FAQs
Public Service Pledge
- What is the Public Service Pledge?
- What happens when you meet the 50-hour goal?
- Is it a graduation requirement to meet the 50-hour goal?
Qualifying Pro Bono and Public Service Work
- What work qualifies as pro bono work?
- What work qualifies as public service work?
- Does instructional training time count towards pro bono and public service work?
- Does clinic or externship work count?
- Does work performed on a law firm’s pro bono case count?
Finding Pro Bono and Public Service Work
Public Interest Center’s Summer Funding
Logging Hours
Public Service Pledge
What is the Public Service Pledge?
To further foster student engagement in public service and pro bono, all students are encouraged to voluntarily meet a goal of 50 hours of public service or pro bono (30 hours for transfer students, 15 hours for LLM and MSL students) by graduation. Students must keep track of their volunteer hours on a student time log. All hours must be logged in by the last day of classes before you graduate. Take the pledge today!
What happens when you meet the 50-hour goal?
Students who complete the 50-hour goal and log their hours by the last day of classes are honored at the Public Service Recognition Luncheon during graduation week and receive recognition at graduation.
Special recognition is given to students who perform extraordinary service. JD students will receive special recognition for extraordinary service in the amount of 100 hours and 200 hours. Second-year JD transfer students will receive special recognition for volunteering 80 hours and 160 hours, LLM and MSL students will receive special recognition for volunteering 50 hours and 100 hours.
All students meeting the second level of recognition (JD students: 100-199 hours; Second-year JD transfer students: 80-159 hours; LLM and MSL students: 50-99) will receive a certificate of outstanding service.
All students meeting the third level of recognition (JD students: 200 hours or more; Second-year JD transfer students: 160 or more; LLM and MSL students: 100 hours or more) will receive everything listed above and will have their name placed on a permanent plaque at the Law School.
Please note that for special recognition, hours logged above those required for practica, externships, and clinic courses do not count toward the hour calculations. Special recognition is meant to honor those who provided extraordinary service to the community independent of any class.
Is it a graduation requirement to complete the 50-hour goal?
No, the pledge is voluntary and there are no negative consequences for not meeting your goal.
Qualifying Pro Bono & Public Service Work
What work qualifies as pro bono work?
Qualifying pro bono work must be:
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Legal or policy related, and
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Supervised by a licensed attorney or Law School faculty member
Qualifying pro bono works includes legal research and writing, client interviewing, lecturing on legal topics, moot court/mock trial judging or coaching, writing informational brochures or web information on legal topics for underserved populations.
Qualifying pro bono work does not include work on political campaigns, legal research related to scholarship, a law journal article or other publication, pro bono work done before you started Law School.
What work qualifies as public service work?
Qualifying public service work must be:
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Performed on behalf of a nonprofit organization (under IRC section 501(c)(3)) or a government agency and be uncompensated (financially or with academic credit).
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Students may count up to five hours total of public service work done for the Law School, such as volunteering for Admitted Students’ Weekend or serving as a bailiff for the Julius H. Miner Moot Court Competition.
Does instructional training time count towards pro bono or public service work?
Students may count instructional training required to perform the pro bono or public service only if they also subsequently volunteer for the work. For example, if you attend a tax assistance volunteer training but never actually sign up to volunteer, you may not count the training time.
Does the volunteer work have to be arranged through the Law School?
No, volunteer work does not have to be arranged through the Law School.
Does volunteer work for the Law School count?
Students may count up to five hours total of public service work done for the Law School, such as volunteering for Admitted Students’ Weekend or serving as a bailiff for the Julius H. Miner Moot Court Competition.
Do clinic or externship hours count?
Time volunteering in any of the Law School's clinics or centers counts only if performed without compensation or academic credit. Additionally, clinical work and non-profit or government externship work performed over and above the number of hours set by the course instructors may be logged as pro bono or public service work.
Does work performed on a law firm’s pro bono case count?
Yes, only if you are not compensated for your work by the law firm and you are engaging in pro bono work. Law firm pro bono work is legal work done for a client free of charge.
Finding Pro Bono and Public Service Opportunities
How do you find pro bono and public service opportunities?
A variety of pro bono and public service opportunities are posted on the opportunities page. The Pro Bono and Public Service Program Director, Sheila Simhan, is available to meet with students and student organizations to assist in finding volunteer opportunities of interest.
Public Interest Center’s Summer Funding
To receive a summer grant, what are the public service/pro bono requirements?
For information regarding the Public Interest Center’s summer grant, please visit the summer funding page.
Logging Your Hours
Where do students log their hours?
Students keep track of their volunteer hours on a student time log. Make sure all your hours are logged by the last day of classes before you graduate if you would like to be recognized for completing the Public Service Pledge.
If you have further questions, please email the Pro Bono and Public Service Program Director, Sheila Simhan at sheila.simhan@law.northwestern.edu.