Spring Break
Drexel supports legal aid services
Noah Cohen, Nancy Lan
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: News
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With the starting salary of a public interest lawyer not even half that of a corporate colleague, Drexel University joined with the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Oct. 23 to support and recruit minority public interest lawyers.
University President Constantine Papadakis has pledged to support the work of minority attorneys by donating $5,000 to two Martin Luther King fellows for two years as well as putting Drexel's technology resources at the disposal of the MLK fellowship and internship program, Tobey Oxholm Drexel general counsel said.
Recent law school graduates are faced with a stark contrast in salaries when selecting a career path. Lawyers working public interest cases earn $39,000 compared to their corporate counterparts who earn $120,000 on average, said Oxholm.
"A lot of people are swayed from public interest work because of money," Rasheedah Philips, a former MLK intern said.
However, for Drexel College of Law second year student Mike Lee, the personal reward outweighs the paycheck.
"I am coming in trying to make a large scale difference," he said.
Lee has done Co-Ops in both a large corporate firm as well as a small minority law office.
A George Washington University graduate, Lee came to Drexel CoL because it lacked any "old guard" or reputation.
"I came from the oldest high school in Philadelphia and wound up at the newest law school in Philadelphia," Lee said.
The small firm became a family to Lee he said. That new sense of family piqued his interest in public interest work.
"If 1,000 people helped me get here, I want to help 2,000 people," he added.
Juan Williams, National Public Radio senior correspondent, echoed Lee's thoughts when he addressed the crowd.
"A lawyer who is not a social engineer is a social parasite," Williams said, citing Charles Houston, who is credited with defeating Jim Crow laws.
Williams called for more social responsibility, but Lee offered a critique of the legal profession.
University President Constantine Papadakis has pledged to support the work of minority attorneys by donating $5,000 to two Martin Luther King fellows for two years as well as putting Drexel's technology resources at the disposal of the MLK fellowship and internship program, Tobey Oxholm Drexel general counsel said.
Recent law school graduates are faced with a stark contrast in salaries when selecting a career path. Lawyers working public interest cases earn $39,000 compared to their corporate counterparts who earn $120,000 on average, said Oxholm.
"A lot of people are swayed from public interest work because of money," Rasheedah Philips, a former MLK intern said.
However, for Drexel College of Law second year student Mike Lee, the personal reward outweighs the paycheck.
"I am coming in trying to make a large scale difference," he said.
Lee has done Co-Ops in both a large corporate firm as well as a small minority law office.
A George Washington University graduate, Lee came to Drexel CoL because it lacked any "old guard" or reputation.
"I came from the oldest high school in Philadelphia and wound up at the newest law school in Philadelphia," Lee said.
The small firm became a family to Lee he said. That new sense of family piqued his interest in public interest work.
"If 1,000 people helped me get here, I want to help 2,000 people," he added.
Juan Williams, National Public Radio senior correspondent, echoed Lee's thoughts when he addressed the crowd.
"A lawyer who is not a social engineer is a social parasite," Williams said, citing Charles Houston, who is credited with defeating Jim Crow laws.
Williams called for more social responsibility, but Lee offered a critique of the legal profession.
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