OPIA Blog

As a recent College graduate remarked in the New York Times, “We came to Harvard as freshmen to change the world, and we’re leaving to become investment bankers - why is this?” His question addresses the growing trend in which students from top schools are being funneled into high-paying corporate jobs and away from other fields, especially public service.

In response to students’ increasingly myopic focus on financial security, schools are starting to place a greater emphasis on alternate career paths. Some, including Harvard, have started to expand their public service fellowships and internships. In her address to seniors during commencement week, Dean Faust urged students to look for measures of success beyond financial compensation. This same call to public service has been echoed by Barack Obama, who warned Wellesley graduates last month that the pursuit of narrow self-interest betrays a “poverty of ambition.”

Even so, the appeal of Wall Street salaries and prestige remains strong, and applying to corporate jobs is still the automatic option for many students. They continue struggling to balance real-world concerns with high-minded ideals. To read more, click here.

While law schools continue to provide rigorous academic and intellectual training, some are starting to supplement this with more practical instruction. Several law schools have started Visiting Assistant Professorship programs in which practicing attorneys join as full-time faculty. By giving these attorneys a chance to concentrate on their scholarship and teaching, law schools hope to mentor promising newcomers with private sector, government and nonprofit experience and introduce them to academia.

Students also stand to benefit from VAP programs. Akiba Coviz, director of academic affairs at Harvard Law School explains, “Anytime someone has practiced out in the world it brings an additional level of value to the students.” These visiting professors are able to offer real-world insights and instruction in practical skills that can be lacking in a traditional legal education. For more on this story, click here.

In a reversal of past department policies, Attorney General Michael Mukasey allowed the Department of Justice Pride group, which represents gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered employees, to use the Great Hall for its annual awards ceremony.

During the tenure of Attorneys General Ashcroft and Gonzales, DOJ Pride had been forbidden from using the Hall or any government computers for its activities. Along with recognizing the contributions of the GLBT community to the DOJ, Mukasey was given a standing ovation by the audience. The keynote speaker, Robert Spagnoletti, closed event by urging the audience to embrace who they are, affirming, “We can demonstrate pride in ourselves everyday.” To read more, click here.

With the provisional accreditation of two new North Carolina institutions last week, the United States became the first country in the world to host 200 law schools. Quantity, however, does not necessarily produce quality, explained a recent AP article. The proliferation of law schools has resulted in a surplus of lawyers, many of whom are having an increasingly difficult time finding work. This has led to the rise of “contract attorneys” – essentially lawyers working temp jobs at modest hourly rates. In addition to poor working conditions and the lack of job security, this temp work usually consists of monotonous tasks outsourced by law firms.

Lured by the promise of high earning potential and guarantees of employment, many students enroll in law school without doing adequate research. Universities, for their part, have also been somewhat disingenuous in their efforts to establish law schools and attract students. Because law schools feature big class sizes and small financial aid packages, they are a cost-effective and even lucrative option for many schools. Law school rankings have also had a damaging effect on the legal education system, as schools often exaggerate, underreport, or otherwise skew statistics to make their graduates seem more financially successful. To read more on this topic, click here.

In an arena long dominated by conservative judges and thinkers, liberals have started to make the case for a more progressive interpretation of the Constitution. On June 3, the DC-based Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) became the first major think tank and public interest law firm dedicated to advancing a liberal agenda on strict Constitutional grounds. At the heart of this new venture is the belief that the Constitution’s text and history are “on the progressive side.” Douglas Kendall, the firm’s founder, hopes to be able to establish a systematic and sound legal support for progressive ideas. Among the first issues the CAC will tackle is the essentially federalist argument that states should have greater autonomy to experiment with new environmental protections.

For nearly three decades, conservatives have positioned themselves as the defenders of the Constitution, rooting their arguments in the principles of “originalism” or “textualism.” Lisa Brown, executive director of the left-leaning American Constitution Society, has lauded the CAC as a much-needed liberal voice in a largely conservative chorus. Speaking on the Constitutional discourse in America, she asserted, “It’s absolutely time to reclaim this debate.” Conservatives, for their part, have also welcomed the new organization as a constructive way to increase serious debate about constitutional interpretation. To read the full article, click here.

Writing candidly about her career, a lawyer describes the joys and struggles of choosing to work in the public interest. As an attorney helping low income children with disabilities gain greater educational access, Aisha has forgone the big salaries and glamorous lifestyles of her “corporate big wig counterparts.” She is admittedly influenced by the materialistic impulses of society, and the wide income disparity between private and public interest lawyers has at times complicated her feelings towards her professional decision.

Despite these doubts, Aisha ultimately finds that the intangible satisfaction of public interest work overrides its humble material benefits. She writes, “I won’t lie. I am proud of what I do… I do it because I feel blessed and I feel that to whom much is given much is expected. I believe we can live in a just society and I want to be on the front lines of making this happen. I believe I am fulfilling my faith and I know I am making a difference.” To read the full story, click here.

With the growing call for pro bono work in major private law firms, some companies are begining to offer a new approach. Ronnie Abrams is part of this growing trend and perhaps an example of whats to come. In a recent New York Times article, Ms. Abrams is profiled regarding her career shift from a Manhatten U.S. Attorney to Davis Polk & Wardwell special council for pro bono affairs. Her job, as she sees it, is part supervisory and part “strategy.” The image of pro bono is becoming more important as law firms seek to market themselves in a more socially responsible light. To read more, please click here.

Western Mass Legal Services has been providing help for poor families, the elderly, and simply those with no one else to turn to for a number of years. Bridging the gap between law and social work, the dedicated attorneys who choose this path in public interest law often describe it as “challenging, rewarding, and often frustrating.” However, for many such as Ali Bers, working at WMLS gives her the feeling that she makes a positive difference for those who seek her help, often in areas such as housing, Medicare, or an array of domestic issues. She is the last line of defense for those individuals seeking solutions to their problems. And while the sheer volume of cases WMLS works with is staggering, still many more must be denied, often due to a lack of resources on the organization’s part. However, for every individual seeking aid, their case is high-impact for them. Furthermore, attorney Jennifer Dieringer explains how often their problems are intertwined and require unique solutions:

They come to you with a legal matter, but when you have a conversation with them, you learn that there’s this whole other set of issues that they have, many of which are non-legal. For us to do our jobs well, we have to address not just the legal issue, but the underlying social issues as well.

However, WMLS staff attorneys describe the rewarding experience of truly helping someone, which they would otherwise not have gotten in a more traditional career at a big firm. To read more about these experiences, please click here.

Following the trend of a recently revealed loan forgiveness program, Harvard Law School is announcing a tuition waiver incentive for third-year students who pledge to commit at least five years working in public service. The move is attempting to address the calls of prosecutor’s offices and other public interest employers that high tuition costs are forcing graduates into private law, where they can hope to recoup their losses. Currently, only about 10% of HLS students choose to go into government or public interest fields. Brandon Weiss, a current third-year himself, believes the move will probably be a factor for those who are on the fence about which path to take, as well as benefit anyone already committed to public interest. Those currently enrolled at Harvard will be eligible for partial grants if they choose a public service career. To read more, please click here.

A recent study from Harvard Law School’s Program on the Legal Profession, working with the American Bar Association, has found that big law firms are steadily hemorrhaging nearly 50% of their young associates - and most are leaving of their own accord. Ben W. Heineman, a senior fellow at Harvard Law School describes this trend to be, in many ways, a fault of the business-oriented nature of the modern firm which provides young associates with neither the practical responsibility nor learning opportunities vital to their professional development. Furthermore overly ambitions senior associates and over-worked partners rarely give young associates personal mentoring and assistance, depriving these lawyers of the overall sense of firm strategy and support. Clients themselves may be to blame as they are unwilling to devote resources to young and inexperienced lawyers. This results in a vicious cycle where young lawyers feel unappreciated and bored whereas firms decline to give them opportunities since they will be leaving the firm anyway.

Heineman makes a number of suggestions including increased commitment to firm pro bono and public interest programs designed to give associates hands-on experience. More face time with partners and more experienced personnel would also aid associates in feeling connected to the firm, as opposed to feeling like “generators of “rates x hours” for annual revenue models.” To read more from about these views, please click here. Note, you must register for this online publication in order to view the content.