Government and Public Interest Employers
Duke public interest students come to law school on a mission, eager to contribute to your work in the field. Throughout their three years, students engage with faculty and staff to explore their passions, develop hands-on skills, and deepen their commitments to service.
Post a Job
Two offices at Duke Law School work together on public interest job postings: the Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono (PIPB) facilitates public interest careers by advising students, managing funding, leading programming, and developing relationships with employers; the Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) partners to post and publicize public interest opportunities to students. There are several ways to post positions - please use whichever is most convenient. You may also email to inquire about which method will work best for your needs.
Publish Your Post on Our Internal Symplicity Jobs Board
This method is recommended if your posting is not published elsewhere online, or if you would like to advertise your posting for an extended period of time (i.e., the deadline is not impending).
- If you are familiar with our Symplicity system and prefer, feel free to post or request an interview date by logging in.
- If you are not familiar with our Symplicity system or would like us to post for you, email Susan Anderson and include a link to the posting and/or attach your job posting document.
Request On-Campus or Virtual Interviews
Government & Public Interest On-Campus Interviews ("GPI OCI") features employers particularly interested in Duke Law students, with interview dates in late August through October (fall cycle; 2Ls and 3Ls) and mid-January through March (spring cycle; all classes). Student bidding deadlines are set about one week before your scheduled interview date. Once bidding is complete, we will email to you a packet of student application materials. We are happy to help schedule interviews for you or for you to schedule interviews on your own by directly contacting candidates.
Because Duke students apply across the country, this method is best for larger organizations and organizations within North Carolina, especially in the Triangle, as many students seek opportunities in our home state. Examples of larger organizations include federal agencies, state-wide programs, and nationally-based nonprofits.
To make a schedule request, email Susan Anderson with the following information:
- Interview Dates (specific date or a week’s span);
- Class Years (3L, 2L; 1L date TBD);
- Documents to collect in addition to cover letter and resume (references, writing sample, unofficial transcript, official transcript);
- Position description and locations/offices for which you are hiring;
- Your preferred method for conducting interviews (in-person, phone, Zoom, etc.);
- Interviewer name(s) (if available and once confirmed).
Duke Law refers to experiences during the fall or spring semester as “externships.” Externships are unpaid field placements in government, public interest, judicial, and in-house counsel offices. Students earn academic credit while working under the supervision and mentorship of a licensed attorney, who works directly with the student to build professional skills, deepen subject-matter knowledge, and explore career goals.
Externships are administered by the Externship Program. To post an externship, contact Holly Dorfman, Program Coordinator for Externships. For further questions, contact Anne Gordon, Director of Externships and Clinical Professor of Law.
If you would like to post summer internships and/or post-graduate positions at the same time you post an externship, you may concurrently email both Susan Anderson and Holly Dorfman.
Employer Engagement with Students
Publicizing Information Sessions
We publicize employer-hosted information sessions throughout the year. Please send event details to Susan Anderson and Bethan Eynon. Note that if the event will be recorded, it is helpful to include this information, as well as how students may view the eventual recording.
On-Campus Events
If you are interested in hosting an on-campus information session, the Public Interest and Pro Bono Office can assist in reserving space in the law school; however, because of staffing limitations, we cannot assist with other event logistics.
We encourage employers considering on-campus programs to coordinate with student groups. Given the density of lunchtime programming, students can often best predict attendance and interest. Visit the Student Organizations page for student leader contact information.
Alumni: Connect with Our Community
Informal Alumni/Student Matches
Our career counselors, Stella Boswell and Bethan Eynon, advise every public interest-focused student during their three years at Duke. We regularly connect students with alumni based on practice area interests. Especially if we do not already have a relationship with you, please reach out to introduce yourself so that we can keep you in mind as we meet with students.
Public Interest Programs
The Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono hosts programs to create community and build relationships between public interest alumni and students. Depending on the year, options for engagement have included:
- Public Interest Career Panels;
- Public Interest Retreat (September/October);
- Public Interest Alumni/Student Social (virtual; February); and
- Duke Law In Your City Receptions (May-June).
Diversity-Specific Involvement
Learn more about how to get involved with diversity programming and student groups.