Equal Justice Works

This past weekend I went to the Equal Justice Works Conference in Washington D.C.  Let me first say that I have not been to D.C. since the mid-1990s.  Much has changed, as you might imagine.  Of course, much is also still the same -- the judicial, the legislature, and the executive branches are all still there.  Related to all things law, the Equal Justice Works Conference is about helping law students find public interest jobs, and those jobs ranged from working with the EPA in Boston to working with the Alaska public defender to representing children at risk in Houston.  I was so proud of the students who have made the choice to forgo the lucrative law firm job and pursue a job where they serve others.  I am sick at the amount of money that some lawyers get paid for their minimal amount of work, and I am displeased with the focus of private law firms as the shining star of employment for post-graduation.  I was so pleased to see these students actively trying to find jobs that protect the environment, children, and abused peoples.  We definitely need more lawyers like them to help protect those in need and those often forgotten or abused by the system.

For more information on Equal Justice Works, see http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/.