Indiana Law offers numerous public interest academic, volunteer, and career opportunities through a wide variety of externships, clinics, projects, courses, fellowships, and student organizations.
Public interest
Global fellowships
The Milton Stewart Fellowship Program offers rising 2L and 3L students legal externship opportunities around the globe.
Public interest externships
Choose from a variety of hands-on experiences in fields as diverse as criminal law, judicial clerkships, or intellectual property externships.
Semester in Washington, DC
If you think you’d like to work on Capitol Hill — or represent people who do — or for the federal government or a public advocacy organization, you should consider our Semester Public Interest Program.
Clinics
The Law School offers six public-interest clinics, taught by faculty with extensive practice experience. Each clinic gives you hands-on experience helping real clients while you earn academic credit and develop skills as responsible, ethical, and thoughtful lawyers.
Projects
Like clinics, our five projects enable you to serve the community while gaining practical experience. Projects do not offer academic credit. Access to Justice, the umbrella organization for our projects, encourages attainment of students' aspirational goal of 60 hours of pro bono work during their three years of law school.
Research center fellowships
The Law School's research centers offer research fellowships for upper-division students. Among these are the JD Affiliate Program in the Center for Constitutional Democracy and two fellowships in the Center for Law, Society & Culture: the Access-to-Justice Service Learning Program and the Bradley Fellows in Criminal Law and Procedure.
Courses
By selecting an Area of Focus in Civil Rights and Equality, Constitutional Design, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and Procedure, Environmental Law, Family Law, International and Comparative Law, or Labor and Employment Law, you can enhance public-interest career opportunities through classroom study, research and writing projects with faculty, and networking with engaged alumni.
Journals
Indiana Law's five law journals often explore timely topics relating to public interest. Students are eligible to try out for journals after their first year.
Student organizations
The law school has more than 30 student organizations, many of which serve as public-interest advocates.
Career support
The Career Services Office is your partner in professional development, including helping you find summer and permanent positions in the public-interest arena.
Financial support
The Law School offers several scholarships and other forms of financial aid to students interested in public interest law. The costs and financial aid section of our website describes these options.
Public interest news
Our news page features the latest developments from faculty and students as they serve the public.