Towards a Jurisprudence (and Pedagogy) of Access: A Reflection on 25 Years of the Public Interest Practicum

Abstract

The Public Interest Practicum (PIP), a course at the University of Georgia School of Law, fosters awareness among law students of the demand for access to justice. For more than 25 years, PIP has served many purposes: to explore a street level jurisprudence; to challenge students’ professional identities; to generate new models of clinical legal education; to inculcate the habit of public service; and to help individuals with legal problems. Through its many iterations, PIP has consistently exposed future lawyers to ways of helping those in need. This reflection traces the history of PIP as a course, contextualizes it within several modern movements, and assesses it as a way to teach the value of access to justice to law students.