About Us
Over the past few years, something really exciting has been happening on law school campusesโฆ
Law students are thinking critically about their employment options and refusing to limit themselves to the false binary of large corporate law firms and traditional public service jobs. Students who want to build a career in line with their values and lead a comfortable lifestyle amidst ever-increasing costs of living have increasingly been looking towards plaintiffsโ law.
This shouldnโt be revolutionary since plaintiffs necessarily make up an entire side of any given civil litigation, but it is, particularly at elite and highly-ranked law schools. A small number of big, defense-side law firms have entrenched themselves in law school culture, with scholarships and conference rooms bearing their names. Their investment has paid off: Some of the best law schools in the country send more than half of their graduates to defense firms. This is no accidentโcareer services offices at law schools across the country push law students to work for these firms, all while actively dissuading students from pursuing careers on the plaintiffsโ-side.
In response to career service offices with little knowledge of the plaintiffsโ bar and calendars full of recruiting events for defense firms, students on campuses across the country have formed student organizations dedicated to promoting careers representing plaintiffs: Plaintiffsโ Law Associations.
The NPLAโs Origin Story
Inspired by the success of individual PLAs and their ability to change the conversation amongst student bodies, we asked ourselves if this could be the beginning of something bigger. In early 2023, leaders from just a few of these groups got in touch to share their experiences and work through shared challenges. Quickly, we realized how much we could benefit from working together, sharing resources, and building a community. After a summit in San Francisco, our founding board made the decision to form NPLA, the National Plaintiffsโ Law Association.
In the past five years, individual PLAs have helped connect law students with career and networking opportunities, hosted speakers on some of the most interesting and important areas of law, meaningfully changed studentsโ perception of plaintiffsโ lawyers and of studentsโ own professional options, and built up the support their members once sought to find on their campuses. We cannot wait to see all that we can accomplish together.
