spans housing, benefits, immigration, civil rights and more.

Also called: Pro Bono, Public Service Law, Social Justice Lawyering.

Typical legal work

  • Representing clients who cannot afford counsel
  • Bringing impact litigation
  • Advocating for policy change

Common subareas

Legal Aid & Poverty LawCivil legal help for people with low incomes.

Where lawyers work

  • Legal aid and public-interest organizations
  • Nonprofit and advocacy organizations
  • Federal, state and local government
  • Public defender offices

A setting is where you work; an area is what the work is about. The same area is practised in very different settings.

Schools with verified programs

A school is listed here only when its own website names a concentration, certificate, clinic, center or field placement in Public Interest Law or one of its subareas. Schools are in alphabetical order. The list is not a ranking, and a school that is absent may still teach the subject.

61 schools · 6 concentrations and specializations · 10 certificates · 36 clinics · 30 centers and institutes · 9 externships and field placements

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Program types counted as evidence: clinics, certificates, concentrations and specializations, centers and institutes, externships and field placements. Joint degrees and advanced degrees are described under Degrees & program types.

Sources

These references informed what the area covers. The description above is PreLaw Advisor’s own and does not reproduce their text.

  1. 1.American Bar Association. Public Interest Law (opens in a new tab) Retrieved Sep 2026.
  2. 2.American Bar Association. Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice (opens in a new tab) Retrieved Sep 2026.

Description reviewed Sep 2026. Each school program links to the page it was verified against.

Public Interest Law — areas of law · PreLaw Advisor