NALP supports a variety of public interest and government employment initiatives, and also provides a forum to exchange information, develop resources, and guide policy and programs related to public service careers. NALP’s commitment to promoting public service careers includes:

Public Interest Employment Market Snapshot Report. Published in February of 2012, the Public Service Employment Market Snapshot Report offers data-driven insight into the law student and attorney hiring climate in the public service arena. In September, 2011 NALP surveyed government and nonprofit law offices to gather data on summer 2012 law-student hiring expectations; attorney hiring forecasts in 2012; as well as information on recent and anticipated layoffs. NALP also gathered employers’ insights on how job candidates can stand out in a tight market and on practice areas that may grow in the near future. View the Snapshot Report here (PDF).

PSLawNet — www.pslawnet.org. NALP's Public Service Law Network is the premiere online public service job database for law students and attorneys. Students and alumni of PSLawNet subscriber law schools have free access to our job and employer profile database. Public service employers can also post jobs at no charge. In addition, PSLawNet offers a free “virtual” career library with useful information for law school career professionals and for job-seekers; a national calendar of public service career fairs; and information about postgraduate fellowships, government employment, and much more.

2010 Public Sector & Public Interest Attorney Salary Report — this report, published every other year, is used by public interest and government organizations around the country. It provides information on attorney salaries - broken down by years of practice experience - at five types of organizations: civil legal services; public defenders; local prosecuting attorney offices, offices of attorneys general, and other, issue-oriented public interest organizations. Salaries are reported both nationwide and by geographic area. Information on benefits and on the availability and nature of Loan Repayment Assistance Programs is also included. The full report is available for purchase in the NALP Bookstore.

2011-12 Federal Legal Employment Opportunities Guide — this free, annually-updated publication, produced by NALP, the Partnership for Public Service, and the ABA’s Government & Public Sector Lawyers Division, offers tips for seeking federal attorney positions, definitions of terms used in the employment application process, descriptions of dozens of federal offices that employ attorneys, and much more. Download the Federal Legal Employment Opportunities Guide for free.

The PSLawNet Comprehensive Fellowship Guide: The Ultimate Resource for Law Students and Lawyers — by placing data from its PSLawNet jobs database in convenient hard-copy form, NALP produces the annual PSLawNet Fellowship Guide. In addition to detailed information on hundreds of legal and law-related fellowships, the new guide includes indexes by practice area, geographic location, and sponsoring organization, as well as a calendar of application deadlines. This publication is available for purchase from the NALP Bookstore.

NALP/PSLawNet Public Service Mini-Conference — NALP’s very popular one-day conference focuses on the needs of law school public interest career advisors and pro bono program managers. The Mini-Conference - which features a town-hall style meeting, networking opportunities, and substantive programming - is the only national event planned solely to afford public interest legal career specialists the opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices. The Mini-Conference takes place every October, in conjunction with Equal Justice Works’ Conference and Career Fair.

Partner in the Equal Justice Works Career Fair and Conference — NALP partners with Equal Justice Works during its annual career fair by sponsoring and hosting a networking reception for law school professionals and public service employers. NALP Public Service Section members also contribute their expertise in many of the substantive program sessions.

NALP’s Public Service Section — NALP Public Service Section, comprised of law school career advisors, pro bono managers, public service employers, and others, supports a number of ongoing projects designed to promote and facilitate public service careers. The section also maintains an email discussion list for employees of NALP member organizations.

Free Listing for Public Sector Employers in the NALP Directory of Legal Employers — Public sector employers list for free in the NALP Directory of Legal Employers, the most trusted legal career resource, which is available online at www.nalpdirectory.com. For more information on participating in this resource, see  Directories.

For more information on any of NALP’s public service activities or publications, please contact Steve Grumm, Director of Public Service Initiatives, at sgrumm@nalp.org or at 202-296-0057.