Nina Herth
Coming to law school, I knew I wanted to pursue a career at the intersection of civil rights and criminal justice work. I also knew that such a career could take many different forms. Jumping into pro bono work during 1L with the Colorado Office of Alternate Defense Counsel helped me start figuring out what type of work would be the best fit. Then, after spending my 1L summer with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in the Disability Rights Section, I was eager to get more experience in the division and added a pro bono spring externship with the Criminal Section. While there, I got to see my Criminal Investigations, Adjudication and Law of the Police classes come to life while working on law enforcement excessive force matters.
Engaging in pro bono projects during law school is a win-win: You have the opportunity to support communities that are important to you and become a better lawyer while doing it. So, I cannot say it enough — enroll in the clinic, take on a volunteer externship, do the pro bono project. Embrace each opportunity during law school to get real experience with real clients in real communities. When interviewing for public service jobs, they probably won’t ask you about what you learned in your Contracts class. However, I am willing to bet that they will ask about your pro bono experiences and that you will be thrilled to tell them all about it. At the end of the day, pro bono projects help remind you of the why: why you came to law school, why this work matters and why becoming a public interest lawyer is an incredible choice.