The Georgetown Law Pro Bono Pledge

What is the Georgetown Law Pro Bono Pledge?

How do I sign up for the Pro Bono Pledge?

What type of volunteer work counts towards the Pro Bono Pledge?

How should I keep track of my Pro Bono Pledge hours?

What happens when I meet my Pledge goal?

What happens if I don't meet my Pledge goal?

How do I find law-related volunteer opportunities?

How do I find community service volunteer opportunities?

FAQ about the New Pledge

 

What is the Georgetown Law Pro Bono Pledge?

At Georgetown, we are dedicated to the principle that members of the legal profession and those aspiring to enter the legal profession have a professional obligation to assist in providing quality legal services to individuals, groups or causes that are under-represented in the legal system. In furtherance of this principle, Georgetown Law challenges all incoming JD law students to pledge at least 75 hours of law-related volunteer work and community service before they graduate.  Second year JD transfer students are asked to pledge 50 hours and LLM candidates, 25 hours.

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.

 

How do I sign up for the Pro Bono Pledge?

Click here to sign up for the Pro Bono Pledge.

Be sure to check-off your volunteer interests so that you can be notified of volunteer projects in these interest areas. Language skills should also be noted, as Georgetown is often contacted by organizations and firms in need of translators to assist them with their cases or produce materials regarding legal subjects in different languages. A background in teaching, health care, volunteer and social work is useful in the public interest community and should be noted.

What type of volunteer work counts towards the Pro Bono Pledge?

To satisfy the Pro Bono Pledge, JD candidates must complete 75 hours of volunteer work in school; at least 50 hours must be law-related pro bono work under the supervision of a licensed attorney or law faculty member for the benefit of individuals, groups, or causes that are under-represented in the legal system. Up to 25 hours may be volunteer work of a non-legal nature, including work done through one of Georgetown Law's service-oriented student groups or projects. See below for fuller definitions of qualifying law-related and non-legal volunteer work.

Students are encouraged to continue volunteering after reaching the 75 hours Pledge threshold; additional recognition is given to students who volunteer 125 hours (at least 75 must be law-related) and 175 hours (at least 100 must be law-related).

            •  Transfer student equivalents are 50 hours (at least 35 hours must be law-related); 75 hours
                (at least 50 must be law-related); and 100 hours (at least 75 hours must be law-related.)
            •   LLM equivalents are 25 hours (at least 15 must be law-related); 35 hours (at least 20 must be law-related);
                and 50 hours (at least 30 must be law-related).

To qualify as ‘law-related’, the work undertaken:
      1.   must be supervised by a licensed attorney or law faculty member, except in the following circumstances:
            a.  work done for a member of Congress or a Congressional committee
            b.  work done for an organization engaged in lobbying or legislative/policy work, so long as the work
                  is still law-related
            c.  translating done for any law-related pro bono cases including those from Georgetown Law clinics
            d.  assistance with a low-income tax clinic under the supervision of a CPA
            e.  other work approved by the Director of Pro Bono Programs
       2.  must be for a non-profit organization, government agency, public interest law firm*, or
             private law firm providing pro bono legal services.  In all cases, the work being performed
             must be law-related and on behalf of individuals, groups, or causes that are under-
             represented in the legal system or that benefit the public good.  Examples of qualifying work:
              judicial internships, legislative internships, law firm pro bono work that is not for credit or
             compensation, interpreting or translating on otherwise qualifying matters.
              *  A 'public interest law firm' is one that is listed in the Private Public Interest and Plaintiff's Firm
              Guide (available in OPICS) or 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.
        3.   must be done while the student is enrolled in classes at Georgetown Law or related program
              (e.g. joint degree, visiting law school) except in the following circumstances:
               a.  Students that spend a summer working full time for a public interest employer or split between
                    two public interest employers may count any hours they continue to work beyond a minimum of  
                    10 weeks.
              b.   Students spending at least two summers engaged in full-time qualifying work may count up to 50
                    hours of the second summer's work.
              c.   Students may count law-related volunteer work done in the summer that is separate and distinct
                    from the student's primary employment or internship.
       4.   can be training time.  Time spent traveling to or from a volunteer commitment does not count.
              Time spent traveling as part of a volunteer commitment (such as to and from court, the library,
              another office, etc.) does count.

To qualify as ‘community service’, the work undertaken:
      1.   must not be for credit or compensation.  Service that is required for a class, journal, or clinic does not
            qualify; however, additional service above and beyond the requirements of a class, journal or clinic
            does qualify.
       2.  must be:
            a.  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 count.
                 Examples of qualifying activities: tutoring at an underserved 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.  Examples of non-qualifying activities: volunteering
                 for political campaigns or political action committees; coaching sports (unless for a disadvantaged                   
                 population: the disabled, inner-city youth, etc.)
                  or
            b.  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.)
                 Examples of qualifying activities: volunteering for or serving on the board of EJF, Georgetown
                 Outreach, Home Court, Habitat for Humanity, the Innocence Project; volunteering on a
                 community service project sponsored by a Georgetown Law student group, serving as a leader of a
                 community service project of a Georgetown Law student group or other campus organization.

 

How should I keep track of my Pro Bono Pledge hours?

There are two different types of volunteer service that qualify for Pro Bono Pledge credit--law-related pro bono and non-legal community service--and each has a different reporting procedure.

Pro Bono (law-related) hours are to be reported on a Pro Bono Time Sheet that is available online or in paper form in OPICS. Hours should be recorded weekly (rounded to the nearest half hour) and totaled at the end of the semester or conclusion of the project. Before turning time sheets into OPICS, they must be signed by the student and a supervising attorney. Faxed forms are acceptable. A separate time sheet should be submitted for different employers.

Community service (non-legal) hours can be reported two ways. If the project has been organized by a Law Center office, student organization, journal or other on-campus entity, the project’s organizers can submit a list to OPICS with the names of students that participated in the project and the number of hours volunteered by each. This information will be entered into each student’s record without further effort on the part of the student and each student will receive a confirmation that these hours have been entered.

If the project has not been arranged through an entity of the school, or, if the student group does not submit a list of the student participants, student volunteers may submit their hours online. (Community Service Hours Report) The form requires the student to answer a brief list of questions and to report the total hours volunteered for a particular project.

The pro bono (law-related) and community service (non-legal) hours will be tallied to determine if a student has met his or her Pledge goal.

In sum,

1) Law-related pro bono hours are to be reported on a Pro Bono Time Sheet which must be signed by the student and supervising attorney at the end of the semester or project and submitted to OPICS. 
2) Non-legal community service hours can be reported directly to OPICS by a project's organizer if arranged by or through any on-campus entity or the hours can be entered directly online by individual students using a for that purpose, the Community Service Hours Report.  A supervisor's signature or verification is not required.

What happens when I meet my Pledge goal?

Students who satisfy the Pledge receive a certificate from the Dean and special recognition at Commencement.

 

What happens if I don't meet my Pledge goal?

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

 

How do I find law-related volunteer opportunities?

Pro Bono Opportunities during the first year of law school

Unlike many law schools, we encourage first year students to find appropriate pro bono placements as soon as they are interested. With the 1L Pro Bono Service Project, we facilitate first year students’ interest in pro bono by finding suitable placements with a minimal time commitment and tasks that do not require advanced legal research and writing skills. For example, students can do intake for domestic violence victims through the Emergency Domestic Relations Project at DC Superior Court, or research country conditions in support of an immigrant’s petition for political asylum with the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition. We work with about 20 local organizations to find meaningful and appropriate pro bono opportunities for first year students.

More information about this unique program can be found on the 1L Pro Bono Service Project information page.

 

Pro Bono Opportunities for upper class JD and LLM students

Pro bono opportunities for students after their first year are abundant. Georgetown law students are fortunate to be attending law school in the “public interest capital of the world.” No matter what issue you are passionate about, whether shared by many or few, 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.

Pro bono opportunities fall into two categories:

• Ad Hoc – Generally projects that can be completed in a short period of time, require a small amount of time spread out over weeks or involve only a one-time commitment.  Often these projects are done on a student’s own schedule or wherever the student chooses to work.  In other words, the student can work remotely from home or the library and communicate with the supervising attorney through e-mail and phone calls.  Some ad hoc projects are suitable for first year students but most are ideal for upper class students that do not require as close supervision as first year students.

• Semester-long – Semester-long placements generally require a commitment of 8-15 hours a week for most of a semester. The student is likely to work at the organization or agency doing a variety of tasks as assigned under the supervision of one or several attorneys. Such unpaid non-credit positions are often referred to as internships. They are distinguishable from externships which are for-credit and administered by the Externship Program Coordinator, Professor Michael Frisch.  Most organizations advertising for unpaid interns are especially interested in hiring students seeking externship credit, so the following sources would be helpful to students looking for an externship.

The following is a list of sources for finding pro bono opportunities:

Pro Bono Opportunities– Find resources for recurring GULC projects, the 1L Pro Bono Service Project, and individual upperclass student opportunities.

Ad Hoc Opps - Short term, flexible, limited-commitment projects that are eligible for Pro Bono Pledge Service.  It is available online and posted on the Pro Bono & Community Service bulletin board on the first floor.

Symplicity – Includes 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" select "Yes" from the pulldown menu. This will return a list of current pro bono opportunities, with contact information and application requirements.

PSLawNet – Includes online announcements for academic year and summer paid and unpaid internships in US-based and international non-profits (NGO's) and government agencies. In addition, PSLawNet is a great source to identify 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 in the Pro Bono Opportunities Bulletin or online, or if you are passionate about an issue that is not covered by the offerings from these sources, please contact OPICS to make an appointment with Holly Eaton, the Director of Pro Bono Programs. Through her knowledge of local organizations and agencies, and a large network of alums working in the DC metro area, she can help you find a placement that is a good match for you and the organization.

 

How do I find community service volunteer opportunities?

There are a number of student organizations involved in community service projects throughout the year which are advertised through e-mails and posters around campus.  For a list of organizations that students volunteer with on a regular basis, see our Community Service Organizations page.