They are the butt of every rude joke and are often dubbed as Shylock's kin! 

But times have changed.

Now, "Lawyers have to learn to lawyer in context, dealing with real problems as they occur — not just hypotheticals in a classroom," said UC Hastings College of the Law’s Civil Justice Clinic director Mark Aaronson.

Humane programs in law schools, such as social advocacy and public interest law, are slowly changing the public’s opinion of lawyers and the law. These programs, which gained popularity in the seventies, still encourage students to adopt the gavel to hammer out social injustices rather than amassing their personal wealth.

Currently, law schools like Golden Gate University and the UC Hastings College of the Law offer more to their wannabe lawyers. Golden Gate offers students a certification in public interest law and also provides incentives for the ones interested in serving local communities. The Civil Justice Clinic at UC Hastings encourages students to “add an activist bent to their education.” Most other Bay area schools, including UC Berkeley's School of Law and University of San Francisco, offer public interest law-related courses.

However, it’s not just fun. These clinical studies mean business. Aaronson noted that benefits that clinical courses have in the social interest sector, especially regarding employment, housing, and disability benefits. Under the supervision of professional experts, clinical courses teach students to be more than law-abiding lawyers; these courses encourage students to use law to promote social justice.

Some students join a big law firm or the government. Some students with a strong sense of social responsibility will opt for positions in nonprofit organizations. Because nonprofit organizations pay considerably less, the vast majority of students take a totally different path. Those who go nonprofit are a rare breed who dares to think out of the box.

Lawyers working in the nonprofit sector raise awareness. A Golden Gate alumnus Paul Hogarth, manager of BeyondChron.com, offers free legal services and information about Ellis Act and tenant housing rights. There are many more like Hogarth, and their numbers are increasing!

And, yes, they manage to repay their share of educational debts, too.