[In-Depth Look] Beyond Public Interest Lawyers: Public Interest Legal Activities for All of Us

"Wouldn't supporting living expenses be more helpful to the children than providing legal assistance?" This was the first question when I stood before corporate social responsibility judges to seek sponsorship for a project supporting children of incarcerated parents.

In 2019, the first survey on public interest lawyers saw participation from 75 out of 118 current and former public interest lawyers. The survey defines public interest lawyers as "lawyers who work full-time in nonprofit public interest human rights activities." The results showed that 70% of respondents were in their 30s, and 58% had less than five years of legal experience. Most became public interest lawyers because they "wanted to do meaningful work," but the main reason for quitting was "unsustainable salaries." Due to financial shortages, the most common response was that only one lawyer worked alone in the organization. The annual budget size of organizations was mostly between 500 million and 1 billion KRW; these were public interest organizations established mainly by lawyers or supported by law firms, while activist-centered public interest organizations mostly had budgets under 100 million KRW. Fifty-four percent answered that "sustainable financial independence of the organization is impossible." Excluding lawyers working based on law firms, 46% earned between 2 million and 3 million KRW monthly.

Regarding improvements needed to activate public interest lawyers in the future, the most frequent opinions were sustainable fundraising, raising awareness and expanding donations for public interest legal activities, and institutional improvements to support public interest lawyers and organizations. The most challenging aspect of being a public interest lawyer was "having to strengthen professional skills alone." There was also a significant regional disparity in public interest lawyer activities. In the survey, public interest lawyers voiced the need for "funding" and "people to work with" for sustainable activities. Despite difficult circumstances, the driving forces to continue activities are often "work" and "people." It is rewarding to see how my work changes the daily lives of those I meet and contributes to changing society.

There is a need for civil society's empathy toward activities defending the rights of social minorities. Rights advocacy goes beyond individual problems to activities that change society. It involves analyzing the positions, power, and relationships of various stakeholders, creating cracks in that power, and ultimately leading to a shift in power. Beyond providing living expenses and scholarships to children of incarcerated parents, it involves establishing legal grounds connecting the criminal justice system and child protection system to ensure no child of an incarcerated parent is left alone. When society erupts in outrage over child abuse death cases, it is about questioning why such abuse occurred and reviewing and improving systems to prevent further child deaths from abuse.

Changing society cannot be achieved by public interest lawyers alone. It requires the courage to reveal personal hardships to society, the heart to look together for those more marginalized, and a community that does not lose sight of those struggling. Many organizations and activists stand by and unite with affected individuals on the front lines. Although the ultimate subject of human rights advocacy is the state, only when all members assist and monitor the state to fulfill its role can we move toward a society that leaves no one behind. Public interest legal activities serve as a meaningful bridge and support connecting the process and outcomes. It is work for all of us.

Kang Jeong-eun, Lawyer at the nonprofit organization Duru