# What It’s Like to Be a Social Justice Lawyer | Career Crush

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/harvard-business-review-7777387/what-it-s-like-to-be-a-social-justice-lawyer-career-crush
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/harvard-business-review-7777387/what-it-s-like-to-be-a-social-justice-lawyer-career-crush.md
Podcast: [Harvard Business Review](https://stenobird.com/podcast/harvard-business-review-7777387)
Published: 2026-06-27T12:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/VG2680336658.mp3
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/VG2680336658.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/harvard-business-review-7777387/episodes/what-it-s-like-to-be-a-social-justice-lawyer-career-crush
Duration seconds: 961

## Resource

What It’s Like to Be a Social Justice Lawyer | Career Crush 5 Aug 2021 --- 𝙎𝙪𝙗𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝘼𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮! ✨ https://www.youtube.com/c/HBRAscend ✨ Subscribe to our Ascend newsletter! https://hbr.org/email-newsletters?movetile_hbpascendnl&hideIntromercial=true Read the full interview here: https://hbr.org/2021/08/career-crush-social-justice-lawyer I can attend protests and sign petitions all day long, but in the end, it’s the attorneys working in public interest law that will help turn the changes I want to see into realities. 00:00 I want to be a social justice lawyer! 00:37 Meet Jessica Lewis 01:19 What does being a "social justice warrior" mean to you? 02:09 How do you find a balance between fighting for change and making a living? 03:14 What is "big law?" 04:59 What were the constitutional changes you wanted to have an impact on? 06:52 Obstacles of the industry 09:51 Let's talk money. Jessica Lewis is a Staff Attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. She sat down with Ascend editor Kelsey Alpaio to share the details of her career — from interning at the White House, to attending Harvard Law School, to working at the Southern Poverty Law Center, to becoming an attorney at the ACLU. She also discusses the pay discrepancy between “big law” and public interest law, the pros and cons of following your passion, and what it really takes to change the world. Produced by Andy Robinson, Kelsey Alpaio, and Eliza Laycock Video by Andy Robinson, Kelsey Alpaio, and Eliza Laycock Assistant editing by Eliza Laycock Animation and Design by Riko Cribbs and Karen Player Follow us: https://hbr.org/ascend https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/hbr... https://www.facebook.com/hbrascend/ https://twitter.com/HBRAscend https://www.instagram.com/hbrascend/ Learn more about…

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