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Law Centers

Public Service Law

Explore public service law opportunities and promote a commitment to helping underserved people and communities.

Discover What Public Service Law Is Meant To Be.

The Public Service Law Center provides students with a variety of opportunities that enhance their legal education and foster an interest in helping underserved individuals and communities.

MC Law School emphasizes the importance of public interest lawyering on a continuum, beginning with a student’s matriculation and continuing through graduation and beyond. The Public Service Law Center educates students, faculty, and the legal community on public interest legal issues and creates opportunities for the MC Law community to expand access to justice for underserved individuals and communities. We provide extensive support to students, faculty, and alumni interested in pro bono work and public service.

Students and Instructors in Jackson

Funding for Your Public Interest Work

Equal Justice Works Summer Corps is an AmeriCorps-funded program that provides 350 law students with the opportunity to earn an $1,000 education award voucher for spending the summer in a qualifying internship at a nonprofit, public interest organization. Students must complete 300 service hours to receive the education award voucher, which can be used to pay current educational expenses or qualified student loans. Additionally, county, state, and nonprofit public defenders offices now qualify for Summer Corps funding.

Equal Justice Works provides paid public interest fellowships to law school graduates to provide legal assistance to underserved populations and causes. Fellowships are offered on a rolling basis.

Considering Public Interest Law?

MC Law presents a loan assistance award annually to an alumnus pursuing a career in public interest law or with a nonprofit organization. Follow the link below and see if you qualify.

Loan Repayment Assistance Program

Prepare You For Work With A public interest law group

MC Law has a vibrant public service community and there are many ways to become involved, including student organizations, clinics, externships, Law Centers, and courses. The Public Service Law Center can help you learn how attorneys make a positive difference in the community.

Activities of the Public Service Law Center include:

  • Promoting and celebrating public interest lawyering
  • Hosting a Public Interest Law Speakers Series that showcases renowned attorneys and scholars with expertise in public interest
  • Offering a Public Interest Career Advising Series
  • Coordinating the MC Law externship program, which matches students with government entities and nonprofit organizations
  • Overseeing the MC Law Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), which provides financial assistance to MC Law graduates pursuing full-time careers in public interest law.
  • Organizing law student public service opportunities
  • Coordinating activities and events with the student-run Public Interest Law Group