The Public Legal Services Society (PLSS) at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law invites the university community to the organization’s annual Spring Celebration Event on Saturday, March 14 from 5:00-9:00 p.m. Additionally, the event will feature Choir! Choir! Choir!, an interactive music group that will give attendees the opportunity to perform together. 

Founded in 1990 at McGeorge, the mission of PLSS is to advocate for social justice by supporting students and recent graduates pursuing careers that serve the public interest. Most public interest internships are unpaid; PLSS provides grants to help students defray living expenses while they volunteer as summer interns.

PLSS depends on the support of alumni and community members to fund the summer grants. All proceeds from the Spring Celebration Event will go to funding the public interest work of students. To qualify for the Summer Grant Program, students must fulfill a minimum of 15 hours of community service throughout the school year at various community organizations.  

Cortney Kesterson - California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

Cortney Kesterson '26, Executive Treasurer of PLSS, joined PLSS during her first year of law school while looking for an organization that aligned with her values.

“I joined PLSS because, as a first year, I was looking for a student organization that reflected kind of my personal values and goals with my time here in law school,” Kesterson said. “McGeorge is obviously really close to the State Capital, so we have a really big tradition here of creating lawyers and attorneys that go into government agencies and public interest or nonprofit associations.”

During the summer of 2025, Kesterson interned at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. She applied for and received a PLSS Summer Grant to support her unpaid internship.

“In summer 2025, I interned at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection,” Kesterson said. “I applied for the PLSS Summer Grant and was awarded the grant for my upcoming internship.”

The Summer Grant Program helped Kesterson manage expenses during the 10-week internship and focus on the work.

“The summer grant was helpful because it was a 10-week internship, so it just helped cover different costs, like bills during the summer,” Kesterson said. “It was nice to be able to focus on the internship.” 

Mika Carl – Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Toxic Substances Control

Mika Carl ‘27 joined PLSS and worked in environmental law at the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Legal Counsel for the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). The internship allowed Carl to gain hands-on experience in public interest environmental work.

The PLSS Summer Grant Program made it possible for Carl to accept an unpaid internship without financial strain.

“The summer grant allowed me to accept a position at an unpaid internship that I was genuinely interested in without finances holding me back in any major way,” Carl said. “It helped me feel like I wasn’t hemorrhaging money over the course of the summer, so I could focus on doing work I was passionate about at DTSC without being distracted by financial stress.” 

Elynnor Trail - Franchise Tax Board

Elynnor Trail ’26 joined PLSS after learning about the Summer Grant Program and its support for students pursuing unpaid public service and government internships.

“I joined initially because of the grant program,” Trail said. “I knew that they had an opportunity to receive a grant if you’re involved in state government or some kind of employment where you’re not going to get paid.”

Last summer, Trail interned at the Franchise Tax Board, California’s state tax agency. The experience allowed Trail to explore an interest in tax law while gaining practical government experience.

“I do want to go into tax, and it was a good way for me to test the waters and see if it’s something that I liked,” Trail said.

The PLSS Summer Grant Program helped Trail cover essential living expenses and made the unpaid internship possible.

“The grant was really helpful because I knew I wasn’t going to have money coming in over the summer,” Trail said. “It made it easier to budget and focus on an internship that was really interesting, even if it wasn’t as financially rewarding as other options.”