ABA president leads pro bono work at the border
A system based on due process should offer immigrants no less, argues the ABA’s Judy Perry Martinez.
Category: Pro Bono
My week representing detained immigrants
Six minutes and 13 seconds are now seared into the memory of a student whose experience has been forever changed by pro bono work.
How your peers are helping disaster survivors
With drive and commitment, you can make a difference after floods, fires, tornadoes, and other disasters.
I know what you did last summer (in pro bono work)
Students tell their pro bono stories and offer their advice on how you can begin making your own legal impact.
The flip side of doing good
No one says that doing good for others can’t also mean doing something good for yourself.
When 'world changing' isn’t hyperbole
When you give to others, you can change their world—and sometimes your own in the process.
CASA: The benefits of volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in law school
I started law school in one of the most difficult ways I could have ever imagined starting law school. Six days before 1L orientation, I suffered a trimalleolar fracture of my ankle—basically, it was broken in three places—which required surgery for two plates and nine screws. That’s how
Musings from an incubator director: Do legal incubators really work?
Legal incubators have been around over a decade. Fred Rooney, at that time, had a vision of creating a program that would support new lawyers interested in launching their own sustainable
Equal justice advances in pro bono efforts across the nation
“Lawyers have a license to practice law, a monopoly on certain services. But for that privilege and status, lawyers have an obligation to provide legal services to those without the wherewithal to pay, to respond to needs outside themselves, to help repair tears in their communities.” —U.S.
Law students speak: Why I do public interest work
Nine students who’ve devoted part of their law school career to public interest opportunities explain why they chose the path they’ve taken, along with the most satisfying—and most challenging—aspects of their efforts.
One by one, students achieve justice for all
Justice means different things to different people. And students nationwide are reshaping what it means for those who need it most.
Eye on the storms: How the ABA focuses on Disaster Legal Services
This year, the ABA’s 10th annual Pro Bono Week focuses on disaster resiliency. In an effort to bring more awareness to the Disaster Legal Services program, we talked with Andrew VanSingel, a tax attorney, who volunteers his time as a Special Advisor to the Disaster Legal Services (DLS) team. Prior to his time as Special Advisor, Mr. VanSingel served as the program’s coordinator.
As immigrant families face separation, law students can provide volunteer help
The American Bar Association is urging action on the separation of children from their parents when arriving at the southern border. And if you're a law student, several organizations are asking for your help.
Special advocates: Law students making a difference in children's lives
For abused and neglected children in transition, sometimes their strongest advocate isn’t a lawyer. Sometimes it’s a law student willing to spend time with them and listen to their needs. Each year, students at the University of Virginia School of Law do pro bono work with Piedmont Court Appointed Special Advocates.
Opportunities abound: Embrace non-traditional pro bono
When you hear the phrase “pro bono,” what comes to mind? Work you want to do, but just don’t have time for because of your other commitments or because you want some time free from “thinking like a lawyer?” Don’t let your pro bono efforts stall just because you can’t
The Patently Impossible Project and the importance of pro bono service
Our communities as a whole are substantially improved when we provide representation and voices to our underserved segments of society, particularly non-profit organizations. With respect to intellectual property law, I think it is important to foster entrepreneurship and invention through pro bono work.
Students, you could work with NOVA to aid veterans
The National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates (NOVA) is a not-for-profit educational membership organization incorporated in the District of Columbia in 1993. NOVA represents more than 500 attorneys and agents assisting tens of thousands of our nation's military veterans, their widows, and their families seeking to obtain their earned
Earning your wings through veteran pro bono
Felix Smith came into the Veteran’s Service Office location of the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinics (MVLC) in Milwaukee, Wis., to receive legal advice regarding a contract he signed for improvements in his home. Smith was able to attend the Veteran’s Service Office location because of his service as a pilot in World
The complete and complex picture of a veterans clinic client
On Sept. 9, my clinic partner and I volunteered to conduct intake for veterans at the Ann Arbor VA hospital. It was the first time the Veterans Legal Clinic at Michigan Law was doing something of this sort, so we really did not know what to expect. Nonetheless,
How - and why - a law school veterans clinic works
At the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, student advisors are developing practical legal skills through a live-client clinic providing pro bono legal services to veterans, servicemembers, and their families. The Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (M-VETS) represents clients in both civil matters,
Serving military families is a challenge and an opportunity
When I graduated from law school and moved with my family to another state, I had very little hope of finding a community that could relate to both the challenges of military life and the demands new attorneys face. Needless to say, I was overjoyed to discover that the newly
Diversifying through pro bono work
The American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct state that “every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay” and suggest that lawyers should aspire to perform at least (50) hours of pro bono services per year. Therefore, most law schools encourage their
Pro Bono: Public interest, self interest
In 2012, the New York Court of Appeals adopted the "Pro Bono Rule," requiring those who seek admission to the state bar to complete 50 hours of pro bono service. A few years into this new rule, opinions vary on whether it's is a good thing. Law students are exceptionally
Mandatory Pro Bono: Is It Right for Law Students?
Recently, New York became the first state to mandate completion of pro bono work as a condition for bar admission. Under the new rule, New York bar applicants must perform 50 hours of pro bono work before they can be admitted to practice. Applicants can perform their pro bono service
