Feature Story: An ‘Urban Plunge’ for Law Students
Over Christmas break, a record number of Notre Dame Law students—including a third of this year’s 1L class—will get a firsthand look at public interest law and the real-life issues facing the urban poor. In all, 65 students plan to participate in the annual immersion program known as GALILEE, or Group Alternative Live-in Legal Education.
The students will fan out in small groups to 10 different U.S. cities, spending three days meeting with public defenders, legal aid attorneys, social service providers and local government officials. They’ll ride with police officers, observe criminal trials, tour women’s shelters and visit prisons in the city of their choice.
“GALILEE is very much student-driven and student-organized, so they’re pursuing their interests,” says Professor Robert Jones, director of the Notre Dame Legal Aid Clinic. “The major purpose of this program is to have students see firsthand what some of the urban poverty and other public interest law issues are in a town where they may live and work—and then envision how they might be involved in addressing those issues, whether through a full-time career or pro bono work.”
Lindsay Hawley ’10, a student co-leader for the program, went to Chicago on the GALILEE trip last year. She is planning a public interest career after graduation, but believes the program is valuable for any student who participates. “No matter what career path they take, I think it’s beneficial to have some idea of what public interest law really entails,” says Hawley. “Even if they go into firm work, there’s a huge opportunity to do something public interest-oriented, and the program gives people an idea of what’s out there.”
Taylor Wilson ’11 will travel to Tulsa with six other students, for meetings with a judge, a public defender, private attorneys who take pro bono cases, and staff from Tulsa Youth Services and a domestic violence intervention center. They’ll also visit the Indian Law Clinic at the University of Tulsa Law School. “We’re really just expecting to learn more about what it means to work in the different types of public interest law and understand the different roles people can play,” she says. She expects the exposure to inform her future career planning.
After the trip, participants gather for a seminar and submit a paper with their reflections on the experience. “Students are often very energized when they return,” says Jones. Since the first semester of law school can be “stressful and sometimes, very abstract” for many, the program provides real-world perspective and a welcome opportunity to bond with classmates. The most frequent comment that Jones hears from returning students is, “Wow—now I remember why I came to law school.”
Click here to learn more about the GALILEE program.
