Public interest lawyers (PILs) may have different specialties, but all direct their services to a particular group of clients—those who may not have the means to pay for legal counsel. PILs often provide their services pro bono, for little or no fee. While the majority of their clients are individuals who are poor or on fixed incomes, PILS may also do work for public interest groups with a range of advocacy issues, such as the environment, adoption, or immigration.
Many PILs work for government-funded legal aid clinics and offices. For example, lawyers working for the Migrant Farm Worker Division of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) provide legal assistance to seasonal or migrant agricultural workers, some with alien status. These workers are mostly of Latino heritage. The TRLA provides civil legal service at no cost; its funding comes from a combination of support from the federal government and private foundations. Lawyers employed by the TRLA represent the rights of their clients regarding housing, employment, public benefits, and civil rights issues. They may also propose changes in welfare training and educational materials and services to these migrant workers. Lawyers working in this capacity are paid an annual salary, though much less compared to attorneys employed at a private firm.
Public defenders can also be considered public interest lawyers. Low income, or indigent, people charged with a crime are often assigned a public defender to assist with their legal defense. Public defender agencies, at the state and federal level, are supported by public funding. Full-time public defenders specialize in criminal law—offenses committed against society or the state, such as theft, murder, or arson. They interview clients and witnesses to ascertain facts in a case, correlate their findings with known cases, and prepare a case to defend a client against the charges made. They conduct a defense at the trial, examine witnesses, and summarize the case with a closing argument to a jury.
Other PILs choose to provide legal counsel or work as advocates for nonprofit organizations. For example, a public interest lawyer may serve as the director of legal services and advocacy for an HIV/AIDS organization. Duties for someone in this position might include influencing the policies and positions of the executive and legislative branches of the federal government regarding HIV/AIDS, monitoring HIV/AIDS issues and helping lead community alliances against the disease, and educating the public about political candidates' positions regarding HIV/AIDS. Other lawyers working for this advocacy group might provide legal representation, offer technical advice, and participate in interviews and forums about HIV/AIDS.
Lawyers employed at private legal firms may also practice public interest law. Many support the work of various organizations and charities by providing their legal expertise pro bono. In fact, the American Bar Association urges its members to render at least 50 hours of pro bono publico legal services a year.
- Active and Contemplative Religious Sisters and Brothers
- Addiction Therapists
- Adult Day Care Coordinators
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors
- Arbitrators
- Bail Bondsmen
- Bailiffs
- Bankruptcy Lawyers
- Behavioral Health Technicians
- Biotechnology Patent Lawyers
- Bodyguards
- Border Patrol Agents
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- Child Life Specialists
- Civil Litigation Lawyers
- Clinic Managers
- Community Health Nurses
- Community Health Program Coordinators
- Community Health Workers
- Community Nutrition Educators
- Conflict Resolution Specialists
- Contact Tracers
- Corporate Lawyers
- Court Interpreters and Translators
- Court Reporters
- Creative Arts Therapists
- Criminal Lawyers
- Dietetic Technicians
- Directors of Corporate Sponsorship
- Directors of Fund-Raising
- Directors of Volunteers
- Elder Law Attorneys
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Environmental Lawyers
- Environmental Lobbyists
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- Forensic Experts
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- Fund-Raisers
- Geriatric Care Managers
- Geriatric Nurses
- Geriatric Psychiatrists
- Geriatric Social Workers
- Grant Coordinators and Writers
- Grief Therapists
- Health Advocates
- Hedge Fund Lawyers
- Historic Preservationists
- HIV/AIDS Counselors and Case Managers
- Home Health Care Aides
- Home Health Care and Hospice Nurses
- Hospice Workers
- Human Services Workers
- Intellectual Property Lawyers
- Judges
- Land Acquisition Professionals
- Land Trust or Preserve Managers
- Law Librarians
- Lawyers
- Legal Nurse Consultants
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- Librarians
- Litigation Support/eDiscovery Analysts
- Lobbyists
- Mergers and Acquisitions Attorneys
- Museum Attendants
- Museum Directors and Curators
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- Music Therapists
- Mutual Fund Lawyers
- National Park Service Employees
- Neuropsychologists and Clinical Neuropsychologists
- Nonprofit Social Service Directors
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- Orientation and Mobility Specialists
- Paralegals
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- Personal Care Aides
- Polygraph Examiners
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- Psychologists
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- Rabbis
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- Recreational Therapists
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- Sign Language and Oral Interpreters
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- Tutors and Trainers
- Zoo and Aquarium Curators and Directors