Opportunities

For Students Seeking Public Service Opportunitites

Community organizations generally needing volunteers

For Organizations Interested in Receiving Assistance

To receive assistance from a Northwestern Law student through the public service program, an organization must be one of the following:

a non-profit organization
a governmental agency
a licensed attorney or law firm doing pro bono or reduced-fee services

Projects need not be legal in nature. For all projects involving legal work, however, the work done by the law student must be supervised by a licensed attorney at the sponsoring organization. Northwestern Law does not provide malpractice insurance for law students participating in the program; volunteer students performing legal work must be covered under the sponsoring organization’s malpractice insurance.

Placement Process
Any interested organization may fill out a placement application. Once the organization is approved by the Public Service Coordinator, the coordinator will post the opportunity to the students. Student volunteers and the organizations then finalize the details of the volunteer assignment

Students may, and are encouraged, to initiate their own placements provided they meet the guidelines of the program and are approved by the Public Service Coordinator. All necessary paperwork must be completed to earn public service credit.

Except for reimbursing students for out-of-pocket expenses such as parking, sponsoring organizations may not compensate students while they are participating in the program.