Public Interest Employers

Information for Public Interest Employers

Recruiting at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

The Public Interest Center is tasked with guiding and supporting the next generation of Northwestern Law’s public interest attorneys. Accordingly, the Center serves as the primary point of contact for all public interest employers and strives to effectively connect them with our students and alumni.

We welcome and encourage any employers interested in recruiting from our law school to review the following options. Please feel free to reach out to us with any additional questions you may have at public-interest-center@law.northwestern.edu.

Recruitment Policies

In order to post positions, participate in on-campus interviews, or host events at our law school, all employers and their representatives engaging in recruitment activities must agree to abide by our Policy on Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct. Positions or employers that do not adhere to this policy will not be approved or allowed to participate in recruitment activities with our law school.

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Northwestern Law students, and all employers recruiting Northwestern Law students shall also adhere to the NALP Principles for a Fair and Ethical Recruitment Process. In addition, all parties shall follow the policies set forth below:

  • Reasonable and Respectful Behavior – We ask that all employers approach the recruitment process with reasonableness and respect for student choice and wellbeing. To that end, it is not reasonable to:
    • Deny a student’s request for interview time flexibility to avoid conflicting with the student’s class, work, or personal obligations.
    • Provide less than seven days for a student to decide to accept or decline an offer of employment.
    • Provide a period of offer consideration to our students that is less favorable than provided to students at other law schools or provide a less favorable offer consideration period to one of our students in comparison to their classmates.
  • Interviewing
    • During the Academic Year
      • Interview Blackout Dates: We strongly advise employers to avoid scheduling interviews during the period of time between the end of classes and the end of the exam period. Please review our Academic Calendar for specific dates.
      • Interview Times: Students are not allowed to miss classes or exams for job interviews. Please work with students to schedule interviews for times that do not disrupt their ability to prepare for and attend classes and exams. 
    • During the Summer
      • Interview Times: Employers should afford students the opportunity to conduct interviews outside of the student’s summer employment workday and honor such requests.
      • Format Options: Similarly, some students may not be able to take time off of work to travel for interviews and should be offered a video interview option.
    • Our Partnership – The recruitment process is a three-way partnership between the employer, the student, and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. We understand that there may be times when an employer decides not to adhere to our policies. In those instances, the partnership dynamic changes and the employer forfeits the expectation that Northwestern Pritzker School of Law will hold students accountable for any failure on their part to follow these policies/terms of this partnership, too.

Advertising Open or Upcoming Job Opportunities

Northwestern Law uses Symplicity for the advertisement of job opportunities. We encourage employers to sign up for a free account here. Once approved, employers can submit, edit, and remove job opportunities. This includes summer internships, academic semester externships, fellowships, as well as permanent positions for attorneys ranging from entry-level to 10+ years of experience.

Alternatively, if your office is unable to post individual positions, you may instead email them (in Word or PDF format) to the Career Strategy Center at career-strategy@law.northwestern.edu, and we will post them on your behalf when time permits. Due to the number of postings we receive, we recommend employers post their positions themselves, if time is limited.

A few notes about this:

  • It is the policy of the Public Interest Center to only post positions that require applicants to be law students, to have a JD or other advanced legal degree, or for which a JD is preferred. We do not post non-legal, paralegal, or legal assistant positions.
  • We encourage you to make your posting as complete as possible, including a robust description of the position and job duties, necessary and preferred qualifications, information about how to apply, relevant deadlines, and compensation information.

On-Campus Recruiting/Virtual Recruitment

Each year, the Public Interest Center hosts two on-campus recruiting sessions for our students:

  • The Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference (MPILCC), which is typically held in early February and primarily aimed at 1Ls, but 2L and 3L opportunities are also welcome; and
  • *New starting in 2025* Summer Public Interest On-Campus Interviews, which is typically held in early- to mid-August and exclusively for rising 2Ls and rising 3Ls.

Employers are free to participate in both sessions. For those with flexible timelines or who are unsure about which session makes the most sense for their organization, reach out to us and we can help provide guidance.

A few notes about on-campus recruitment:

  • Northwestern Law offers the ability to meet with our students virtually.
  • There is no fee charged to public interest employers who register to participate in one of our public interest on-campus interview sessions, and employers decide which candidates they wish to interview.
  • For employers who are unable to participate in one of our larger sessions, we are happy to work with you to arrange an individual session (although we encourage participation in the larger sessions, when practicable). To inquire about this option, please e-mail our office.
  • For any recruiting session, we are unable to guarantee a minimum number of applicants or interviews. While we encourage students to apply for jobs with employers who advertise on Symplicity and participate in on-campus interviewing programs, due to market trends, class composition and interest, and other factors beyond our control, interest in a particular organization may be limited. If you are unsure whether it makes sense to recruit through an on-campus interview session, please reach out to us for guidance.

Public Interest Law Firms

The Public Interest Center recognizes the critical role that public interest law firms plan in ensuring justice for all. Law firms that have public interest missions may participate in one or both of our public interest on-campus interview sessions. We are excited to work with you to ensure our students are aware of the opportunities you offer.

Events and Presentations

Events can be an effective way to connect with students, provided they are carefully coordinated. Each year the Public Interest Center sponsors several presentations for our students on a variety of career-related topics, including a Deep Dive series in which we introduce students to major areas of public service practice. These panels frequently feature Northwestern Law alumni who currently work in those areas. If you are an alum of the Law School and have an interest in participating on a panel, please reach out to us at public-interest-center@law.northwestern.edu.

One of the largest issues our students contend with each year is an overwhelming schedule, partially due to an overabundance of events at the Law School. While they often have interest in a number of speakers who visit the school, their schedule simply does not allow them to attend every event. To that end, we typically discourage career-related events featuring a single employer. In some rare instances, we will group related organizations together and offer a panel presentation or career fair-style event. If this is something your organization would like to be considered for, please e-mail us at public-interest-center@law.northwestern.edu.

A few notes about events:

  • Webinars and virtual presentations are becoming more popular options for connecting with students. The Public Interest Center is always happy to help advertise an event through our Symplicity system or weekly announcement email to students (if appropriate). If you have an upcoming virtual event, please email us the relevant details at least one week prior to the event.
  • We generally recommend providing food for an in-person event, particularly if it occurs over the lunch or dinner period. For Public Interest Center-initiated events, we are happy to provide food and refreshments. For individual employer events, we ask that the organization provide the catering, if appropriate. The Public Interest Center is happy to recommend local catering organizations.
  • While we will always do our best to advertise upcoming events, we are unable to guarantee attendance. We have seen events attended by over 100 students and events that only had two students in attendance. Please take this into account when determining if an in-person event makes the most sense for your organization.

Advertising Volunteer/Pro Bono Opportunities

Northwestern Law features a robust Pro Bono and Public Service Program, offering the opportunity for students to gain valuable legal skills, explore potential career paths, and most importantly assist underserved communities and causes while cultivating a lifelong commitment to the provision of legal services.

Public service organizations as well as private law firms providing pro bono representation may request law student volunteers by advertising potential projects with the Pro Bono Program.

Organizations that qualify for Northwestern's Pro Bono & Public Service Program must be:

  • a non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) status,
  • a governmental agency, or
  • a licensed attorney or law firm providing pro bono or reduced-fee legal services.

Northwestern Pritzker Law does not provide malpractice insurance for law students participating in the program; volunteer students performing legal work must be covered under the sponsoring organization's malpractice insurance.

For organizations new to the Northwestern Pro Bono & Public Service Program, proof of 501(c)(3) status or government agency must be provided to the Public Interest Center before law students can begin work for the organization. If the work is legal in nature, the name and contact information of the supervising attorney must also be provided. All documents and information should be sent to public-interest-center@law.northwestern.edu.

Financial Support for Public Interest Students

Northwestern Law recognizes that students and young alumni interested in public service careers can face financial hurdles that their peers going into the private sector may not encounter. The Law School is committed to ensuring resources are available for all students who wish to make their public service dreams a reality. To that end the Public Interest Center administers several programs to financially assist students seeking public service internships and careers.

  • Summer Internship Funding – The Law School has committed to providing guaranteed funding to students who accept summer internships with public interest employers. Public Interest Summer Grants provide $8,000 for 1L and 2L students. These grants are available to all students who intern with a public interest employer and contribute the requisite number of pro bono/public service hours.
  • Interview Travel Funding – Students are eligible to receive reimbursement up to a capped amount for travel expenses incurred for interviews with public interest organizations.
  • Post-graduate Fellowship Funding – The Law School offers several postgraduate fellowships for our graduates that allow them the opportunity to begin their career immediately in a paid public service position.
  • Loan Forgiveness – Through Northwestern Law’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program, graduates who enter qualifying employment are eligible to receive loan repayment assistance from the Law School.

Student Outreach

Northwestern Law has a substantial number of student organizations that range from affinity groups to ideological societies and interest-based organizations. Employers who wish to reach out to specific affinity groups or student organizations are welcome to contact these organizations directly. The Public Interest Center is not able to contact student organizations on behalf of employers.