Celebrate Pro Bono Week

Presented by the ABA’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono & Public Service and the Center for Pro Bono, the Celebration focuses on the nation’s increased need for pro bono services and equal access to justice. In addition to a number of local events scheduled this month featuring pro bono trainings and activities with area organizations, there are also upcoming student-sponsored programs highlighting pro bono and public service work. On Thursday, October 25th, 4:30pm - 6:00pm the Women's Law Caucus and the Career Services Office are co-sponsoring a speed networking night featuring work in domestic violence advocacy. The event will feature practitioners from domestic violence advocacy organizations as well as attorneys who have incorporated pro bono domestic violence work into their private practice. And on Monday, October 29th, 4:30pm - 6:30pm the Public Interest Law Association is presenting a panel on public interest sector careers featuring representatives from Greater Boston Legal Services, the Legal Advocacy and Resource Center, the National Consumer Law Center, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

New England Law | Boston provides opportunities for students to participate in public service and pro bono activities throughout the school year. The Center for Law and Social Responsibility (CLSR) sponsors  pro bono and  public service activities through which faculty, students  and alumni support socially responsible goals. Center projects include work in criminal justice, immigration law, environmental advocacy, and women's and children's rights.  To stay up to date on the CLSR’s activities and other public interest programs, visit their homepage to view their calendar of upcoming events.

Students whose public service legal work is unpaid and without credit may be eligible to obtain transcript recognition  through the Public Service Transcript Notation Program, approved by the Public Service Project at the Center for Law and Social Responsibility. The approved work is legal work that meets the definition of MA Rule 6.1 (Voluntary Pro Bono Publico Service). Once students complete 25 hours of the approved work, they may submit a hard copy of the completed verification form to Professor Engler in the Clinic Office.

For more information on how to get involved, our Pro Bono Guide provides information on pro bono opportunities at New England Law | Boston as well as a list of public interest organizations in Massachusetts. Students are encouraged to pursue pro bono work as a way to obtain academic credit and gain real world experience while also making a positive contribution to the community at large. 

New Pro Bono Mandate for the New York Bar

A recent New York Law Journal article provided details on the new 50-hour pro bono requirement for applicants to the New York bar. Beginning January 1, 2015 every applicant to the New York state bar will be required to fulfill this mandate. If you are a current first- or second-year law student planning to take the New York bar upon graduation, you have up to 34 months to complete qualifying pro bono work. Current third-year students are exempt. 

What is qualifying pro bono work? Law-related work for persons of limited means, non-profit organizations, and public service in the judiciary and state and local government would meet the New York bar pro bono rule. The work must be supervised by an attorney in good standing, judge, or law school faculty member. Participation in a law school clinic or work performed for recognition in the school's Public Service Transcript Notation Program would also qualify. The work may be completed anywhere in the country or abroad.

Upon completion of the pro bono work, applicants will need to complete the Form Affidavit of Compliance available on the New York State Court's website. All pro bono work must be completed before submitting an application for bar admission. 

More complete information, including answers to frequently asked questions, is available on the New York State Court's website. Applicants with further questions on the new requirement should contact ProBonoRule@nycourts.gov or call 1-855-227-5482.

For more information on pro bono opportunities available at New England Law | Boston, read our Pro Bono and Volunteer Opportunities Guide which provides information on pro bono opportunities at the school and includes a directory of public interest organizations in Massachusetts. Additional directories for public interest organizations in the New England area as well as in California, New Jersey, and New York are available in the handouts section of Symplicity.