Crimson feature on push for more public interest jobs
The Harvard Crimson had a full feature in their graduation issue about our push for the public interest:
Fast forward to the present day, and a similar call to action has emerged.
Pete D. Davis ’12, who will graduate from the Law School this month, authored a report on public interest offerings at the school that has since gained widespread attention. The report, timed to coincide with the Law School’s 200th birthday, argues that while public service opportunities have increased and more graduates are opting for careers in the public sector, the school still has an obligation to further incentivize its graduates to pursue careers in public service.
Students and alumni have also voiced concerns about the Loan Income Protection Plan, the school’s loan repayment plan that assists graduates who pursue low-paying legal jobs. A group of Harvard Law students formed a coalition in the fall with the goal of improving the program and ensuring that students who wish to enter public service jobs can do so without crushing debt.
As the Law School enters its third century—and amid a political climate characterized by increasing public distrust in government—questions about its purpose and duty to the world have caught the attention of its students, faculty, and alumni. Echoes of Seligman's words can be heard in the recent wave of student activism around public service, which looks unlikely to die down anytime soon.
Davis first published “Our Bicentennial Crisis” in November. The book-length report charges that Harvard Law School—as the “longest continuously running law school in the United States”—must play a role in addressing public distrust in the American legal system.
The report describes itself as a “call to action for Harvard Law School’s public interest mission,” and it specifically challenges the school to meet a threshold of 51 percent of graduates going into public service.
Read the full feature here.