Category: Pro Bono

Fulfill the Pro Bono Pledge - 4 New Pro Bono Opportunities

Posted by Lauren Dubin at 12:48 PM - Categories: All class years | Pro Bono

Announcing 4 new spring 2011 pro bono opportunities for Georgetown Law students:

DC Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Campaign
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless - Lane Evans Home Court Fellows
Capital Area Immigrants' Rights (CAIR) Coalition Detained Immigrants' Rights Project
DC Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE)

Additional information can be found at http://www.law.georgetown.edu/opics/DCEITC_000.htm

For more information about any of these opportunities, contact Holly Eaton, eatonh@law.georgetown.edu.

National Law Journal’s 2011 Pro Bono Awards

Posted by Laura Hosid at 4:47 PM - Categories: All class years | Law Firms | Legal News | Pro Bono

National Law Journal, January 3, 2011

“‘If the American economy gets a cold, poor people get pneumonia.’ The observation is from Esther Lardent, president of the Pro Bono Institute. Her point was that, for all the pain this dreadful economy has inflicted on the legal profession, things are much worse for society's downtrodden. The profession seems to recognize that, and also its responsibility to help out with legal services for those who can't afford to pay. The figures for 2010 aren't available yet, but according to NLJ affiliate The American Lawyer, the country's 200 largest firms logged 5.7 million hours in pro bono work in 2009, a 2% increase compared to the year before.”

To continue reading, please click here. 

Pathways to Public Service: Pro Bono Opportunities

Posted by Lauren Dubin at 1:02 PM - Categories: All class years | OCS / OPICS Programs | Pro Bono | Public Interest

In recognition of “Celebrate Pro Bono Week,”

OPICS, in collaboration with the DC National Pro Bono Week Celebration Planning Committee presents a panel discussion:
Incorporating Pro Bono into Your Practice

Monday, November 1, 4:30-6:00p.m., Room 201

The panel will feature:
Robert Spagnoletti
Partner at Schertler & Onorato and former Attorney General of the District of Columbia and former D.C. Bar President

Dan Collopy
Deputy Assistant General Counsel for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and
D.C. Bar Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year 2006

Elizabeth Dewey
DLA Piper’s Pro Bono Partner

Alex Breckinridge
Associate at Dechert, LLP

Sign up for the Pro Bono Pledge

Posted by Lauren Dubin at 12:00 PM - Categories: All class years | Pro Bono

The link is now active for students to sign up for the Pro Bono Pledge:
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/opics/Pro%20Bono/ProBonoPledgeRegistration.htm

What is the Pro Bono Pledge? 

Georgetown Law challenges all incoming JD law students to pledge to complete at least 75 hours of volunteer service before they graduate, 50 of which must be law-related pro bono and 25 of which can be any combination of  pro bono and community service.  Second year JD transfer students are asked to pledge 50 hours (35 law-related pro bono) and LLM candidates, 25 hours (15 law-related pro bono.)

All students are encouraged to perform volunteer work beyond the amount pledged. JD students will receive special recognition for exceptional service in the amounts of 125 hours and 175 hours. Second year JD transfer students will receive special recognition for completing 75 hours and 100 hours and LLMs will be recognized for volunteering 35 hours and 50 hours.

To find out more about the Pledge and what counts, you can read more about it here:  http://www.law.georgetown.edu/opics/TheProBonoPledge.htm

Pro Bono 2010 - The American Lawyer Report

Posted by Laura Hosid at 8:43 AM - Categories: All class years | Law Firms | Legal News | Pro Bono

Pro Bono 2010: Still Growing

The American Lawyer, July 1, 2010

"After a decade of hefty, often double-digit, increases, the growth of The Am Law 200's pro bono commitment slowed in 2009. Am Law 200 firms logged 5.7 million hours of pro bono work last year, a 2 percent increase from 2008." To continue reading this article, please click here. 

Pro Bono Report 2010:  Success Stories

The American Lawyer, July 1, 2010

"A law firm isn't the easiest place to change. Just ask the five firms listed below. About five years ago, each initiated a more formal, rigid approach to its pro bono work. The firms replaced weakly implemented, often unspoken, annual performance expectations with clearly defined, emphatically stated hours-per-lawyer requirements. They created signature pro bono projects that would attract--or at least not frighten--transactions lawyers, and they established committees and hired personnel to support their lofty goals."  To continue reading this article, please click here.  

Law Firm Pro Bono

Every summer OPICS compiles information about the pro bono offerings of most of the law firms participating in Georgetown's Early Interview Week (EIW) program. Additionally, OPICS maintains a list of most of the firms which offer an official public interest split summer opportunity, which allows summer student associates to spend up to half their summer at the firm and half with a non-profit organization.

Read more...

Posted by Laura Hosid at 2:55 PM - Categories: 2L/3E | Early Interview Week (EIW) | Law Firms | Pro Bono

Off-Campus Event - Alternative Dispute Resolution: Gaining Experience and Making a Difference through Volunteering - June 3

The Litigation Section of the DC Bar presents a FREE brown bag program titled “Alternative Dispute Resolution: Gaining Experience and Making a Difference through Volunteering.”  The program will be held on Thursday, June 3, 2010 from 12pm – 2pm at the DC Bar Conference Center (1101 K Street).  Representatives from organizations in the metro area will describe opportunities for D.C. Bar members to gain experience with mediation, arbitration, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution through volunteering.

Speakers include:  

Read more...

Posted by Laura Hosid at 9:24 AM - Categories: Off-campus programs | Practice Areas | Pro Bono