Public Interest Resource Center
Welcome to the Public Interest Resource Center
Where Fordham Law students can devote their passions, interests, and skills to pro bono, public service and community service work from their first week in law school.
Fordham Law School's mission is to educate attorneys to work "in the service of others." Public service has long been a tradition at Fordham Law School and is expressed today through the activities of nearly 500 Fordham Law students who participate annually in the public service work of the Public Interest Resource Center.
The Public Interest Resource Center (PIRC)
- is the place where Fordham Law students can devote their passions, interests, and skills to pro bono, public service and community service work from their first week in law school. PIRC is the home of dynamic student–run organizations involved in public interest work.
- is a place where students are introduced to rewarding public interest work—through participation in PIRC student groups and a rich array of public service career support.
- provides support to the ever-growing number of public interest student groups by providing a physical home with up-to-date office technology and supplies as well as available staff as mentors and liaisons to enable the student groups to carry out their important missions. PIRC is a very welcoming place where students plan activities, share information and get to know like-minded students. Students committed to public interest feel and those interested in exploring the work for the first time, can feel at home in PIRC.
- counsels students exploring public service work, and complement the services provided by the Career Planning Center.
Meet the Two Newest Members of the Stein Scholars Program
This spring, Fordham Law School welcomed Grey Berkowitz ’25 and Taylor Young-Wells ’25 into the Stein Scholars Program in Public Interest Law and Ethics. The program is designed to cultivate …
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Fordham Law Celebrates “Giants in the Field of Labor Law” Through Creation of the Joseph Vitale Labor Fellowship
On Oct. 11, members of the Fordham Law community and the wider legal community joined the families of Joseph J. Vitale ’89 and Marc A. Tenenbaum for a special reception …
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Public Service Day Events Connect First-Year Students with Local Community
This year’s Public Service Day, hosted by the Public Interest Resource Center (PIRC) and held on Aug. 20 as part of first-year orientation, featured a variety of activities for first-year …
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Public Interest Resource Center Holds 31st Annual Public Interest Student Awards Ceremony
On March 28, the Public Interest Resource Center (PIRC) at Fordham Law held its 31st Annual Public Interest Student Awards Ceremony, recognizing and celebrating student contribution to public interest work. …
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Fordham Law Students Break Engagement Record at Public Service Day
Fordham Law’s annual Public Service Day, hosted by Fordham Law’s Public Interest Resource Center (PIRC), is a testament to the Law School’s motto, “In the service of others.” Every year, …
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Public Interest Resource Center Honors Students and Founder Thomas Schoenherr at 30th Annual Awards Ceremony
On April 8, Fordham Law School’s Public Interest Resource Center (PIRC) recognized hundreds of students at its 30th Annual Public Interest Students Award Ceremony, held virtually this year. The Class …
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Pro Bono Counsel Alumnae Find Innovation Amid the Pandemic
As stay-at-home orders have impacted businesses, law offices, and courts, three Fordham alumnae—Artemis Anninos ‘96, pro bono counsel, Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, Susan Cordaro ‘04, pro bono manager, Simpson …
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Leah Horowitz ’06 Named Assistant Dean for Public Interest and Social Justice Initiatives
Leah Horowitz ’06 has been named assistant dean for public interest and social justice initiatives. Beginning in July, in her new role, Horowitz will be responsible for developing, coordinating, and …
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Brian Glick to Receive PIRC Public Interest Faculty Member of the Year Award
Professor Brian Glick, supervising attorney of the Community Economic Development Clinic, will be presented with the Public Interest Faculty Member of the Year Award at the PIRC Awards Dinner on April 4, …
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In Our Corner
Highlighting a key partner in the A2J Initiative at Fordham Law School When it comes to housing in the country’s most densely populated big cities, a lawyer’s help can make …
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A New Kind of Prosecution
3L Stein Scholar Dana Kai-el McBeth appeared in a recent New Yorker article for two questions she posed to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner at a Fordham Law event. The …
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Record Number of Students Volunteer for Public Service Day
A record number of Fordham Law students volunteered their time to important legal and non-legal causes during this year’s Public Service Day. Around 140 students participated in nine projects organized …
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Thomas Schoenherr Wins Father Robert Drinan Award
Thomas Schoenherr, founder and assistant dean of Fordham Law’s Public Interest Resource Center (PIRC), has guided Fordham Law students on pro bono and community service work for nearly 30 years. …
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Artist Representation Society Launches
Though artists enrich society’s culture and its members’ imaginations, they are often deprived of justice. Fordham Law’s Artist Representation Society, a new organization of the Public Interest Resource Center (PIRC), …
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Immigration Advocacy Project Wins New York State Pro Bono Award
The Immigration Advocacy Project, one of Fordham Law’s public service student groups, received the 2017 NYSBA President’s Pro Bono Service Award for its outstanding volunteer efforts on the behalf of …
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Fordham Law Unveils Kirpalani Commons
On March 29, Fordham Law School dedicated the Kirpalani Commons in honor of Susheel Kirpalani ’94, founder and chair of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP’s bankruptcy and restructuring group. …
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Fordham Law Launches Public Interest Advisory Council
On February 13, Fordham Law held the inaugural meeting for the Public Interest Advisory Council, a group of Law School alumni and local public interest leaders who will provide advice …
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Community Protectors
Fordham Law School was listed in a National Jurist story as one of four schools with the most community service hours overall. Fordham was listed third after Georgetown and Harvard …
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PIRC’s Andrew Chapin Receives Award for Service
Andrew Chapin, director of counseling and public interest scholars at Fordham Law’s Public Interest Resource Center, has been selected to receive the National Association for Law Placement’s Service Excellence Award. “Andrew …
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Stein Scholars Serve Others on Alternative Spring Break Trips
Over spring break, 3L Stein Scholar Rodrigo Bacus stood on the verge of tears inside a maximum-security prison in the Philippines, listening to the oppressed lift their voices in a …
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