Pledge Requirements (FAQ)

J.D. students need to perform 75 hours of volunteering, of which 50 hours must be pro bono (law-related) volunteering and 25 may be either pro bono or community service, in order to complete the Pro Bono Pledge.

Second-year J.D. transfer students need to perform 50 hours of volunteering, of which 35 must be pro bono volunteering and 15 may be either pro bono or community service, in order to complete the Pro Bono Pledge.

LL.M. candidates need to perform 25 hours of volunteering, of which 15 must be pro bono volunteering and 10 may be either pro bono or community service, in order to complete the Pro Bono Pledge.

There are no negative consequences for not meeting your pledge goal.

Students who meet or exceed their pledge goals by graduation will receive a notation in the graduation bulletin and a certificate from OPICS, signed by the Dean. Individual students may also receive special recognition for exceptional service at the annual Public Interest Proud Reception in the spring.

It's ultimately up to you! Every resumé is unique, but this is one way we suggest:

• Pro Bono Pledge Honoree - completed 75 hours or more of pro bono service.
• Special Pro Bono Pledge Honoree - completed over 125 hours of pro bono service.
• Exceptional Pro Bono Pledge Honoree - completed over 175 hours of pro bono service.

J.D. students: 125 hours of volunteering, of which 75 must be pro bono volunteering and 50 may be either pro bono or community service.

Second-year J.D. transfer students: 75 hours of volunteering, of which 50 must be pro bono volunteering and 25 may be either pro bono or community service.

LL.M. candidates: 35 hours of volunteering, of which 20 must be pro bono volunteering and 15 may be either pro bono or community service.

J.D. students: 175 hours of volunteering, of which 100 must be pro bono volunteering and 75 may be either pro bono or community service.

Second-year J.D. transfer students: 100 hours of volunteering, of which 75 must be pro bono volunteering and 25 may be either pro bono or community service.

LL.M. candidates: 50 hours of volunteering, of which 30 must be pro bono volunteering and 20 may be either pro bono or community service.

To satisfy the Pro Bono Pledge, a certain number of volunteer hours must be pro bono (law-related) and the remainder can be either pro bono or community service. See the "How many hours…" questions to determine the number of volunteer hours you must perform for your Law Center degree program. See the "What work qualifies as…" questions to determine whether a given volunteer opportunity is pro bono or community service work.

Pro bono work must be:

1. Not for credit or compensation. Work that is required for a class, journal or clinic does not qualify.
2. Supervised by a licensed attorney or law faculty member, except in the following circumstances:
   1. Work is done for a member of Congress or a Congressional committee.
   2. Work is done for an organization engaged in lobbying or legislative/policy work—provided the work is still law-related.
   3. Work is translation done for any law-related pro bono cases (including those from Georgetown Law clinics).
   4. Work is assistance with a low-income tax clinic under the supervision of a CPA.
   5. Work is otherwise approved by the Pro Bono Coordinator.
3. For a non-profit organization, government agency, public interest law firm, or private law firm providing pro bono legal services. A 'public interest law firm' is one that is listed in the Private Public Interest and Plaintiff's Firm Guide (available in OPICS) or one that meets the Guide's general definition of such firms. In the latter case, the firm must be approved by the Director of Pro Bono Programs.
4. Law-related and on behalf of individuals, groups or causes that are either under-represented in the legal system or that benefit the public good.
5. Done while the student is enrolled in classes at Georgetown Law or a related program (e.g. joint degree, visiting law school) except in the following circumstances:
   1. Students who receive EJF summer funding, which covers the first six weeks of work, may count up to 40 hours of work they do after the first six weeks.
   2. Students may count law-related volunteer work done in the summer that is separate and distinct from the student's primary employment or internship.
6. Training time for work which meets the first four criteria. Time spent traveling to or from a volunteer commitment does not count. Time spent traveling as a part of a volunteer commitment (such as to and from court, the library, another office, etc.) does count.

Community service work must be

1. Not for credit or compensation. Service that is required for a class, journal or clinic does not qualify. However, service related to a class, journal or clinic but performed on a volunteer basis may qualify.
   
2. Either:
   1. On behalf of a non-profit organization, government agency or organized program that serves the disadvantaged, disenfranchised or benefits the general public. Partisan work does not qualify.
      
   2. 1. Examples of qualifying activities: tutoring at an under-served school, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, participating in a walk for cancer victims, helping at a humane society, engaging in an environmental clean-up project. 
      2. Examples of non-qualifying activities: volunteering for political campaigns or political action committees, coaching sports (unless for a disadvantaged population, such as the disabled, inner-city youth, etc.).
   3. On behalf of any Georgetown Law student group or organized effort that serves underserved or otherwise disadvantaged individuals or communities (including animals and the environment). 
   4. 1. Examples of qualifying activities: volunteering for or serving on the board of EJF, Georgetown Outreach, Home Court, Habitat for Humanity, the Innocence Project, etc.; volunteering for or serving as a leader of a community service project sponsored by a Georgetown Law student group or other campus organization.

A key aspect of pro bono and community service work is that it is not for compensation. If your externship, clinic work or journal position is compensated with academic credit, a stipend or required for a journal position, you may not count those hours towards your Pro Bono Pledge.

However, uncompensated additional work may count toward the Pro Bono Pledge. This includes any externship, clinic or journal hours performed beyond the terms of your credit or compensation. For instance, if your externship requires you to work 15 hours a week and you work 30, the 15 hours of unpaid overtime qualify as pro bono.

For an exhaustive description of pledge accreditation, see the "What work qualifies as…" questions.

A key aspect of pro bono and community service work is that it is not for compensation. If your summer internship is compensated with a salary, a stipend or academic credit (internships for academic credit are technically externships), you may not count those hours towards your Pro Bono Pledge.

However, uncompensated additional summer work may count toward the Pro Bono Pledge. This includes any uncompensated work done as a volunteer for organizations other than the organization for which you are interning. It also includes any internship hours beyond the terms of your compensation. (For instance, if your internship requires you to work 30 hours a week and you work 45, the 15 hours of unpaid overtime qualify as pro bono.)

NOTE: EJF-funded summer internships are an exception. A maximum of 40 hours may qualify as pro bono for the period between the end of the EJF's six weeks of funding and the end of the typical ten-week summer internship.

For an exhaustive description of pledge accreditation, see the "What work qualifies as…" questions.

No. Partisan work on behalf of a political party does not count towards the Pledge. However, volunteering at a legislator's office, for a legislative body or committee, or otherwise serving elected officials carrying out their official responsibilities, would count towards the Pledge.

Pro Bono Pledge reporting takes place in Symplicity. Once you have signed up for the Pro Bono Pledge, you will see a tab labeled "Pro Bono Reporting." This is where you will report all of your pro bono hours and activities. For law-related pro bono, you will need to list the organization, hours completed, and  the name and contact information for a supervising attorney (unless it falls under one of the exceptions above, in which case list the appropriate supervisor). For community service hours you only need to list the organization and the hours completed.

No. Once you have submitted a pro bono record you do not need to take any additional steps.

Great question! As a start, check out our Pro Bono Opportunities and Community Service Opportunities pages.

Absolutely! While first-year students are still developing their legal skills, there are a variety of law-related tasks for which first-years are well suited. Check out the 1L Pro Bono Service Project for more information.