Public Interest | Law School | Vanderbilt University

Public Interest Law at Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt is committed to cultivating a culture of public service and to facilitating opportunities for students to use their legal training in service of the greater good during and after law school.

Financial Support

Vanderbilt offers substantial financial support for students pursuing public interest work during and after law school. Summer stipends are available to help defray the living expenses of students pursuing summer pro bono work at nonprofit and government agencies. First-year students may apply for Garrison Social Justice Scholar Awards, which provide students committed to or exploring social justice and public interest careers with summer stipends and scholarship support during their second and third years of law school. Post-graduate fellowships are available through the George Barrett Social Justice Program and the Gideon’s Promise Law School Partnership Program. VLS also offers a Loan Repayment Assistance Program to graduates practicing in the public interest.

Practice Opportunities

Vanderbilt students may pursue a range of public interest practice opportunities through an array of clinics, practicums, externships and student-led pro bono programs and projects.

Curriculum and Academic Programs

Vanderbilt’s curriculum addresses a wide range of public interest law topics, including equality, access to justice and human rights. The George Barrett Social Justice Program and the Criminal Justice Program sponsor short-courses and events with guest speakers including prominent practitioners in a wide variety of public interest topics