Career Strategy

Coursework

Law School courses can expose students to different areas of public interest law and help build a foundation for exploring specific career interests in public service.

To plan ahead, start with the registration catalogue, available at the Registrar's Office and Registrar's website. These catalogues include "course guides" to assist in curriculum planning for those interested public interest law, environmental law, family law, criminal law and other related topics.

Clinical courses are also an excellent way for a student to gain practice experience and represent clients while in law school. Many public interest organizations highly value clinical experience when they making hiring decisions.

Villanova also has an extensive externship program, offering placements with government agencies, public interest organizations and state and federal judges in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. Placement sites include the U.S. Attorney's Office; the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division; the Defender Association of Philadelphia; the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Internal Revenue Service; the National Labor Relations Board; Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; SeniorLaw Center; Women Against Abuse Legal Center; and the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Consult course selection guides and registration catalogues for up to date listings.