Public Service

Instilling public service values is at the core of our mission. All students will be taught about and have direct exposure to the gaps in our justice system. We will provide full-tuition scholarships for all or nearly all of the incoming class, and an extraordinarily generous loan-forgiveness program, to help support those who want to pursue a career of service in the public interest.

Students will also enjoy a variety of clinical experiences in which they can get the opportunity to work with real clients in real-life settings. This will provide many with the opportunity to develop ties with local public interest organizations and the skills to work in such organizations once they graduate.

Also, among the more than 70 potential employers that have pledged to interview members of our first incoming class on campus are cutting-edge public interest law groups located throughout Southern California, including Asian Pacific American Legal Center, California Rural Legal Assistance, California Women's Law Center, Legal aid Society of Orange County, LAMBDA Legal Defense and Education Fund, Public Law Center, and Western Center on Law and Poverty.

UCI Law will also be participating in a new program called UCDC, a collaboration among the UC law schools that places second- and third-year students in congressional offices on Capitol Hill, the U.S. Department of Justice and regulatory agencies.

Official Pro Bono Policy

The University of California, Irvine School of Law is deeply committed to the performance of public service work. We expect that our students and faculty will be regularly engaged in public service work throughout their careers.

Public service work, of course, can take many forms and reflect many values, including activities such as helping those who cannot afford legal services and working for public interest and government organizations. We encourage our students and faculty to set yearly public service goals similar to those expected of practicing attorneys.

(Adopted by the faculty Sept. 23, 2009)