Joint Law and Public Policy programs?

runnersmom
Sat, 18 May 2013 08:01:30 +0000

Public policy is not necessarily public interest in the truest sense of the words. I wouldn’t assume that someone interested in policy and constitutional law is interested in the type of work done by a DA or PD. The reality is that you don’t need a PP degree to do any of the kinds of things that would be policy-oriented. While I agree that most Supreme Court clerkships go to, as said, connected Yalies with prestigious federal clerkships under their belts, there are many other ways to impact policy with a law degree. One could go to work on Capitol Hill in a senator or representative’s counsel’s office, one could work with an organization that lobbies for such changes, one could work at Justice or some other governmental agency…the list is endless. Coming from a parent with a son who is just completing a joint degree (Urban Planning, not Public Policy), he has told us that he and most other members of his joint degree cohort (all fields) feel that they could be where they are now without the other degree on top of the JD. And remember, getting a joint degree usually adds at least one year to the degree process, adding additional debt.