Public Interest Jobs Attract Increasing Numbers of Law Grads

More law graduates are opting for public interest jobs as the careers are enjoying a surge in prestige.

Last year, 6.7 percent of law grads had public interest jobs, up from 2.1 percent in 1990, the National Law Journal reports. The figures are from the National Association for Law Placement.

The story cautions that the percentage jumped nearly 2 percent in 2004, when NALP began classifying public defenders as public interest positions. But the numbers are growing as well as the percentage, given that the number of law school graduates increased 21 percent during the same period.

The story cites several reasons why interest in the jobs is growing: more support by law schools, more clinics and internships, more debt relief programs, and the creation of several groups that focus on public interest careers. One of the groups, Equal Justice Works, funds 700 public interest internships and 170 post-graduate fellowships each year.

More than 100 law schools now have loan forgiveness programs for public interest grads, compared to only a half dozen schools in 1986. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which took effect in 2009, also offers support. Graduates are allowed to make debt payments based on their income, and the remainder of their debts are forgiven if they stay in public-interest jobs for 10 years.