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SKILL SHARPENER
University of Oregon School of Law pro bono program wins state bar association award [by Erica Winter] For the fourth year in a row, The University of Oregon School of Law, Eugene, won the Oregon State Bar’s Pro Bono Challenge with the highest number of total student hours worked for individuals and organizations in need. The law school beat out two other schools in the state to win the award, which has been offered for the last four years by the Oregon Bar’s New Lawyers section.
The thousands of hours worked by Oregon
class who had worked the most hours, with a
pro bono work can both focus and forward a
Law students were done on a truly volunteer
special award for most impact made.
student’s career goals, says Steckbeck. One
basis, since pro bono work is not required for
law student, who graduated last year, came
graduation. The bar association will present
Third-year Misha Dunlap worked the longest
to Steckbeck as a first-year and told her
a plaque to the law student who worked the
pro bono stretch in her year, clocking 530 hours working for clients at the law firm of Lauren Regan. Tippi Pearse topped the second-years, working 520 pro bono hours for the Multnomah County District Attorney. And Jeremy Dickman won the award for greatest impact for his work in the Street Law program.
that she was unsure about her career goals.
highest number of pro bono hours.
Pro bono work gives a law student “an instant sense of gratification,” says Jane Steckbeck, Associate Director for Career Service a the law school and Pro Bono Service Director. There are real life problems that the law students can help to solve, and this serves to take the law out of the textbook and “make it real” for the student, she says.
Steckbeck recommended that the student work with victims of domestic violence. The student did the work pro bono during the summer after her first year and then in a paid position for her second summer. Now, the student wants to pursue this path professionally. The pro bono work “helped shape a career,” says Steckbeck.
Oregon Law is working to increase the number of in-house pro bono opportunities avail-
In another example, Steckbeck tells of a
able to students, says Steckbeck, as part of
student who did a federal judicial clerkship
The University of Oregon School of Law’s
the effort to encourage more students to par-
two summers ago in Washington, DC. While
pro bono program gives a certificate to any
ticipate in the program. One example of an
the student worked full time for the judge,
student who completes 40 hours of pro bono
in-house program is Street Law, which sends
he also did 40 hours of pro bono work for
work over the three years of law school.
law students to local high school classrooms
Catholic Charities that summer. He cited
This year, 65 out of about 180 third-year law
to teach students about their constitutional
this work in a cover letter to a large law firm
students will receive the certificate.
rights in a practical context.
to demonstrate his commitment to public
Currently, students simply have to choose a
Another in-house program at the law school
venue in which to work, start working there,
is the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
and track their hours, have a supervisor sign
Program (VITA). A law school alum comes to
Sometimes, pro bono work can help a
off on those hours, and then notify the career
the school and teaches an IRS-supplied cur-
student define what he or she does not want
services office. The program will move to an
riculum over the course of four Saturdays,
to do in a future legal career. One student
honor system soon to mirror the reporting
giving law students certification to do tax
Steckbeck knows was sure, at the start of
requirements for the Oregon Bar’s Pro Bono
preparation. Law students then assist low-
law school, that work with juveniles was her
Challenge. The Bar asks that students record
income and elderly clients with filing their
vocation. The student did pro bono work with
their hours on line, with no confirming sig-
income taxes.
the Juvenile Rights Project, in Portland and,
service, and he will start at the firm after
nature required. The law school will follow
graduation.
by her third year, felt burnt out on the field.
the same model, but it will also conduct spot
The Oregon Law program allows for a “broad
The student went on to work in mainstream
checks with organizations to confirm student
definition” of pro bono work, says Steckbeck,
legal aid, says Steckbeck, and now “she is
hours, says Steckbeck.
saying that Legal Aid is not for everyone.
loving it.”
The goal of the program is to “cultivate that Last week, the law school had an awards
service ethic,” she says. “Where students are
Overall, Steckbeck says, “The things these
ceremony of its own, recognizing students
doing that is less of a concern.”
students do are impressive. Public service is
who had worked 40 hours or more in the
Above and beyond giving back to the com-
the heart and soul of the law.”
program and lauding the members of each
munity, and possibly winning an award, doing
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