Seoul Bar Association Successfully Concludes Public Interest and Human Rights Program for Aspiring Legal Professionals

44 Law Students Nationwide Participate
Hands-on Experience in Public Interest Work at 18 Institutions

The Seoul Bar Association has concluded a practical program to help aspiring legal professionals explore career paths in the fields of public interest and human rights.

On August 27, the association announced, "In collaboration with the Korea Legal Clinic Association and the Center for Public Interest and Human Rights Law at Seoul National University School of Law, we held the '2026 Public Interest and Human Rights Program for Prospective Legal Professionals' for two weeks from August 3 to August 14."

Marking its seventh year, the program was designed to enable law school students and other aspiring legal professionals to gain hands-on experience at organizations specializing in public interest and human rights, thereby broadening their understanding and allowing them to concretely explore relevant career opportunities.

This year, 18 partner institutions participated, covering nine areas: community, pro bono practices at law firms, labor, disability, migration, children and youth, women's rights, civil society, and housing. Forty-four students from 19 law schools nationwide took part in the program.

The program consisted of three days of common training and seven days of practical experience. Participants began with an orientation and took part in specialized lectures by field and topic to learn about major issues and activities in public interest and human rights. Afterwards, they gained direct experience with public interest and human rights work at their preferred partner institutions.

One participant shared, "By directly engaging in various public interest cases and activities, I realized that these cases are not grand or exceptional, but actually connected to our daily lives. It also made me reflect on how legal work that advocates for the socially vulnerable can be linked to public interest cases."

The Seoul Bar Association stated, "We will continue to support the development of aspiring and current legal professionals equipped with public-minded values and human rights sensitivity, and strive to ensure the legal profession plays a responsible role in the public interest and human rights fields."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.