Pace Law named one of the "Top 10 Schools for Public Interest Law"

Pace Law School was named among the top ten in the “Top 25 Schools for Public Interest Law” by “preLaw” magazine, a publication of “National Jurist.” The March issue of "National Jurist" revealed Pace to be #9 on the list of Top 25.

In a statement, the editors said they made the selections based upon “curriculum (which includes courses, clinical opportunities and faculty), cost of legal education (tuition, debt and loan repayment options) and placement (the percent of graduates who work in public interest and public service).” Pace Law shares this distinction with such law schools as Yale, Columbia, NYU, and the University of Virginia.

National Jurist, which last examined public interest law programs in 2011, said this year’s survey took a more careful look at curriculum but noted that more than half the score given to each school was based upon experiential opportunities. Pace Law School offers students the option to participate in seven clinics, 10 externship programs, and 12 simulation courses.

“I am so very pleased that Pace Law School has received this recognition,” said Professor Vanessa Merton, Director of Pace Law’s Immigration Justice Clinic. “This accomplishment reflects the contributions of so many, including everyone at the Pace Community Law Practice and the Pace Public Interest Law Center, as well as the Pace Women’s Justice Center, the Empire Justice Center at Pace, the Pace Land Use Law Center, the Center for Environmental Legal Studies program, along with our John Jay Legal Services clinics and externships, Human Rights in Action, and activist student organizations including our resurgent National Lawyers Guild chapter. We also value the opportunity to collaborate with numerous community and government partners.”

Jennifer Friedman, Director of both Pace Community Law Practice and the Pace Public Interest Law Center said, “I am constantly inspired by Pace Law School’s dedicated law students and alums, who demonstrate their commitment to justice in so many ways-- by serving low-income clients through Pace Law’s many pro bono programs; by working tirelessly in our clinics, externships, and at external placements, where they learn the skills necessary to become public interest lawyers; and by preparing in every way for important careers in government, under-represented communities, and other forms of public service.”