November 29, 2010 Dean David M. Schizer Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law Columbia Law School 435 West 116th Street New York NY 10027 Dear Dean Schizer: We, the undersigned members of the Columbia Law School community, write to express our disappointment over what we see as a growing lack of institutional support from the law school for students interested in public interest. As you know, the strength and scope of public interest programming at the law school affects all of us. Every student at the law school seeks assistance from SJI at some point, whether it is for 1L summer employment or tracking their pro bono hours. For those students who plan on moving from private to public sector employment later in their careers, public interest internships and pro bono work facilitated by SJI are essential for building a profile highlighting a dedication to the public interest. Finally, SJI is one of the few institutional resources available to support those students, both JDs and LLMs, who came to this school specifically for its reputation as a powerhouse for human rights and civil rights and hope to pursue public interest employment immediately upon graduation. We look forward to beginning a dialogue with you to address our concerns about the scope and nature of the law school’s support for public interest during our meeting next week. Best,