Pro Bono Guidelines

Pro Bono Program Mission Statement

The Pro Bono Program seeks to develop students’ commitments to pro bono service and expose students to public sector careers. Performing pro bono service is also a means for students to gain practical legal experience and build professional networks. The CSO encourages students to perform their Pro Bono Program service hours at organizations that fit their individual interests and career goals.

Pro Bono Program Graduation Requirement

The Pro Bono Program requires all students to complete at least 30 hours of pro bono service in order to graduate. Students must obtain approval of their Pro Bono Program placements from Leslie Becker Wilson, the Director of the Career Services Office, prior to starting to earn their service hours. Once their Pro Bono Program service hours are completed, students must submit a completed ‘Pledge and Hour Log Form’ to the Career Services Office for their hours to be verified. Students must perform 30 hours of pro bono service no later than (i) August 15 of the year prior to graduation if you are graduating in January; (ii) January 15 of the year of graduation if you are graduating in May; and (iii) May 15 of the year of graduation if you are graduating in August.

Pro Bono Program Placement Criteria

A placement will satisfy the Pro Bono Program if it meets the following four criteria:

1. The student will be performing legal or law-related work;
2. The student’s work will be performed under the supervision of a licensed attorney;
3. The supervising attorney performing the work is employed by the government, a nonprofit, or as private practitioner rendering legal services on a pro bono basis for which payment is neither sought nor expected; and
4. The student will not receive payment or academic credit for the work performed.

Note: Students may accrue their 30 hours over a period of months and from different organizations if they choose.

Pro Bono Program Resources to Find Placements

• This is the professional networking site favored by the legal industry; once you have a complete profile on this platform begin to search for opportunities by typing “Legal Intern” into the search bar and once the results appear clicking “All Filters” and selecting ‘Volunteer’ under “Job Type”; limit results by entering a location in the second search bar

• Online resource for individuals who seek volunteer opportunities that that fit their interests and schedules while meeting the legal needs of vulnerable people in Massachusetts; on the home screen click on the "Law Students" tile, after which you can also filter the opportunities by county, area of law and the population you would be serving

• Online common portal to which state courts post internship, externship and judicial clerkship opportunities and through which students can apply to such opportunities after creating a free account; on the home screen under “Opportunity Type” select ‘Externship’ and also ‘Internship’ and if need be narrow the results by using the “State” dropdown menu

• Connects individuals across the equal justice community by posting positions in civil legal aid services, defender organizations, pro bono and public interest organizations, public interest law firms, and academia; search keyword ‘Intern’

• National online resource which allows law students to choose a state and then narrow the search results by clicking on “Additional Filters” and then under “Opportunities For” by selecting ‘Law Students’; other filters enable you to also narrow the search results by county, area of law, and the population with whom you would be working

• Online clearinghouse for law students to find and apply to public service job opportunities after creating a free account using (only) their UMass email address; once you have registered start searching on the home screen by clicking the “Seach Jobs” tab along the top and then on the righthand navigation bar click “Refine Search”, go to “Job Qualities”, and under “Experience Level” select either ‘Student’, under “Job Type” select 'Student Position’ under “Job Schedule” select either the summer or academic year option under ‘Student Jobs’, under “Salary Level” select ‘Unpaid/Pro Bono’, and then click the blue search button; narrow results using other filters

• Compiles publicly available information about opportunities in federal, state and local government for students into one centralized platform that can be navigated using filters; on the home screen under “Applicant” select ‘Law Student’, under “Opportunity” select either ‘Internship’ or ‘Volunteer Opportunity’, under “Compensation select ‘Unpaid’, and narrow the results by using other filters including level of government, location, program season, program duration, and others

• Places Rhode Island resident law students with GPAs of 2.5 and above in executive, judicial and legislative branches of the Rhode Island state government as well as in state departments of government, municipal agencies and community and non-profit organizations during the fall, spring and summer semesters; applications are accepted throughout the year and interviews are completed on a rolling basis but early submission of applications provides candidates greater placement selection

• After creating a free account, users of this official, centralized job board of the US federal government can find and apply to public service job opportunities; search keywords ‘Law’ and ‘Legal’

• Listing of volunteer legal internship positions that can be filtered by state, practice area, hiring unit and job title; throughout the year 1,800+ volunteer legal interns serve in the US DOJ across the country and each participating office has its own deadlines/requirements and independently conducts its legal intern program

Pro Bono Program Hours Beyond the 30 Required

The law school recognizes students who perform pro bono service that significantly exceeds the required 30 hours by giving the following awards at graduation: the “Servant of Justice Award” for performing 100 hours, and the “Leader for Justice Award” for performing 200 or more hours.