Center for Law and Public Service
Serving West Virginians pro bono is a bedrock of our law school and the Center for Law and Public Service.
As students, you dedicate time outside the classroom to provide legal aid to those in need. On Law School Hill, you also spend time discussing current legal services, policy issues, and ways to creatively advance social justice by expanding access to legal services for all. By the time you walk across the stage at commencement, you join a dedicated community of public service leaders.
Public Interest Advocates
The WVU College of Law Public Interest Advocates (PIA) supports and promotes public interest law by sponsoring summer fellowships and other opportunities for WVU law students. Each year, PIA funds fellowships that enable first- and second-year students to gain hands-on experience with organizations such as legal aid offices, public defenders, and environmental groups across the state, and, through the West Virginia Fund for Law in the Public Interest, offers a post-graduate fellowship.
These opportunities are made possible through fundraising efforts led by PIA, including the highlight of the law school year, the annual Public Interest Advocates Spring Auction. In addition, PIA hosts a speaker series that brings notable public interest law practitioners to campus to inspire students and faculty to engage in and support this vital field.
Public Service Summer Fellowships
The Center works with the West Virginia Fund for Law in the Public Interest and the Public Interest Advocates (PIA) to sponsor summer fellowships, which help our students gain hands-on experiences in public interest law at legal service agencies across West Virginia.
The Fund and the Center also work together to provide a post-graduate fellowship program for students pursuing careers in public interest law.
Public Service Externships
Earn credit hours by working in non-profit and government agencies while developing key professional skills and an understanding of public interest law. Externships are available part-time or full-time, both locally and beyond the Morgantown area. Qualified students may apply for a Federal Judicial Externship with a United States District Court or Circuit Court Judge.
2025 Recap:
5,600 Hours of Service
Meet the Director
