Public Interest Law

Penn State Law’s public interest curriculum provides students with training in the substance and skills necessary to advocate for the civil, political, and economic rights of individuals on a local, national, and international scale. The law school also supports students who pursue public interest and nonprofit externships through the Public Interest Law Fund. 

Students may earn Concentration recognition in Public Interest Law using courses from the Selected Courses section below.  J.D. students must earn a minimum of 12 credits and LL.M. students a minimum of 9 credits.  A minimum grade of ‘C’ is required for each course being used toward this Concentration. Upon verification of completion, students will receive a document of recognition.

Declare your intent to complete this Concentration - Concentration Declaration Application

Public Interest Law Faculty

Courses:

• Advanced Criminal Procedure
• Asylum & Refugee Law
• Bioethics and the Law
• Climate Change Law & Policy
• Constitutional Law I (LLMs Only)
• Critical Race & Feminist Legal Theory
• Election Law
• Employment Discrimination
• Environmental Law
• Equal Protection & Civil Rights
• Family Law
• Federal Crimes
• First Amendment
• Health Law (formerly Intro to Health Law)
• Higher Education Law Practice
• Human Rights, Intersectionality & the Law
• Immigration Law
• Information Security Law
• International Human Rights Seminar
• International Criminal Law
• International Law
• Juvenile Law (Formerly Children and the Law)
• Labor Law
• Land Use Regulation
• Law and Sexuality
• Law of the Police Seminar
• Mediation of Environmental and Public Conflicts
• Minority Business Ownership
• Natural Resources Law
• National Security Law I
• National Security Law II
• Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Design
• PILOT Lab Class
• Researching Admin Law
• Street Law
• The United Nations and International Law Seminar 
• Veterans Benefits
• Water Law & Policy

Clinics:

• Advanced Family Law
• Advanced Immigration Clinic
• Advanced International Sustainable Development Projects Clinic
• Advanced Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic
• Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic
• Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
• Family Law Clinic
• Indigent Criminal Justice Trial Clinic
• International Sustainable Development Projects Clinic
• Manglona Lab for Gender and Economic Equity
• Rural Economic Development Clinic
• Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic

Additional Experiential Opportunities:

• Externships*
• Externships Everywhere* 
• Semester in Washington*

*Associate Dean for Academic Affairs approval required: Will count towards the concentration if the work is related to the concentration.