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Pro Bono Opportunities

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Types of Pro Bono Opportunities

There are many ways to find pro bono opportunities. This page provides resources for recurring Georgetown projects, the 1L Pro Bono Service Project, and individual upperclass student opportunities. Pro bono opportunities fall into two categories:

• Ad Hoc – Ad Hoc projects can be completed in a short period of time and require a small amount of time. Some of these projects are one-time commitments, or they can last several weeks. Often these projects can be done on a student’s own schedule and can be done remotely.  Some ad hoc projects are suitable for first year students; however, most are ideal for upper class students who do not require as much supervision as first year students.

• Internships – Internships are long-term, unpaid projects which generally require a commitment of 8-15 hours a week for most of a semester.Students are likely to work at the organization or agency doing a variety of tasks as assigned under the supervision of one or several attorneys. They are distinguishable from externships which are for-credit and administered by the Externship Program Coordinator, Professor Michael Frisch. 

 

Pro Bono Opportunities for First Year Students

GULC encourages first year students to find appropriate pro bono placements as soon as they are interested. OPICS administers the 1L Pro Bono Service Project, a project that helps students find suitable placements that require a minimal time commitment and provide meaningful and appropriate pro bono opportunities for beginning law students.

 

Pro Bono Opportunities for upper class JD and LLM students

There are numerous opportunities for students to engage in pro bono work throughout their time at GULC. Georgetown law students are fortunate to be attending law school in the “public interest capital of the world.” No matter what issue or cause you are passionate about and regardless of which side of the political spectrum you lean toward, there is an organization somewhere in Washington, DC--probably several--focused on serving individuals affected by that issue or advocating on behalf of that cause.

 

Finding a Placement

Major Partners/Annual Projects - Georgetown partners with organizations in the area to help students find pro bono placements. Over the years, GULC's partners have provided meaningful opportunities to many students and are a good starting point when thinking about a placement.

Student Groups - Several student groups regularly participate in or coordinate pro bono opportunities. Contact the groups' leadership to learn more.

Symplicity – This site lists online announcements for academic year and summer paid and unpaid internships. The listings in Symplicity have been sent to Georgetown by employers actively recruiting for the semester or the summer. You will need a password from Career Services to access these listings. (Note: 1Ls will receive their Symplicity password on or about November 1.) When you log onto the site, select the "Jobs" tab then next to "Pro Bono Pledge Eligible" and then select "Yes" from the pulldown menu. This will return a list of current pro bono opportunities; the list will include contact information and application requirements.

PSLawNet – This site lists online announcements for academic year and summer paid and unpaid internships in domestic and international non-profits (NGOs) and government agencies. In addition, PSLawNet is a great site for identifying organizations that engage in the type of work in which you are interested.  To access the PSLawNet listings you will need to create a user name and password the first time you visit the site.

The above sources are only a starting point. There are a large number of organizations engaged in work that might be of interest to you that don't utilize job listing databases to recruit for their open positions. If you don’t feel drawn to any of the positions listed online, or if you are passionate about an issue that is not covered by these sources, please contact OPICS to make an appointment with Holly Eaton, the Director of Pro Bono Programs. Holly has experience working with local organizations and agencies and has contacts  with the large network of alums working in the DC metro area, and she can help you find a placement that is a good match for you and the organization.

 

Revised 2/15/11 (MLM)