Substantive Issues Research

Below is a sampling of subjects and organizations related to public interest law, provided as a starting point for more in-depth research.

General Resources

www.opportunityknocks.org/
philanthropy.com/section/Jobs/224/
pslawnet.org

Animal Rights

Animal Legal Defense Fund – Works to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. Has a page devoted to opportunities in the field, including internships and post-graduate employment.

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

humanrights.stanford.edu/docs/ngos_around_stanford – List compiled by Stanford University of local human rights organizations

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) – Contains extensive information on the ACLU’s history, relevant areas of law, and current cases.

ACLU of Northern California – The highly active Northern California chapter of the ACLU.

Amnesty International – Well-known international organization working for the release of all prisoners of conscience, fair and prompt trials for political prisoners, and the end of all torture and executions.

Center for Constitutional Rights – Advances and works to protect the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through the creative use of law as a positive force for social change. Internships are available through the Ella Baker Summer Internship Program.

Center for Technology & Democracy – Nonprofit public interest organization that works to keep the Internet open, innovative, and free, with a focus on protecting civil liberties, free speech, and privacy. Clerkships and internships are available.

Center for Justice and Accountability – Uses litigation to hold perpetrators individually accountable for human rights abuses, develop human rights law, and advance the rule of law in countries transitioning from periods of abuse. Internships and pro bono work are available.

Electronic Frontier Foundation – Uses litigation to defend free speech, privacy, and consumer rights in the digital realm. Internships are available.

Electronic Privacy Information Center – Works to focus public attention on emerging privacy and civil liberties issues. Internships are available.

Lambda Legal – National organization dedicated to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of the LGBT community through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. Legal internships are available.

National Coalition for Lesbian Rights – One of the leading organizations in the LGBT movement, based in San Francisco. Clerkships and internships are available.

Death Penalty / Capital Punishment / Prisoners’ Rights

California Appellate Project – Established by the State Bar of California as a legal resource center to implement the constitutional right to counsel for indigent persons facing execution.

Death Penalty Information Center – Resource site filled with current information on the movement to abolish the death penalty in the United States

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty – Coordinates activities of state affiliates to abolish the death penalty.

Northern California Innocence Project – Works to exonerate indigent California prisoners who have been wrongly convicted. Clinic for SCU Law credit, work study, and internships are available.

Disability Law

Disability Rights California – Advances the rights of Californians with disabilities (formerly Protection & Advocacy, Inc.). Internships, externships, and clerkships are available.

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund – Advances the civil and human rights of people with disabilities through legal advocacy, training, education, and public policy and legislative development.

Disability Rights Legal Center – Champions the rights of the disabled through education, advocacy, and litigation. Internships and externships are available.

Environmental / Conservation Law

Defenders of Wildlife – Dedicated to preserving native wildlife species and habitats in the United States. Law clerk positions are available.

Earthjustice – Originally the Sierra Club’s Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit public interest law firm whose slogan is “Because the earth needs a good lawyer.” Internships, externships, and law clerk positions are available.

Environmental Defense Fund – Uses economists, scientists, and lawyers to solve environmental problems. Internships and fellowships are available.

Natural Resources Defense Council – Environmental action group employing scientists and lawyers to promote conservation policy. Internships, externships, and fellowships are available.

Nature Conservancy – Works to preserve “ecologically important lands and waters” around the world.

Sierra Club – Founded by John Muir in 1892, one of the oldest conservation organizations in the United States. Legal internships are available.

Trust for Public Land – Works to preserve nature for people, notably parks in urban settings.

Wilderness Society – Works to have public lands protected as designated wilderness areas. Legal internships are available.

World Wildlife Fund – Works worldwide to preserve endangered species and threatened ecosystems. Internships (not necessarily legal) are available.

Health Law

American Health Lawyers Association – Educational organization providing information on health-related legal issues.

California Women's Law Center – Works to eliminate barriers that keep women and girls in poverty, including health care issues. Internships are available.

Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law – Nonprofit organization working to improve the lives of people with mental illnesses through changes in policy and law. Internships and fellowships are available.

National Health Law Program – Public interest law firm working to advance access to quality medical care and protect the rights of low-income and underserved people.

National Senior Citizens Law Center – Nonprofit organization that protects the rights of lower-income older adults. Post-graduate fellowships are available.

Housing / Landlord-Tenant Law

Housing and Economic Rights Advocates – Nonprofit legal service and advocacy organization working in California to protect individuals from discrimination and economic abuses, particularly in the realm of housing. Internships and fellowships are available.

National Housing Law Project – Advances housing justice for the poor by using the power of the law. Internships, externships, and fellowships are available.

Immigration Law

American Immigration Lawyers' Association – Includes a career center for immigration law jobs.

Asian Law Alliance – Founded by SCU Law students, provides legal services to the Asian Pacific Islander community in the South Bay. Clerkships are available.

Asian Law Caucus – Legal and civil rights organization serving the low-income Asian Pacific American community in the Bay Area. Clerkships and pro bono opportunities are available.

Asylumlaw.org – Resources for lawyers working on asylum cases.

Lectric Law Library Lawcopedia – Immigration laws, policies and issues.

Labor Law 

Employment Law Center – Legal Aid Society – Nonprofit legal services organization assisting California’s low-income working families. Internships and fellowships are available.

National Employment Lawyers Association – Advances employee rights and serves lawyers who advocate for equality and justice in the American workplace.
 

Miscellaneous

Legal Aid Society of Santa Clara County – Gateway to all legal aid web sites.

Public Interest Research Groups – Provides links to organizations interested in protecting the environment, fighting for consumers, taking back government, and empowering students. Includes information about public interest jobs and internships.

Poverty Law

National Center on Poverty Law – Identifies, develops, and supports creative and collaborative approaches to help achieve social and economic justice for low-income people.

Southern Poverty Law Center – Combats hate, intolerance, and discrimination through education and litigation.

Youth Law

Children's Rights Information Network – Global network for children’s rights based in the United Kingdom.