Northeastern’s School of Law has been named the best place in the country to study public-interest law by two prominent publications in the legal field.
Sister publications the National Jurist, aimed at law students, and preLaw magazine, aimed at prospective law students, both placed Northeastern first in the area of public-interest law in their fall issues.
Northeastern was the only New England law school to make the top-ten list.
Schools were rated according to their strength in clinical programs, pro bono requirements, percentage of graduates entering public-interest law, and loan-assistance programs.
In the preLaw article, Northeastern was cited for being the only law school in the country that requires every first-year student to work on a community-based legal-research project for a nonprofit organization.
Approximately 85 percent of each School of Law graduating class satisfies the school’s public-interest requirement through a co-op position with a legal-services group, a public defender, a nonprofit advocacy group, or a government agency.
Students and faculty also run a number of public-advocacy clinics, programs, and institutes, including the Domestic Violence Institute, the Public Health Advocacy Institute, the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy, and the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project.
“We are quite pleased with the national recognition,” says law dean Emily Spieler, “but it comes as no surprise to those in the legal community who know of our commitment to social justice.”