Center for Social Justice and Public Interest
Serve Community Needs for Social Justice While Studying Law
Public interest and social justice lawyers give voice in the legal system to marginalized, subordinated, and underrepresented clients and causes. Santa Clara University School of Law has chosen Public Interest and Social Justice Law as an area of excellence and specialization. At the Center for Social Justice and Public Service, we are enormously proud to help facilitate, support, and celebrate the social justice work performed by our students, faculty, and alumni.
Eligible Santa Clara Law students can earn a Public Interest and Social Justice Law Certificate upon graduation, recognizing their commitment to serving the public good.
Through courses and volunteer opportunities, Santa Clara Law students gain hands-on legal experience while making a meaningful impact in the community.
Law Firm Partners
The Center for Social Justice and Public Service at Santa Clara Law partners with leading Bay Area law firms to establish named Public Interest Fellowships. These fellowships provide crucial support for Santa Clara Law students who spend their summers working in unpaid internships focused on social justice and public interest. Through these placements—ranging from public defender offices to nonprofit organizations serving children, immigrants, the unhoused, and survivors of domestic violence—students gain valuable hands-on experience while making a meaningful impact in underserved communities.
Distinguished firms such as Jachimowicz Law Group and Hoge Fenton, which employ many of our accomplished alumni, collaborate with us to make these fellowships possible.
Our Mission
The Center for Social Justice and Public Service at Santa Clara Law is committed to advancing social justice and public service through the practice and study of law. We focus on using legal tools to improve the lives of marginalized, underrepresented, and subordinated individuals and communities.
Through community-building events and educational programming, the Center fosters a vibrant culture of social justice on campus and strengthens connections across public interest and advocacy networks.
Our work includes:
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Supporting faculty and administrative research, teaching, and service related to social justice and public service;
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Sponsoring community-facing events that raise awareness and promote dialogue around critical public policy and justice issues;
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Expanding student opportunities for legal education, pro bono service, and public interest careers;
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Enhancing hands-on learning through clinics and experiential programs;
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Overseeing the Public Interest and Social Justice Law Certificate Program; and
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Cultivating future social justice leaders by strengthening the educational pipeline to law school.
Clinical Professor of Law; Director, Center for Social Justice and Public Service