So you want to use your legal training to serve the legal needs of the public.
Easy enough!! Just go to the resource center of your law school's career services office and read my book entitled Lawful Pursuit: Careers in Public Interest Law.
This "remarkable, awesome, invaluable addition to your library" (quote from an unpublished blurb by Ronald W. Fox) was published by the American Bar Association's Law Student Division.
What do you mean, it is not there??? How can that be?
The book is such a superb career planning guide for law students (and lawyers) through which they learn that public interest includes not only public law firms and non-profits but also private law firms. In addition, they learn how important it is to know their goals, focus on one of their many options and then market and promote themselves in the search for a satisfying position.
Even better than that, it is a powerful critique of traditional law school education:
"So how do law students journey from wanting to work for social justice to being a dissatisfied practicing attorney? My belief is that the primary cause of rampant dissatisfaction of so many within the legal profession can be ascribed to the law schools which fail to teach students the values of 1) recognizing their professional and personal goals, 2) improving their skills, and 3) promoting justice in their work. Rather than encourage students to pursue a career in the public interest, law schools generally divert their student from following that type of career path. Page 2 ....
"Unfortunately, students graduating from what are considered the most selective law schools display little knowledge of the vast number of lawyers who practice in small firms (i.e., few know that 65% of all lawyers in private practice are in firms of less than six lawyers), have little respect for such practices,, and have almost no idea of the range of representation of these lawyers. Even if they are well aware of the overwhelming majority of lawyers who practice in small firms and are interested in joining these practitioners, few students, knowing how little clinical experience they were given in law school, have the confidence it takes to look for positions where they will immediately bear responsibility for representing individuals. The “Green Man” made an appearance on one episode of the television show Northern Exposure constantly advising Ed about his lack of competence and many other reasons why Ed would fail if he pursued the career he envisioned for himself. The Green Man was eventually revealed to be the mythical cause of all evil in the world – the lack of self-esteem. Law students are introduced to the Green Man early on in their law school years. Pages 43-44."
The book can be ordered thru the ABA. I also have some copies here which you can purchase for $15 including s&h. If you are interested, contact me at admin@ronaldwfox.com .
You should also read "Looking for Law in All the Wrong Places. Choosing the Best Law School" and the other articles at http://profdev.lp.findlaw.com
This blog is sponsored by the Center for Professional Development in the Law
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