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SKILL SHARPENER
Harvard Law School Class of 2005 First to See Pro Bono Requirement [by Erica Winter] At Harvard Law School in Cambridge, MA, working to serve the community and the world is not just respected, it’s required. The Harvard Law Class of 2005 will graduate this spring as the first with each student having met a requirement for 40 hours of pro bono legal work.
While Harvard Law has a long tradition of
come housing. This gives the student experi-
have gotten their first choices of pro bono as-
students volunteering their time and knowl-
ence in his/her desired field, helps members
signments, says Dealy, but this could change
edge to the local and world communities, this
of the community, and fulfills his/her pro
now that all students at the school will be
tradition was not set in stone until the start
bono service requirement.
under the requirement. Those in classes prior to 2005 were grandfathered out of the
of the Pro Bono Service Program in 2002. The program was put in place to “instill a public-
The pro bono work can take many forms,
requirement, although many did pro bono
service ethos” into students, says Director
says Dealy, but it must be legal work, not
work nonetheless.
Lisa Dealy.
just community service. Some students do research and writing, some help draft legis-
Now at Harvard Law, between the spring
lation, others represent indigent clients.
semester of a student’s first year and spring
Some students at Harvard work with individual professors who have been asked to do pro bono work, such as writing amicus briefs,
break of his or her third year, the student
Rules governing who can practice law vary
says Dealy. Professors will call her office
must do 40 hours of some sort of free legal
from state to state. In Massachusetts,
outlining their requirements for an assistant,
work. Many students do much more than the
third-year law students can provide direct
and a student with the required skills and
required amount, says Dealy, with 82% of
legal services to clients if they are under the
academic background will be placed with the
students doing more than 100 hours each of
supervision of a licensed attorney.
professor for the project. Some professors
pro bono legal work since the requirement was launched.
will only take on some pro bono projects if The program requires that there is a super-
they can find a student to assist them, says
vising attorney at the firm or organization
Dealy.
The goal of the program is to have students
in which the student works, says Dealy. The
carry a philosophy of service with them into
supervisor must give feedback, teach good
Other students fulfill their pro bono re-
their legal careers. Even if a student moves
legal skills to the student, and have a mis-
quirement at organizations abroad over
on to work in corporate law, says Dealy,
sion of helping to make a good lawyer. “We
the summers. They work in international
there is a hope that he or she will continue
do look into the supervision piece very care-
nonprofit groups on human-rights issues or
to do pro bono work of some kind in his com-
fully,” says Dealy.
in law firms working on immigration cases,
munity.
for example. These students are allowed to One hurdle for program participation for
receive travel grants (ranging from $3,300
The program also helps to put an emphasis
some nonprofits, says Dealy, is that the staff
to $5,600) to take these positions and still
on experiential learning, which, as opposed
attorneys there are so flat-out with work that
have the work count towards the pro bono
to the many specialty clinics that are avail-
they do not have time to supervise a student,
requirement, says Dealy, but they cannot re-
able to students, is mandatory.
even though the group may need pro bono
ceive payment for the work itself. There are
help.
also summer funding grants for those doing domestic public interest work.
For example, if a student is interested in corporate law with a focus on real estate,
So far, about a quarter of students are do-
he or she can come to Dealy’s office and ask
ing their pro bono work in state and local
Another way for a Harvard student to fulfill
about what pro bono opportunities there are
government offices, says Dealy. Others work
the requirement is to work with one of sev-
that would pertain to his or her career goals.
in Public Defender offices or provide direct
eral student organizations helping the com-
Dealy can then direct him or her to a firm or
legal services to the poor through other
munity. Overall, about one-third of Harvard
nonprofit that is working to develop low-in-
groups. So far, all of Harvard Law’s students
Law students meet the pro bono requirement
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