A Leap of Faith
For Laura Pennelle '06, a career in public interest law was a natural fit for her core values and beliefs. "I always had a passion for the helping profession," she says. "It’s something I felt deep down that I wanted since I was 18."
A native New Yorker, Pennelle worked as a domestic violence social worker during college. She came to California Western to pursue a joint degree in law and social work, but decided that focusing on a law degree would better allow her to meet her career goals. After internships working in the juvenile court system and district attorney's offices in San Diego and New York, Pennelle was convinced that she wanted to work directly with underserved clients in the public sector.
During her third year, she saw an ad for a staff attorney job with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, a public interest law firm whose mission is to involve the private bar in the delivery of free legal services in civil matters to indigent individuals, families, and groups. It looked like the perfect job for Pennelle - working with families and children on issues ranging from foster care to special education needs. But the financial reality of working in the public sector weighed on her.
"The starting salary was very low - that was something I couldn't comprehend. I thought 'this is my dream job so I'm going to take it,'" Pennelle says.
It was a leap of faith combined with assistance from the Baker Fellowship. Pennelle heard about the program while still in law school and knew she met the guidelines. "The loan repayment assistance program was one of the primary reasons I accepted the job. I figured with the help of the program, I could make it. I know it's going to be a struggle, but that's okay with me."
The powerful and enduring experiences of working with her clients far outweigh the financial struggles of the public sector for Pennelle. In her role, she is dealing with indigent clients on the front lines with gut-wrenching issues - whether it's special needs children who require advocates to help them get the arrangements they need at school or parents who are battling to keep custody of their kids. At the same time, Pennelle works to recruit volunteer lawyers to represent clients and she educates social workers and foster parent associations about legal issues surrounding foster care and special education. She also continues to stay involved at California Western, where she serves as an adjunct professor for advanced legal analysis and bar preparation, and talks with students about the rewards of work in public interest law.
"Every day I am talking to or encouraging someone who has faced very adverse issues - mothers who are having their children taken away, people with mental health issues - I'm having an immediate, tangible impact on their lives," she says.
"I would love to be able to change policies and change the world, but I can't right now. I love being in a position where I encourage and teach others to deal with these issues that I deal with every day."