PILA Not So Spooky

PILA Not So Spooky is happening at the College of Law on Tuesday, October 20, and it's one of those events that's a lot easier to explain if you're already thinking about where you want to end up after law school. The whole thing is built around a panel of practicing attorneys working across different public interest law specialisms, all in one room. They'll be sharing their insights and professional experiences with students who are interested in pursuing a public interest career.

If you've spent any time in law school, you know that "public interest" is a broad umbrella. It covers everything from civil rights and environmental law to public defense and legal aid. The point of bringing together attorneys from different specialisms is that you get to hear about a few different paths at once, rather than just one narrow slice of the field. These are people actually doing the work, so the conversation is about the day-to-day reality of the job—the kinds of cases they handle, the challenges they run into, and what the work actually looks like on the ground—rather than the theory you find in a textbook.

It's a good fit if you're still weighing your options or if you've got a general interest in public interest law but aren't sure which specific area clicks for you. Hearing from a few different practitioners in one go lets you compare how the roles differ and get a better sense of where you might fit in. And since it's a panel, there's room for the attorneys to build on each other's points, which usually leads to a more complete picture than you'd get from a single speaker.

It all goes down at the College of Law, Georgia State University, 85 Park Place N.E. in Atlanta, starting at 12 PM. There's no admission surcharge, so you can just show up and listen.