Office of Public Interest Counseling
Nurturing a lasting commitment to public service.
UCLA Law, one of the nation’s premier public law schools, has a proud tradition of public service. Through our rich and innovative academic and pro bono programs, our vibrant public interest community of faculty, administrators, students and alumni, our intellectual and programmatic ties to one of the foremost universities in the country, and our location in one of the most diverse and exciting cities in the world, we are committed to preparing the public interest lawyers and advocates of the future and nurturing in all of our students a public service ethic.
The Office of Public Interest Counseling offers career counseling and academic advising to students considering public interest careers. OPIC is available to work with any student or alum at UCLA Law, whether they are focusing on summer or other short-term opportunities or seeking advice on developing a long-term public interest careers. OPIC’s public interest career counselors have decades of experience in a wide range of public interest practice areas.
As part of UCLA Law’s Public Interest Law and Policy Programs, OPIC works closely with the Epstein Specialization Program in Public Interest Law and Policy to provide support to Epstein students and with the Judge Rand Schrader Pro Bono Program to foster a pro bono and public service ethos throughout UCLA Law’s community. OPIC also coordinates closely with the Office of Career Services, working together to support students and alumni in the many paths their careers may take.
OPIC activities include:
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Providing public interest career counseling, including support for resumes, cover letters, and other application materials, for students interested in public interest internships and/or postgraduate public interest employment;
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Providing academic advising for students interested in public interest careers;
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Hosting and sponsoring public interest career-related events and educational programs, including the Annual Southern California Public Interest/Public Sector Career Day in collaboration with a consortium of southern California law schools.
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Administering the Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program and sharing other resources on public interest financial support;
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Providing support for students applying to external post-grad fellowships, such as Skadden and Equal Justice Works;
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Administering UCLA Law’s post-grad fellowship program, in collaboration with partner organizations and UCLA Law’s centers and institutes;
Professional Staff
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Robert Bradley Sears
Associate Dean of Public Interest Law
Rand Schrader Distinguished Scholar of Law & Policy, The Williams Institute
Founding Executive Director, The Williams InstituteBrad Sears was appointed the Associate Dean of Public Interest Law at UCLA School of Law in the summer of 2017. Directly prior to this appointment, Brad served as the Founding Director of the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy for the past 16 years and as the assistant dean and then associate dean of academic programs and enters act UCLA Law for the past six years. In his current role, Brad provides strategic leadership for UCLA Law’s public interest programs in order to support students pursuing public interest careers; promote a broader public service ethic throughout the law school and its alumni; facilitate students and alumni in advancing justice and being of service to the Los Angeles and broader communities; and continue to enhance UCLA Law’s national reputation as a leader in public interest practice. Brad earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
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Andrew Whitcup
Assistant Director of the Office of Public Interest Programs
Andrew Whitcup provides career and academic guidance to UCLA Law students and alumni pursuing public interest opportunities and help with coordinating OPIP’s programs, including post-graduate fellowships, public interest career day, and the public interest and government career fairs. Since receiving his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, Drew represented clients from arraignment to trial in Manhattan and the Bronx with The Legal Aid Society of New York and has been a Lecturer in Law here at UCLA Law since 2018. As Lecturer in Law, Drew taught the public interest section of Legal Research and Writing and has collaborated with experiential faculty, assisting with both Pretrial Civil Litigation and Pay or Stay: An Exploration of the Bail System in America. Throughout his career, Drew has made it a priority to support new and future public interest lawyers and advocates, supervising and mentoring law student interns and newly hired public defenders. He has strong connections with public interest organizations and practitioners nationwide.
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Jamie Libonate
Manager of Operations and Events
Jamie joined the Office of Public Interest Programs and David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy in August 2018 and has been with the UCLA School of Law since August 2016. In their current role, Jamie supports our mission of nurturing a public service ethic in our community through managing various events, initiatives, and programs. Jamie started their career with the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania after receiving their B.A. in Criminal Justice with minors in Spanish and Forensic Studies from LaSalle University in Philadelphia.
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Katerin Rosales
Program Coordinator
Katerin Rosales is Program Coordinator of the Office of Public Interest Programs and David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy. She is a 2021 UCLA graduate who received her B. A. in Psychology and Chicano/a Studies and Central American Studies. She has background working at UCLA and volunteering with various public interest organization. Previously, she was Project Manager for the UCLA Social Psychology Culture and Contact Lab. During her time as an undergraduate, she also served as an interpreter for the UCLA Law Immigrant Family Legal Clinic.