Public Interest Law and Policy
Our robust program in public interest law and policy provides the training, skills and opportunities for students to become leaders in public service and social justice.
UCLA Law's deep commitment to public interest and public service includes a wide array of classes, clinics, experiences, professional opportunities and connections to leading faculty and dynamic alumni. Students may apply for the competitive Epstein Program specialization, with its Epstein-specific curriculum and mentoring program, as an entering 1L or as a 2L transfer. All students, whether in the Epstein specialization or not, have access to the school's excellent clinical education and externship program and the Schrader Pro Bono Program, which provide myriad opportunities for students to engage with clients while still in school. The Office of Public Interest Programs collaborates with the Office of Career Services to provide career resources for all student interested in public interest law, whether for a summer or for long-term career, including dedicated public interest career counseling and events featuring public interest attorneys sharing their career paths. The Margaret Levy Public Interest Fellows program brings national public interest leaders to campus for intensive engagement with students. Generous post-graduate loan repayment and summer public interest grant programs give both graduates and current students a leg up in their social justice careers.
Our Faculty
Beth A. Colgan
Professor of Law
Scott L. Cummings
Robert Henigson Professor of Legal Ethics
Professor of Law
Sharon Dolovich
Professor of Law
Faculty Director, UCLA Prison Law & Policy Program
Director, UCLA Law Behind Bars Data Project
Faculty Co-Director, Criminal Justice Program
Ingrid Eagly
Professor of Law
Faculty Co-Director, Criminal Justice Program
Hiroshi Motomura
Susan Westerberg Prager Distinguished Professor of Law
Faculty Co-Director, Center for Immigration Law and Policy
Victor H. Narro
Lecturer in Law
Joanna C. Schwartz
Professor of Law
Faculty Director, David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy
Robert Bradley Sears
Associate Dean of Public Interest Law
Roberta A. Conroy Distinguished Scholar of Law & Policy, The Williams Institute
Founding Executive Director, The Williams Institute
Sherod Thaxton
Professor of Law
Professor of African American Studies (by courtesy)
Professor of Public Policy (by courtesy)
Professor of Sociology (by courtesy)
Alex Wang
Professor of Law
Walter and Shirley Wang Chair in U.S.-China Relations and Communications
Faculty Co-Director, Emmett Institute on Climate Change & the Environment
Noah D. Zatz
Professor of Law and Labor Studies