Public Interest and Service

“In the service of others” is more than the Law School’s motto; it is also a career path.

The public interest and service Concentration prepares you to fight injustice and to help empower and advocate for disenfranchised individuals and communities.

It is flexible enough for you to develop a set of courses that is tailored to your interests and career objectives. And it gives you a solid substantive grounding in the field that will signal to employers that you are ready for a variety of public interest positions or important careers in government.

Course and faculty

Foundational, specialized, and experiential, practicum, and writing courses compose the public interest and service Concentration. You are also encouraged to take courses that strengthen your writing and research skills and to participate in one or more student groups housed in the Public Interest Resource Center.

For full requirements, current students can log into LawNET.

For further information please contact Office of the Registrar or Professor Leah Hill.

  • Administrative Law
    American Legal and Constitutional History
    Critical Race Theory
    Criminal Law Theory
    Federal Courts
    Gender and the Law
    Introduction to Jurisprudence
    Language of the Constitution
    Law and Economics
    Law of Race
    Market Structure and Democracy
    Natural Law: Reasons, Rights, Justice
    U.S. Constitutional History

  • Advanced Criminal Law
    Advances in Healthcare Law
    Affordable Housing
    Public Interest and Service 
    Antitrust Law
    Bankruptcy Law 
    Capital Punishment 
    Comparative Employment Discrimination Law 
    Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law 
    Constitutional Rights and Human Rights in Comparative Perspective 
    Criminal Procedure: Adjudication
    Criminal Procedure: Investigative
    Education Law 
    Election Law And The Presidency
    Employment Discrimination
    Employment Law
    Environmental Law
    Family Law 
    Firearms Law
    First Amendment 
    Gender, Sexuality and the Law
    Health Care Policy and the Law
    Health Law 
    Immigration Law 
    Income Taxation
    Juvenile Justice Survey
    Labor Law 
    Labor Law in the International Context
    Land Use Law 
    Law and Biomedical Ethics 
    Law and Neuroscience 
    Law of the City of New York
    National Security and the Rule of Law
    Nonprofit Law
    Poverty Law 
    Psychology and Civil Law
    Psychology and Criminal Law 
    Public Interest Lawyering Advanced Seminar
    Securities Regulation
    Sentencing Law and Policy 
    Special Education Law
    State and Local Government
    Tax Policy & Distributive Justice 
    Workers, Law and Changing Economy 

     

    EXPERIENTIAL COURSES:

    Appellate Litigation Clinic
    Community Economic Development Clinic
    Consumer Litigation Clinic
    Criminal Defense Clinic
    Family Advocacy Clinic
    Federal Litigation Clinic
    Immigration Rights Clinic
    Legislative and Policy Advocacy Clinic
    Prosecution Clinic
    Securities Litigation and Arbitration Clinic 
    Tax Clinic
    Advanced Research: Public Interest
    Appellate Drafting
    Civil Litigation Drafting
    Criminal Litigation Drafting
    Labor and Employment Drafting
    Legislative Drafting
    Environmental Justice Practicum

     

  • Criminal Defense or Prosecution
    Federal Courts
    Science of Implicit Bias and Law: New Pathways to Social Justice or Critical Race Theory
    Advanced Criminal Procedure
    Sentencing Law and Policy or Criminal Law, Deserts and Punishment
    Law and Neuroscience or Psychology and Criminal Law
    Prosecution Clinic or Criminal Defense Clinic or Federal Litigation Clinic

    Civil Legal Services Practice
    Federal Courts
    Science of Implicit Bias or Critical Race Theory
    Poverty Law and one of the following:
    Family Law or Residential Landlord and Tenant Law
    One of the following experiential, practicum, or writing courses:
    Community Economic Development Clinic
    Consumer Litigation Clinic
    Family Advocacy Clinic
    Immigrants’ Rights and Access to Justice Clinic
    Legislative & Policy Advocacy Clinic
    An externship with a Civil Legal Services organization
    Advanced Research: Public Interest
     

    Family and Juvenile Law
    Administrative Law
    Race, Sex, and Love
    Juvenile Justice Survey
    Family Law
    Family Advocacy Clinic

    Immigration
    Administrative Law
    Science of Implicit Bias or Critical Race Theory
    Immigration Law
    Workers, Law and Changing Economy
    Immigrant’s Rights and Access to Justice Clinic

    Legislative
    Administrative Law
    Any theoretical foundations course in your substantive area(s) of desired practice
    State and Local Government
    Poverty Law
    City Council Externship or Legislative Drafting or Legislative and Policy Advocacy Clinic

    Women’s and Reproductive Rights
    Federal Courts
    Sexuality and the Law
    Employment Discrimination
    Any Clinic or Externship with a relevant organization or Civil Rights Drafting

    Workplace Law
    Administrative Law
    Law and Economics
    Labor Law
    Employment Law
    Labor and Employment Drafting

  • Clinical and Experiential Education

    Family Law

    Federal, State and Local Government

    Human Rights

Activities

Student Organizations
Public Interest Resource Center
Stein Scholars Program

Experiential
Clinics
Externships

Centers + Institutes
Center on Race, Law & Justice
Feerick Center for Social Justice
National Center for Access to Justice
Stein Center for Law and Ethics

Networking opportunities

Tap into Fordham Law’s alumni network of experienced attorneys working in the field by joining an affinity group. Student participation is always free.

Attend a Career Development Program to explore career options and learn to showcase your best professional self.

Attend Fordham Law events sponsored by centers and institutes and offered through CLE and Public Programs.