Addie Nicholas ’25

Spotlight on a new Northeastern Organization: National Plaintiffs’ Law Association

Addie Nicholas  - March 15, 2024

I interviewed Annie Clarke ’25, one of the founders of the National Plaintiffs’ Law Association (PLA) at Northeastern Law, to hear about how she started this organization last summer and her plans for expanding its goals.

A little bit about Annie and PLA:
“Annie is interested in class action employment law. At Northeastern, she is an associate editor for the Northeastern University Law Review, a member of the Robert F. Wagner Labor and Employment moot court team, part of the Employment and Labor Law Association, and has worked as a lawyering fellow for the Legal Skills in Social Context program and as a research assistant. She and fellow colleagues began PLA at Northeastern in the summer of 2023. As an active member of the Northeastern campus, she is excited to expand opportunities for students who are interested in plaintiffs’ side law, particularly in the private sector.

What is NUSL PLA?
“NUSL PLA is a professional organization recognized by the Northeastern Law Student Bar Association and a chapter of the National Plaintiffs’ Law Association (NPLA), a growing network of law students and graduates working to provide support to students interested in becoming plaintiff-side attorneys. The organization has a specific focus on building connections with private firms and advocating for justice, aiming to hold powerful companies accountable for their actions.”

How has PLA been growing at other law schools?
“Over the last few years, there has been a growing movement of law students seeking private sector alternatives to defense-oriented work. While there are plenty of private-sector firms doing incredible work for victims of injustice, those firms tend to lack the resources to participate in the OCI [On-Campus Interviews] process, hold networking events and generally educate students about the career opportunities available to them. PLA creates an opportunity for mentorship and networking for students interested in working at a firm that focuses on representing the plaintiff. In the past five years, individual PLAs at law schools have aimed to change students’ perception of plaintiffs’ lawyers and create new career opportunities. Now, there are dozens of PLAs gaining recognition across the country. New PLAs have become popular in Boston, following the first PLA at Harvard Law School; they are now on almost every law school campus in the area.”

Why did you start PLA at Northeastern?
“Northeastern is unique because so many of our students are committed to public service. Many students enroll here every year with the hope of having a positive impact on the world and using their degree to shape the law, challenge the status quo and help individuals who have been harmed find justice. Coming into law school, I knew I wanted to serve the public interest. However, having worked in both firms and legal services before law school, I knew I wanted a public interest career at a private sector firm. Unfortunately, I found there was very little information available about this area of law. While seeking guidance on public interest work, most resources emphasized nonprofit and governmental roles. Conversely, information sessions on private sector careers emphasized building careers in big law and other defense-focused firms, leaving little insight into where these sectors overlapped. After discussing my concerns with fellow students, I discovered that many of them were facing the same issue: students interested in plaintiff-side civil litigation were missing out on critical information. Now, we are working with the co-op and career development office to expand opportunities for this area of work and begin networking with other PLAs in the Boston area. Our chapter of PLA’s objective is to first ensure that Northeastern students are informed about the opportunities within plaintiff-side firms, and second, to equip them with the tools they need to succeed in those careers.”

What do the events look like for PLA?
“Founded at the end of the summer of 2023, our PLA has already made great strides in achieving our mission. In our first semester as a recognized organization by the SBA, Northeastern Law PLA invited its members to attend a virtual job fair held by the National Plaintiffs’ Law Association, hosted a Labor and Employment Law Career Panel in partnership with the Northeastern Employment and Labor Law Association and established significant connections with schools, professional organizations and law firms in the region. In the spring, we held our first annual Plaintiffs’ Law 101: Public Interest in the Private Sector Career Panel. Here, a panel of four attorneys from various areas of practice spoke about how they’ve made an impact and provided information to students about the career opportunities available to them. We are currently working to organize plaintiff-side guest advisor sessions and set up firm meet-and-greets for students to gain mentorship. Additionally, the Northeastern Plaintiffs’ Law Association is planning large-scale networking events with other Plaintiffs’ Law Associations in the Boston region. We have found that holding large-scale networking events is more efficient, allowing firms and students to cast a wider networking net.”

How can students, faculty and prospective students be involved?
Get involved by joining the PLA mailing list and Discord! For more information and questions, email nuslpla@northeastern.edu.