Pathways to Public Policy Careers by Paula Nailon

Are you, like most Americans, interested in health Where do lawyers fit into public policy? care reform? Have you been confused by the con- flicting viewpoints of politicians, analysts, lobby- Everywhere! If it concerns advocating for, draft- ists, health care professionals, and others? This de- ing, implementing, or analyzing laws or policies, bate provides the perfect context to discuss public lawyers will be involved. They interact with legis- policy careers. lative and government representatives. In the health care debate, lawyers worked behind the scenes for pharmaceutical, biotech, and insurance What exactly is public policy? companies; health care providers; corporate employers; and others. They work as registered lobby- 2 Public policy is made when a governing body at- ists and specialized impact litigators, filing ami- tempts to address an issue of widespread public cus briefs and taking precedent-setting cases to concern, such as health care. The process often court. Lawyers work as research fellows; legisla- runs in cycles and can take years.1 tive staffers; budget, policy, program, and regula- tory analysts; government relations specialists; • During Agenda Setting, a wide range of actors and program managers, as well as in nonlegal posi- (including individuals, nonprofits, tions involving communications and fundraising. corporations, special interest groups, They rely not only on their legal training, but on lobbyists, federal agencies, and the Executive skills and experiences from previous employment, Branch) compete to frame the issues, educate and undergraduate and graduate degree programs. stakeholders, and build support for their agendas. What is the best advice for someone • The Legislature joins the mix in the Policy Formulation stage. pursuing a career in public policy? • After new laws are created, Policy Implementation occurs, often involving Students often find their way to public policy ca- federal agencies, state and local governments, reers because of an interest in a particular substan- bureaucratic entities, and NGOs. Courts get tive area. Public policy work can be found in virtu- involved as laws and policies are challenged ally any subject area; for example, Idealist.org on a variety of fronts. allows job seekers to search in 57 focus areas, rang- ing from “Art and Architecture” to “Women’s Is- • Analysis and Evaluation occurs throughout sues.” Public policy positions also attract the stu- the cycle and involves many players. Policies dents who say, “I like law but don’t want to be an may be changed — and the cycle begins attorney.” again. A word for career counselors about the public policy job search:

• Your ears should perk up when you hear the words “Center for,” “Institute,”

Reprinted from NALP Bulletin, May 2010. ã 2010 National Association for Law Placement, Inc.® All rights reserved. This article may be printed for personal use only. Any reproduction, retransmission or republication of all or part of this material is expressly prohibited unless NALP or the copyright owner has granted prior written consent. For reprint permission contact the NALP office at (202) 835-1001 or www.nalp.org. “Association,” and “Foundation” because they represent potential employers. Selected resources for public policy • Provide curricular advice. In addition to employment traditional law school courses (such as • Almanac of Policy Issues administrative law, constitutional law, and (www.policyalmanac.org) — Background legislative drafting), students may benefit information, documents, and links on from cross-listed courses with MPA and major public policy issues, plus a list of MBA programs (such as statistical websites with public policy jobs. analysis and public finance). If you offer JD/MPA, JD/MPP, or other relevant joint • Foreign Policy Association degrees, provide the information early in (http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423 students’ law school careers. /jobs_contact.htm) — General resources and jobs in foreign policy. • Résumé builders include clinics, community volunteer work, specialized • Hill Zoo (www.hillzoo.com) — Resource, moot court competitions, legislative activities, and listings for jobs on and off internships, and conferences. the Hill. • Most public policy positions are • Idealist.org (www.idealist.org)—A considered “public interest.” Become recent search found 5,482 jobs; 18,135 familiar with the broad range of resources volunteer opportunities; 2,695 internships available to public interest job seekers (many were policy-related). (PSLawNet’s Public Service Career • PSLawNet (www.pslawnet.org)— Library, for example: http://76.12.222 Approximately 11,000 profiles for public .174/publicservicelibrary). Join NALP’s interest employers, plus job search Public Service Section (http://www.nalp resources and job postings. .org/publicservicesection). • Public Affairs Council • Public policy internships and fellowships (http://pac.org/jobs) — International do not always provide a path to permanent association for public affairs employment. However, they do help professionals, with tools, resources, students gain substantive experience and and job postings. form mentoring and networking relationships, which can be the key to • Public Policy Handbook finding full-time work after graduation. (www.law.arizona.edu/career/PublicPolic y10-11/LoginForm.cfm) — Subscriber • Students may be competing with other resource with +150 internship and graduate students, and possibly even fellowship postings, published by creators undergraduates, for their jobs. They must of the Government Honors & Internship be able to explain how a law degree Handbook. provides added value. • Roll Call (www.rcjobs.com) — Job • Although public interest positions are postings are searchable by category, available throughout the country, many of including: Government Relations, the best ones are in Washington, DC. Legislative, Policy, Political, and Develop resources and alumni contacts to Research. make it easier for students to relocate for the summer and make the move • The Hill (http://thehill.com) — News permanent after graduation. from the Hill plus job postings. • USA Jobs (www.usajobs.gov) — Federal government’s official job posting site.

2. A Center for Public Integrity analysis of Senate lobbying showed that + 4,525 lobbyists were hired to influence health reform bills in 2009, representing + 1,750 companies and trade, advocacy, and professional organizations. http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/1953/