Public Interest Law Scholars Program

The Public Interest Law Scholars Program, founded in 1988, is an integral part of Georgetown Law’s public interest community. Facilitated by the Office of Public Interest and Community Service (OPICS), the program has helped launch the public interest legal careers of hundreds of Georgetown Law graduates.

Purpose

The Public Interest Law Scholars Program at Georgetown Law provides multidimensional support to a cohort of JD students demonstrating extraordinary commitment to pursuing a public interest career after graduation. Through a variety of carefully tailored program benefits, the program aims to reduce financial, informational, and other barriers to public service for students displaying an exceptional level of intentionality and potential to use their law degree as a tool for change. In doing so, the program also aims to support and empower a cohort of public interest scholars to serve as leaders and ambassadors for public interest work in the Georgetown Law community, cultivating an ethic of service and contributing to broader efforts to reduce barriers to public interest careers.

Benefits At-A-Glance

Public Interest Law Scholars at Georgetown Law receive or have access to a variety of benefits, including:

Enhanced public interest summer funding and postgraduate bar stipends, helping to fill critical gaps in financial support for public interest students not already addressed by Georgetown Law’s nationally-recognized Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) and the federal Income-Driven Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs
Public interest orientation designed to cultivate a strong sense of support and belonging from the start of the law school experience
Faculty, practitioner, and peer mentorship support
Enrollment during 2L fall in a public interest seminar featuring preeminent public interest leaders from the Leaders in Residence Program as guest speakers and mentors
Eligibility to apply for earmarked public interest scholarships during 2L year
Public interest community-building through automatic membership in Georgetown Law’s Public Interest Corps (PIC) and various peer leadership opportunities

For additional details, see the Benefits page.

Application and Selection

In 2026-27, students will be able to apply for the Public Interest Law Scholars program during the spring semester of their 1L year. Up to twenty new Public Interest Law Scholars will be selected based on a variety of factors, including their intentionality about pursuing a public interest career; demonstrated engagement with social justice and/or change making; connection to or experience with the issue or community they hope to engage as a public interest lawyer; and barriers to public interest practice faced, including financial need.

For questions, email opicspils@georgetown.edu(This link opens in a new tab)