Pro Bono:
For the Public Good

Students are asked to commit to deliver 45 hours of pro bono services over the course of their three years at UC Hastings by signing the Pro Bono Pledge. The hours may be satisfied in a gradually increasing manner (10 hours in first year, 15 in 2nd and 20 in 3rd) or may be satisfied in a single year.  Those students meeting the 45 hour goal prior to graduation will be inducted into the Pro Bono Society and recognized in the graduation program.  This achievement will also be noted on the student’s transcript.

The legal needs of low-income Californians have increased in complexity as well as scope; the recent economic downturn has only served to magnify the impact of these unmet needs.  Legal services organizations, already unable to meet the demand for services, are more challenged than ever to protect the legal rights of the clients they serve.

In recognition of the overwhelming need for civil legal assistance in California, UC Hastings encourages and recognizes the efforts or our students who strive to meet this need.  For purposes of graduation recognition, UC Hastings defines pro bono as volunteer work in law-related services provided directly to or on behalf of under-represented individuals or communities.

Students providing pro bono legal services in a wide-variety of settings and contexts will be recognized for their efforts:

• Direct legal services – under the supervision of an attorney, students may provide direct legal services to an individual, may interview individuals seeking legal assistance, conduct factual investigation, legal research and writing, legislative analysis and policy interpretation, development of legal education materials and presentation of legal education workshops.
• Work with recognized student organizations – organizations like GAAP and VITA are student run and directed but are clearly law-related.  All work with organizations serving the under-represented count.
• Summer work – work performed in summer positions that are full-time for up to 10 weeks would not count.  Pro Bono work performed beyond the 10 week commitment may be counted.  However, summer pro bono hours may not satisfy more than half of the total hours requirement, i.e., no more than 22.5 hours of summer work may be used to satisfy the 45 hour requirement.
• Clinic work – general clinic work for which students’ receive credit does not count. Similar to summer work though, if a student’s involvement goes above and beyond the semester in which he/she received credit, and all requirements for the clinic have been fulfilled, subject to approval by the clinical faculty member supervising the student work, volunteer hours beyond the semester in which credit was received may be counted.
• Externship work – during the semester in which a student receives academic credit for work with a non-profit or governmental law office, time spent with this placement does not count as pro bono.  If a student continues to volunteer beyond the semester in which academic credit was received and the work meets the definition of pro bono for graduation recognition, these hours may be counted as pro bono.  If the work is law related but does not meet the definition of pro bono, these hours may be counted as public service hours.
• Public Service – law-related work in the public sector which does not otherwise meet the definition of pro bono may be counted up to 25% of the total hours requirement, i.e., no more than 11.25 hours of public service work may be used to satisfy the 45 hour requirement.
• Community Service – while not directly law-related, work with one of the enumerated student groups performed during the academic year may be counted up to 25% of the total hours requirement, i.e., no more than 11.25 hours of community service work may be used to satisfy the 45 hour requirement.

• Administrative work –  will only count if the administrative services are directly related to the provision of legal services.  Examples of what would not count are – making travel arrangements, fundraising, HPILF applications logistics, etc.  An example of what would count is the updating and preparation of training materials.
• Training time – individuals presenting the training may count these hours.  Individuals receiving the training in a group setting without the actual delivery of service may not count this time.  However, if the training is one on one in a shadowing type of role, these hours may be counted.

External verification of the pro bono work performed is required. Students may now enter their hours on Pro Bono Intranet site, which sends an email to the supervisor of the pro bono placement. The supervisor verifies the hours and the student’s pro bono record is updated. Students may view their pro bono record at any time on the intranet.

Students who have delivered 45 hours or more of pro bono services prior to graduation will be recognized in the graduation program and on their transcripts as members of the Pro Bono Society.  Students who have delivered 150 or more hours of pro bono services will be recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Pro Bono; this will be noted in the graduation program and on the students’ transcripts.

There are a lot of great pro bono placements for students to work with in the Bay Area. Consult the intranet for more information. If you are unsure if the work you are doing counts as pro bono, you may email the program assistant Jayme Jackson at jacksoja@uchastings.edu.

The New York State Court of Appeals adopted a new rule requiring applicants for admission to the New York State bar to perform 50 hours of pro bono services. This page lists the links you can use for further information. It is important to understand the requirements for the NY State Bar because they are slightly different than requirements for the UC Hastings Pro Bono Program. Consult the New York State Board of Law Examiners website for more information.