The Noble Legal Track
Public interest needs more of us
By Angela Oh

The word is out. Only 15 percent of Asian American law students are choosing to pursue careers in public interest law (as reported in AsianWeek April 22). APAs rank dead last in wanting to do public interest work, as compared to African Americans, Latinos and whites.

An honorable tradition of attorneys using the law for public interest in our communities is fading. Some explanations for this phenomenon are not hard to identify. Other explanations require a closer look at our communities and ourselves.

No doubt, part of the answer is financial -- namely, student loan debt. The cost of pursuing an education in the law can be very high, particularly for many students coming from families that simply cannot afford to provide the funds to support post-baccalaureate studies. In such cases, taking student loans is an option that presents clear benefits and burdens.

The opportunity to study law is made available, but some students leave law school tens of thousands of dollars in debt. The only way to meet the financial obligation incurred is to take a job that will allow for the debt to be repaid once a job is secured. While a debt may be deferred (or even forgiven) if the graduate is fortunate enough to find a public interest position that qualifies under the guidelines for such relief, not all public interest work meets the criteria for debt relief. However, this financial explanation does not get to the hard questions that we, as a community, must address.

Another explanation implicates a need for communication among those who care about public interest law. It may be that we have failed the next generation of lawyers by neglecting to show law students how valuable public interest law has been to opening doors. So the question is: What are we doing specifically to inspire our next generation to seriously consider public interest work?

There is no shortage of role models. On local, state, national and international stages, APAs are providing extraordinary examples of leadership in addressing some of the most pressing social, political and economic challenges of the day. But the work of advocacy organizations, scholars, community lawyers, bench officers and private practitioners is known to only too few.

Such excellence can be found in the scholarship of professor Eric Yamamoto, who recently published his book, Interracial Justice. Other examples of excellence can be found in the advocacy skills demonstrated by Karen Narasaki of the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium, and the research and policy development work of Frank Wu and Jerry Kang in collaboration with Leadership Education for Asian Pacific Americans. Excellence is also seen in the management skill of Bruce Ishimatsu at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, and the prescience reflected in the bar examination preparation program founded by Federal District Court Judge Robert Takasugi. These are not the only examples of outstanding public interest work being done; many other organizations and individuals have brought meaning to the words “justice” and “equality” through the legal profession.

The common thread that runs through public interest work is courage -- the courage to recognize the ways in which injustice is perpetuated; the courage to put yourself into the middle of contentious circumstances and to be heard; the courage to engage in innovative strategies and approaches. In the face of incredible odds suggesting that it is futile to represent the needs of immigrants, the poor and otherwise marginalizes segments of our community, these brilliant role models take on tasks that others cannot even imagine.

We as a community simply have not told the compelling stories that draw the link between the work of public interest attorneys and the tremendous difference that their work has made in our lives. Each of us should examine how we, in our own way, can share the stories that must be told, so that the idea of public interest work makes its way into the list of options that law students seriously consider.

Another reason why so few APA law students express a desire to pursue public interest work is that there are few opportunities in the field. This is in part due to a lack of funding. In this realm, the financial burden is not upon the individual, but rather upon the shoulders of the APA community. There is a need to find resources to pay for clerkships, attorney positions in public interest firms, litigation and research. In other communities, resources have been marshaled to support this kind of work because there is a clear understanding that the fight for justice requires collective action. Patrons have come from all walks of life -- individuals, businesses, religious groups, philanthropic organizations. Where are such patrons in our APA community?

The desire to see more of the next generation pursue careers in the public interest arena has to be supported by those who recognize that the value of such work is timeless and that they are in a position to advance this effort. In reality, those who are engaged in public interest advocacy simply do not have the time nor resources to constantly raise funds. Their priority must remain with the work itself. Therefore, it is essential for each individual to respond generously to the annual banquets, special programs and direct appeals made. To the extent that some may see value in taking up a separate effort dedicated to raising funds for the specific purpose of expanding public interest law programs, there is no doubt that these funds would be put to good use.

The numbers related to APA law students and their lack of interest in pursuing public interest work belies the real problem -- that we, as a community, have much work to do in assessing where our efforts must be directed. Those who choose to pursue this path in their working lives see “success” as moving closer to realizing dignity for individuals and community. They do not necessarily pursue recognition, money, or comfort. Indeed, this is work that almost surely brings the opposite. But Asian Pacific Americans can do much to make public interest law and advocacy less difficult to pursue as a career. We need to tell the stories, respond to requests for support, and recognize that the American Dream is rarely realized without sacrifice.

Angela E. Oh is a visiting scholar and lecturer at UCLA. She currently serves on the Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission and was a member of the advisory board to the President’s Initiative on Race.