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Research for your Legal Career

Identifying Potential Public Interest Employers

Finding jobs in the public interest field can be a challenge, but there are resources available that can help you both locate potential employers and prepare for the interview process. You might need to do some creative searching, but you can walk into an interview feeling confident about your research and preparation. 

Locating Non-Profits and Policy Oriented Organizations

Non-profits and other policy orientated organizations vary widely across interest areas, goals, missions, and constituents. To locate employers in this area, consider the causes that you're passionate about and search for organizations that do work in these areas. Some general non-profit sources to get you started are: 

  • Guidestar.org - A comprehensive list of many non-profits and information about their organization and their financials. 
  • Idealist.org - Click on Organizations in the top level navigation, then filter by location, issue areas, or organization type. 

More resources are listed below under Additional Resources. 

Locating Legal Aid and Direct Service Organizations

The best place to start looking for legal aid and direct service organizations is LawHelp.org which allows you to search legal aid services by State. The Department of Justice List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers also provides lists of legal aid services by state. Try searching for legal aid organizations in the geographical area that you would like to practice and contact a Law Librarian at library@pennstatelaw.psu.edu if you need help locating this kind of information. Some state and regional sources are linked below under Additional Resources. 

Locating International Public Interest Organizations 

Lawyers Without Borders can be a great way to start locating jobs in international public interest organizations. Global Governance Watch also provides news and lists of Human and Civil Rights Organizations that can help you locate international public interest organizations. For this site, go to International Organizations and then click on the link for resources to get a list of organizations. The Council on Foundations can help you locate information on global foundations and international work. 

Researching for the Application Process

  • Locating Information about Public Interest Organizations

The public interest organization's website is the best play to find organization specific information for your application. Read about their mission statement, their constituents, the issues they address within their organization, and any key initiatives. Press releases can provide valuable information about recent initiatives. 

Researching for the Interview

  • Key Information for the Interview

Preparing for an interview with a public interest organization requires doing a deep dive on the organization, their constituents, and their mission. While the organization's website will be helpful, finding additional information about the organization's work through third party sources is important. 

  • For larger organizations:

Guidestar.org can help you locate information about an organization's mission, their financials, leaders and executives, within the organizations. 

Idealist.org also provides information about an organizations vision and key areas of focus. 

Once you locate an organizations key executives or leaders, search for those individuals online and in the news. Local news sources can be found through Access World News (NewsBank). 

  • For smaller organizations and legal aid: 

Access World News (NewsBank) - provides online access to local, regional and national U.S. newspapers, as well as some International sources. Use these sources to find how the non-profit is operating within it's community. 

State Court Dockets - researching cases that are being handled by a legal aid organization is a good way to learn about the kinds of cases that the organization handles and can allow you to demonstrate that you are up to date on the organizations most recent cases. Bloomberg Law has some state docket coverage and is a good place to start. Contact a Law Librarian at library@pennstatelaw.psu.edu for additional assistance searching state court dockets.