Legal Opportunities Presented to Students at 15th Annual Reception

For the past fifteen years, Duquesne Kline School of Law and Pitt Law have jointly held this event that provides students with the opportunity to learn about internships, pro bono, and post-graduate opportunities with the judiciary, government offices, and public interest law organizations.   

“Our collective students have a unique opportunity to be in a room with judges, attorneys, and other professionals who participate with the sole purpose of sharing information about their work and providing advice as the students embark on their legal careers.  Many students make it a point to talk with every court, government office, and public interest organization in attendance so they can broaden their understandings about what they can do with their law degrees.  Providing the students with a forum to learn more about opportunities in public service and public interest is rewarding, especially when some students discover their calling as a result of these interactions,” said Maria Comas, assistant dean of career services and alumni relations.

More than 30 federal and state courts; federal, state, and local government offices; and public interest organizations were represented. 

Two perennial attendees are the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office and Allegheny County Office of the Public Defender.  Both offices hire students for internships and entry-level attorney positions, and both find tremendous value in this event.

“I attended this event as a law student, and it played a big role in shaping my career path. Now, returning on behalf of the District Attorney’s Office, I value the chance to meet students who share that same drive to serve the community. It’s a great space for students to make genuine connections and see the many ways they can use their law degree for the public good,” stated Sarah Weikart, L’16, deputy district attorney and internship coordinator at the District Attorney’s Office.

“I found my first legal internship through the Judicial, Government, and Public Interest Law Reception with Action Housing, Inc. Through that internship not only did I solidify my passion for serving my community, but I also met my first career mentors, legal aid attorneys, and public defenders. Now, through the connections I made at the reception, I am proud to return as a public interest employer from the Allegheny County Office of the Public Defender and a member of the Board of Directors of Action Housing, Inc. Who knows how I would have found my path without the reception, and I hope to help law students walk a path as blessed as mine,” commented Sarah Linder Marx, L’20, senior deputy of public outreach and staff development at the Public Defender’s Office.  

“We are grateful to everyone who attends the reception year after year.  Not only do the students have a chance to meet and learn from our guests, but they also get to witness the collegiality that the Pittsburgh legal community is known for.  We’re happy to bring the students together at an event like this,” Comas said. 

Nearly 250 students from both schools attended.