Selecting a Placement

The public service requirement offers an opportunity for students to not only provide valuable legal assistance to the community, it also provides a way for students to explore their career interests, improve their legal skills and to interact with and establish relationships with legal mentors. As such, students should think carefully about how to take advantage of the many law student run pro bono projects, public interest organizations, government agencies and law firms that serve as public service placements.

Pre-approved Public Service Placements
The Feinstein Institute maintains a list of pre-approved public service placements from which students may develop a public service opportunity according to their interests and schedules. Students may search this list using Symplicity.

Individual Student-initiated Public Service Placements
Students may also develop a public service placement at an organization, agency or firm that is not on the list of pre-approved placements. HOWEVER, TO DO SO, A STUDENT MUST SEEK PREAPPROVAL FOR THE PLACEMENT BEFORE HE OR SHE STARTS WORK. To get preapproval for a placement, please fill out a Pre-Approval form and submit to the Feinstein Institute prior to starting your public service hours.

Counseling
Students are encouraged to make an appointment with Liz Tobin Tyler, Director of Public Service and Community Partnerships, to discuss public service opportunities that may be a good fit based on their interests and schedules. Students may sign up for counseling appointments in the Feinstein Institute (Suite 243).

Contacting a Public Service Placement
Once a student has selected public service placements or projects that are of interest, he or she should contact the designated contact person to discuss the possibility of working with the organization. Students should contact an organization well in advance since it may take some time to set up a placement. Students should also be aware that placements on the pre-approved placement list may or may not be available at a given time if that organization is already hosting a student or if they do not have a need for law student assistance.