It's a Tough Time for Public Interest Law — But Here's Why We Never Give Up

by Kristen Pavón

With legal services providers closing their doors, fewer public interest attorney hires and a seemingly insurmountable need for civil legal aid, trying to stay positive about where public interest law is headed is beyond difficult.

As a new attorney who wants to work in a legal aid capacity and do “good,” the prospects are bleak and consequently, I’ve felt it necessary to broaden my own job search.

However, reading Judith Sandalow’s HuffPost DC piece, Why We Never Give Up, reminded me of why I, and you, should continue to search in the public interest field (but keep all your options open!).

Usually, I would quote the highlights here and then direct you to read the rest at HuffPost, but today — I’m just going to give you the last two paragraphs of the piece, which I’m confident will get you to head over to HuffPost to read the whole thing.

Charline’s birth parents gave up on her. Charline’s adoptive mother gave up on her. Charline had even given up on herself. But Gabby never did. She pursued Charline on the street and online. When Charline dropped out of one program Gabby found her another.

Gabby proved the pundits wrong. Helping Charline wasn’t cheap. And it wasn’t easy. But our community has an amazing return on Gabby’s investment: Today, Charline is a proud young woman heading toward a productive adulthood. She is one less statistic and one more success story. Every youth we meet has this potential, and that’s why we never give up.