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SKILL SHARPENER
Increasing Summer Public Interest Grants for Pepperdine Law Students Allows for Greater Community Outreach [by Erica Winter] Pepperdine University School of Law in Malibu, CA, is expanding law students’ access to public interest work both over the summer and after graduation with financial assistance from a variety of sources.
For graduates going into public interest,
Members of APIL decide who will receive its
first-years, but there are some second-year
public defender, or prosecutor positions,
fellowships. The group’s criteria are more
students pursuing pubic interest careers who
Pepperdine Law joins other top law schools
stringent than for the law school awards,
also apply. “That’s the group I most want to
with debt-relief schemes in the gradual roll-
says APIL board-member Virginia Monken,
help out,” says Buchan.
out of its own plan. The Pepperdine Law loan
because there is less money to go around.
forgiveness program will be endowed for $1
Also, the group tries to encourage law stu-
million. The law school will give small awards
dents to do nongovernmental work because
gal careers “are never going to make a lot of
this year and for the next few years until the
nongovernmental public interest work is the
money,” says Buchan. This is why the launch
endowment has grown to the full amount.
lowest paid. So the APIL awards go to stu-
of Pepperdine’s loan forgiveness program is
dents doing strictly public interest work and
so important, in addition to the summer fund-
not those going to public defender offices.
ing, she says.
government offices over the summer, grant
For the law school awards, students submit
True, $1,700 will not stretch to cover a law
money can now come from both the student-
letters of interest to Buchan, along with in-
student’s rent and food over four months in a
run Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL)
formation on the organizations for which they
major metropolitan area. Contrary to popular
and also from the school itself.
will be working over the summer and how
belief, Buchan says, Pepperdine law students
long they will be working there. Buchan, who
are not all rich; many are on loans. Some
In early May 2005, Pepperdine Law awarded
was a public interest lawyer before joining
students will need additional grants, such as
$40,000 to 23 law students who will be work-
Pepperdine, is very familiar with many of the
the APIL award, or a side job to make these
ing pro bono for public interest and nonprofit
groups students choose, most of which are in
public interest summers fly, she says.
organizations this summer. The students will
the Los Angeles area.
Meanwhile, for first- and second-years who
Those students going into public interest le-
want to work in public interest, nonprofit, or
Still, the $40,000 award pool for law students,
use the award money of slightly more than $1,700 each towards their living expenses,
This summer, however, one student will use
raised by the law school from a private donor,
enabling students to take unpaid work. “I’m
the money to help her defray costs of work-
is nearly double the $25,000 awarded last
very proud of that,” says Laurie Buchan,
ing in Honduras in a human rights program,
year. The award is in its fourth year, and the
Director of Clinical Programs and Assistant
says Buchan. Another will work with a human
amount is expected to keep growing. “The
Professor of Law at Pepperdine.
rights lawyer training program in India. Oth-
program is just booming,” says Buchan.
ers are sticking closer to home. One student Another source of summer public interest
will join Children’s Court in Los Angeles,
The law school award was started because
student funding is generated by law students
where child neglect and abuse cases are
“there was a real need,” says Buchan; but the
themselves in the APIL student organization.
heard; another will work with the Western
award money originally went toward course
The group holds a fundraising auction and
Center for Disability Rights; and another
units for academic credit. Last year, that
encourages law students in paid summer
will work with the YWCA’s domestic violence
changed, and the administration decided to
positions to donate one day’s pay. The money
project.
award the money directly to the students. Pepperdine School of Law Dean Kenneth
endows summer fellowships to eight law students—six of whom were fully funded
Students must secure their positions before
Starr, who joined the school this past fall,
(receiving $4,000 each) and two of whom
they know whether they will receive an
is a “huge supporter” of programs to assist
were partially funded for their unpaid sum-
award from the school; however, there are
students pursuing public interest law, says
mer positions. This year, the groups awarded
groups (such as legal aid organizations) that
Buchan.
$27,000 total in fellowship grants.
are good bets. Most of the applicants are
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