From: Office of Public Interest/Public Service Law and Careers
Date: September 28, 2023
Subject: Women's Rights Event with HRI, the Scoop on Summer Internships, Coffee with Dean Smock, and More


Columbia Law School Office of Public Interest/Public Service Law and Careers (PI/PS)

Join the Columbia Public Interest Community!

Connect to classmates interested in social justice, regardless of the sector they will work in after graduation. Join on CLS Connect!

Events and Programs

Women's Rights: Reflecting on 75 Years Since the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Monday, Oct. 2
12:10-1:10 p.m. in JG 107

Join the Human Rights Institute and the PI/PS Office to look at the achievements and obstacles faced over the past 75 years in the global pursuit of gender equality and women's rights.

The Scoop on 1L Public Interest Summers

Wednesday, Oct. 4
12:10-1:10 p.m. in JG Lobby (Lunch in JG 103)
Register

Get the inside scoop on summer internships from 2Ls and 3Ls. Areas of experience include:

  • International Human Rights
  • Public Defense
  • Civil Rights
  • Family Defense
  • Antitrust
  • Judicial Internships
  • Government

This is a tabling event. You will be able to move freely from table to table, talking to one or many students about summer internships.

Affinity Group Public Interest Happy Hour

Wednesday, Oct. 4
5-7 p.m. at Amity Hall Uptown

Join the Columbia Law School affinity groups to connect with your public interest/public service peers! Cosponsored by the PI/PS Office. Free drink tickets will be provided.

Public Interest Community Coffee with Dean Smock

Thursday, Oct. 5
3-4 p.m. on WJW 600 Terrace

Caffeinate with Erica Smock, dean for the Office of Public Interest/Public Service Law and Careers.

Coffee, tea, and cookies served. No RSVP required.

The Columbia Public Interest Community Coffee is a weekly informal coffee hour on the WJW 600 Terrace on Thursdays at 3 p.m. and the LAST Thursday of the month at 2 p.m.

EWOC Speaker Series: Judith Browne

Friday, Oct. 6
3-5 p.m. in JG 106
RSVP Deadline: Oct. 2 at Noon

Please join us to talk with an esteemed civil rights lawyer. Cosponsored by the PI/PS Office, BLSA, CLWA, and the Student Senate. Reception will follow.

Save the Dates!

Money Matters 101: Financing Your Public Interest Career
Oct. 12, 12:10-1:10 p.m. on Zoom
Want to better understand the financial landscape for public sector lawyers? This program will provide you with Columbia Law School graduate salaries, ideas about budgets, and information on LRAP and loans. This is a nuts-and-bolts program in the Money Matters Series, designed to help you think about how to financially plan for a public interest or government career. 

Email questions ahead of time to Tory Messina and we will answer them at the session.

Public Interest Monday: Labor Law with Professor Kate Andrias
Oct. 16, 12:10-1:10 p.m.
Advocating for the legal rights and interests of workers can take a variety of different forms. Join Professor Kate Andrias and Columbia alumni practicing in labor law and workers’ rights for a discussion of current legal issues and career paths. Lunch provided! RSVP five days ahead to prevent food waste.

Upcoming Deadlines

The PI/PS Office Is Here for You

Make an advising appointment on Symplicity

Marka Belinfanti
Pro Bono

Joel Dodge
Postgraduate Fellowships, Public Interest Lawyering

Jean Fischman
Berger Fellows

Emily Harris
Public Defense

Alex Hogan
Government

Kerry McLean
Human Rights, Public International Law, HRIP

Tory Messina
Career Transitions, LRAP, Public Interest Law Firms

Hasan Shafiqullah
Direct Services, Immigration, Housing, Welfare Benefits, LGBTQ+ Advocacy

Grace Shim
Employment, Housing, Civil Rights, Nonprofit Management, Mediation

Full staff list and bios
News and Notes

Funding Opportunities


NEW! Davis Polk Leadership Initiative Innovation Grants
Innovation Grants provide support to implement a semester-long project aimed at having a positive impact at the Law School and in the broader community. Deadline: rolling.

CLS Funding Resources
Internal and external funding available to and/or specifically for CLS students.

MAX Scholarship Opportunities
MAX by AccessLex, which provides financial education for law students, automatically enters students into scholarship drawings if they complete online courses or attend events.

Also @ Columbia (and Beyond)

Anti-Racism Grantmaking Program (ARGP) Info Session
Oct. 3, 12:10 p.m.

The Office of Public Interest/Public Service Law and Careers (the PI/PS Office) inspires and prepares students and graduates to pursue public service and public interest work throughout their careers anywhere in the world.

Staff List