By Zachary Newman* and Salena Copeland† on November 14, 2023

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Introduction

Many aspiring lawyers attend law school because they want to engage in legal work to assist marginalized or disenfranchised communities. These individuals want to acquire the skills to support social justice and public interest efforts in the legal world. They may want to help prevent unjust evictions, support the rights of people with disabilities, secure protections for domestic violence survivors, fight for access to healthcare, defend consumers challenging illegitimate debt collections, or engage in the myriad of other civil matters that legal aid lawyers help with.[1] They may be motivated by an awareness that many people facing legal issues are unable to afford a lawyer to obtain counsel on how to navigate the complexities of the legal system and fight for their rights.[2]

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