Public Interest Week 2023 engages national and international experts, including Agnieszka Fryszman, the 2023 Honorary Fellow and chair of the Human Rights practice at Cohen Milstein.
Each year, the Toll Public Interest Center convenes experts and leaders in the local, national, and international public interest community for Public Interest Week. Launched in 2008, this multi-day program is a highlight of the public interest community at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.
Public Interest Week 2023 will take place Monday, October 30 – Friday, November 3, culminating with the Public Interest Student & Alumni Dinner.
This year’s theme, “Inflection Point: Public Interest Redefined,” will engage student pro bono projects, student groups, and external partners in enriching discussions examining what it means to lawyer in the public’s interest and the future of the public interest community, broadly.
“Public Interest Week is an important tradition at Penn Carey Law as it reflects the School’s deeply held commitment to service and, through a diverse and compelling roster of student events, provides robust opportunities for our community to engage with and learn about some of the most pressing issues of our time,” said Emily R. Sutcliffe, Assistant Dean for Public Interest and Executive Director of the Toll Public Interest Center.
2023 Honorary Fellow: Agnieszka Fryszman
Each year, the Law School is honored to host an Honorary Fellow who engages Law School leadership, students, and alumni and presents their work to our faculty. Recent Honorary Fellows have included President and Executive Director at Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, Damon Hewitt L’00; President of People for the American Way and Former President and CEO of the NAACP, Ben Jealous; and Deputy Director of Litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., Deuel Ross L’09.
An expert and leader in the field of human rights, Fryszman represents victims of torture, human trafficking, forced and slave labor, and other violations of international law. She also regularly litigates cases against corporate giants and foreign powers.
As Honorary Fellow, Fryszman will deliver a keynote address at the culminating event on Friday, November 3. She will also meet with small groups of students during her visit, providing Penn Carey Law students with the opportunity to engage with one of the world’s preeminent human rights lawyers.
2023 Public Interest Week Program
Public Interest Week is a signature example of Penn Carey Law’s ethos of service and commitment to integrating legal education with impactful work in the public interest.
“Our student group and pro bono project leaders work tirelessly to cultivate meaningful programs that highlight various causes and communities,” Sutcliffe said. “From preparing activity packets for incarcerated individuals to learning about the impact of the Solicitor General to being inspired by the remarkable human rights work of this year’s Honorary Fellow, it’s sure to be a wonderful week.”
Monday, October 23
- Lawyering with Love: Supporting Folks Inside the Carceral System | The Clock, 12:00 – 1:15 p.m.
- Organizers: Criminal Records Expungement Project (C-REP), Decarceration Advocacy Project (DAP), and Pardon Project
- Participants will create care packets for the 300+ people incarcerated in a women’s facility in Philadelphia.
- “Shaken” Film Screening | Fitts Auditorium, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
- Directed by Toll Scholar alumnus, Asher Levinthal L’13, Shaken is a gripping account of a family’s decades-long battle to stay together after a flawed medical diagnosis and subsequent death of a child. A discussion with Levinthal will follow the screening.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
- De-centering Lawyers: Practical Experiences with Organizing and Movement Lawyering | Gittis 213, 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. (CLE credit available)
- Organizers: If/When/How, Law Students for a Democratic Society (LSDS), National Lawyers Guild (NLG), Student Public Interest Network (SPIN)
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
- Let’s Talk About Race: A Conversation with Race Conscious Advocates in the Youth Criminal Legal System | Gittis 214, 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. (CLE credit available)
- Organizers: Youth Advocacy Project (YAP)
- Fighting Exploitative Development: Community Struggles in Philadelphia and the Role of Movement Lawyering | Fitts Auditorium, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. (CLE credit available)
Thursday, November 2, 2023
- The Importance of the US Solicitor General for the Public Interest | Gittis 213, 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. (CLE credit available)
- Organizers: Federalist Society
Friday, November 3, 2023
- Student meetings with Honorary Fellow Agnieszka Fryszman | 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Landing Your Dream 1L Public Sector Job | Silverman 240B, 12:00 – 1:15 p.m.
- Organizers: Office of Career Strategy and TPIC
- Democracy Redefined: Examining Our Institutions Through the Lens of Education, Labor, and Inclusivity | Silverman 240B, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. (CLE credit available)
- Organizers: Democracy Law Project
- Career Chats with Public Interest Alumni | 3:30 – 5:15 p.m.
Public Interest Student & Alumni Dinner & Reception | Friday, November 3
A wonderful culmination of Public Interest Week, this event connects the Penn Carey Law community across generations, emphasizes the importance of service within the legal profession, and celebrates the tremendous contributions of Penn Carey Law students and alumni working in the public interest space.
This year’s event features keynote remarks by Honorary Fellow Agnieszka Fryszman.
- Reception: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- Dinner: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
- Location: Inn at Penn