By Brian Malcom 

Today, jobs are scarce. Young lawyers are scrambling to find jobs or retain the jobs they already have. A new trend is emerging: firms are loaning their young legal talent to public interest law centers - in some cases, with a paid stipend. The programs are often designed to retain young talent the firms have worked hard to recruit but whose workload has slowed due to the recession. 

As a consequence of this trend, the public interest sector has found itself saturated with young legal talent. Demand for public interest positions has increased substantially over the last year. Consequently, even the public interest sector legal jobs are becoming scarce.

Those lucky enough to find work in the public interest sector, despite having lost their job in the private sector, will likely benefit from the real world experience and the personl reward that comes with helping those in need. These private sector refugees may find themselves handling much more interesting cases than their private sector peers.

For instance, a public interest lawyer is much more likely to land a civil rights and constitutional rights case than a young associate at a large, private law firm. The young lawyers riding out the recession in the public interest sector may end up with their bank balances lower than they had hoped but their level of experience higher than they could have dreamed. These lawyers will be responsible for their own cases, construct their own arguments, write their own briefs, and be responsible for oral argument in each of their cases. This real world litigation experience is invaluable. The public interest sector is a great option for those young lawyers that wish to continue growing in experience and practical knowledge but find themselves without a private sector job.