Public Interest Law


SFALP clinic

About Public Interest Law

Yale Law School has a strong tradition of service in the public interest. In addition to the rich curricular offerings, approximately 80 percent of students take part in a clinic during their time at the Law School.

Learn more 

Course Offerings

students in courtyard

Public Interest Activities

Most YLS students perform public service in activities ranging from legal research and writing to outreach in the New Haven public schools. A number of YLS centers and projects offer fellowships and other opportunities for public service.

Public Interest Activities

Public Interest Career Services

Public Interest Career Services are available through the Career Development Office, which offers specialized counseling, as well as a wide array of services, programs, events, and resources for public interest minded students and alumni in all stages of their career development.

Career Services

Events & Programs

Resources

Public Interest Employers

For Public Interest Employers

Thursday, March 16, 2023


Panelists and audience members seated at table at the head of a classroom with an audience seated at the front of the room, eating lunch.

Liman Fellow-in-Residence Grace Li (at left under screen) and two panelists from the Manhattan Alternative-to-Incarceration (ATI) Court, Judge Ellen N. Biben and Joe Barrett, discuss the alternative sentencing program at an event co-sponsored by the Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law.

Thursday, March 9, 2023


Ashlee Fox ’25, Amy Jeon ’24, David Chiu, Doménica Merino ’24, Isabelle Zaslavsky ’24

SFALP students Ashlee Fox ’25, Amy Jeon ’24, Doménica Merino ’24, Isabelle Zaslavsky ’24 met with San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu (center) this week.

Monday, February 27, 2023


photo of Jay Pottenger speaking at a podium

Nathan Baker Clinical Professor of Law J. L. Pottenger Jr. ’75 speaks at the groundbreaking for the redevelopment of Parkside Village, an affordable housing complex in Branford, Connecticut in November 2022.

Monday, February 20, 2023


photo of clinic client Conley Monk Jr. with members of the Veterans Clinic in 2019

Veterans Legal Services Clinic client Conley Monk Jr. with members of the clinic in 2019.

Friday, January 27, 2023


Professor Pottenger speaking at a groundbreaking

Nathan Baker Clinical Professor of Law J. L. Pottenger Jr. ’75 speaks at the groundbreaking for the redevelopment of Parkside Village, an affordable housing complex in Branford, Connecticut. Yale Law School’s Ludwig Center for Community & Economic Development Clinic and its Housing Clinic represent the town’s housing authority, which owns the property.

Tuesday, November 29, 2022


2:27

Tuesday, November 29, 2022


1:59

Tuesday, November 29, 2022


1:58

Wednesday, November 9, 2022


3:24

Monday, November 7, 2022


1:17

Thursday, November 3, 2022


1:01:25

Saturday, February 25, 2023


In The Press

Benefits Denied: Older Black Veterans Battle for GI Education and Housing Compensation, Disability Payments

NBC Los Angeles

A report about the history of Black veterans being denied veterans benefits and efforts to address the issue includes the story of Conley Monk Jr., who is represented by the Veterans Legal Services Clinic.

Friday, January 20, 2023


In The Press

Live Litigation and Out-of-Court Resolutions: Yale Law Interns Experience Both in Records Dispute With HUD

Connecticut Law Tribune

Yale Law School’s Housing Clinic worked inside and outside of the courtroom recently to resolve a public records dispute.

Monday, November 28, 2022


In The Press

Racial Discrimination by Veterans Affairs Spans Decades, Lawsuit Says

The Washington Post

The Veterans Legal Services Clinic represents Conley Monk Jr. in a case seeking redress for harm caused by long-standing racial disparities in veterans’ benefits programs.

Monday, November 28, 2022


In The Press

A Black Vietnam Veteran is Suing the VA for Discrimination

NPR

Adam Henderson ’23 is interviewed about a new case brought by the Veterans Legal Services Clinic in federal court.

Monday, November 21, 2022


In The Press

Legal Education Needs to be ‘Accessible to Everyone,’ Says Yale Law School Dean

Yahoo Finance

Dean Heather K. Gerken and the Hurst Horizon Scholarship Program are mentioned in a piece about equity in legal education.

Thursday, November 17, 2022


In The Press

Influencers with Andy Serwer: Heather Gerken

Yahoo Finance

Dean Heather K. Gerken is interviewed about educating the next generation of lawyers and leaders.

Alumni & Student Profiles


Betsy Cooper
’12

Betsy Cooper

The Yale Public Interest Fellowship and Immigration Policy Work

Yale Law School is about as perfect as a true and serious interdisciplinary hub for the law-related social sciences and humanities as one could possibly imagine.”


Taisu Zhang ’08

Professor of Law