For Allen Saeks ’56, serving the public interest has been an important and meaningful part of a legal career that spans more than 60 years.

In 1971, Saeks helped found the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group, a student-driven organization dedicated to environmental issues, consumer protection, and social justice that has spread throughout Minnesota and across the nation. Saeks has also been very active with Equal Justice Works, a national organization that promotes public service in the legal community, and in the Fund for the Legal Aid Society, which supports legal aid programs in Hennepin County.

So it’s no surprise that Saeks, who spent most of his career at the Minneapolis firm Leonard, Street and Deinard (now known as Stinson) and now works as a sole practitioner, wanted to encourage today’s law students to consider a career in public interest.

“I saw that what students generally wanted was to get into a law firm and make a living,” Saeks says. “I thought, ‘Why wouldn’t it make sense to have some of those people deciding at the outset of their law school experience to do public interest work?’”

In 2016, he and his wife, Linda—who has also dedicated herself to serving the community, particularly in the area of child development and education—together set up an endowment at Minnesota Law to make that idea a reality. They established the Saeks Public Interest Residency, a program that allows students to apply through a competitive process to gain experience with a partnering public interest organization. Under the program, students intern for the regional organization during their 3L year and then, after graduation, are guaranteed a salaried job with that organization for one year.

“That way, when students graduate, they won’t just look for a job at a law firm,” Saeks says. “They have a job, and they have already had a year of experience with that organization.” 

When the one-year residency ends, each organization may choose whether to keep the student on as an employee. It’s similar to a medical residency—but the idea of a legal residency is novel among universities, and few other law schools have such a program. The majority of participants so far have stayed with their organizations or moved to another public interest organization, Saeks says.

For Abigail Hencheck ’19, who begins her residency this fall, the program provided an opportunity to line up meaningful work before leaving school. 

“I went to law school because I wanted a values-centered career where I could do work that I believe in,” she says.

Hencheck’s position is with Gender Justice, a nonprofit focused on creating gender equity through the law. Working with the organization afforded Hencheck ample experience, including drafting an appellate brief and then arguing the case in front of the appellate court.

“The level of responsibility I was given during my residency prepared me for my professional career,” she says. “At the same time, the staff was always available to answer questions, brainstorm arguments, or bounce ideas around. They were committed to making sure I was successful.”

Alexandra Holznecht ’17, who entered the Saeks program in its inaugural year, found that working with the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office in child protection provided exactly what she was looking for. 

“I knew from the beginning of law school that I wanted to work in the field of public interest,” she says. “I wanted to advocate for the people, whether that be representing the community as a whole, or individual clients.” 

Through the experience, Holznecht built connections, mentorships, and friendships that have supported her and helped her advance her career, first as a prosecutor in child protection and now as a public defense attorney in the field. Overall, the program helped her smoothly transition from law student to new lawyer.

“My very first years as an attorney were able to be dedicated to honing a practice that I’m passionate about,” she says. “The experience has given me choices that allow me to do work that I find challenging, important, and immensely rewarding.”

Much like Holznecht, Jiaqi Li, 3L, knew going into law school that he wanted to practice in the field of public interest. As he begins the internship portion of the program this fall with the Minnesota Board of Public Defense, he’s excited by the prospect of gaining experience helping in areas such as legal research and trial preparations, starting in the First District in Chaska and then in greater Minnesota for the second year.

“The program can help me learn the differences in local practices, but it is also a great opportunity to develop my network in the field,” Li says. “Hopefully, I can turn this two-year residency program into a permanent position as an assistant public defender doing the work that I am deeply passionate about.”

While it provides crucial experience to students, the Saeks Public Interest Residency program also benefits its partnering organizations. Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, a nonprofit firm that specializes in providing legal help to Minnesotans who have less access to the justice system or lower incomes, has participated in the residency program since its inception, bringing students aboard to work on its tenant rights and immigration practices.

In general, organizations like MMLA have to turn away many people they were designed to serve simply because there are not enough resources to meet the need, says Greg Marita ’91, the organization’s deputy director. The Saeks residency has helped MMLA in its mission to reach more of these people.

“The residency program is an innovative partnership that helps us leverage the resources that we do have available,” says Marita, who is a member of the Law School Board of Advisors. “Our attorneys are able to train and mentor the fellows throughout their third year of law school, and very quickly the fellows are helping us serve people we might otherwise have had to turn away.”

Kevin Coss is a freelance writer based in Minneapolis.