Boston University School of Law
Boston University
Boston University School of Law
765 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
www.bu.edu
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Sabrina Trovato Halloran, Esq.
Associate Director & Director of Pro Bono
shallor@bu.edu
(617) 353-3147
David Adams
Senior Program Coordinator
dadams@bu.edu
(617) 358-4181
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by a Referral System with a Coordinator
Description of Program
BU Law students are invited to participate in our voluntary pro bono program and to make a pledge to perform a minimum of 35 hours during their three years in law school. Upon completion of the pledged pro bono hours, students will receive a notation on their law school transcripts attesting to their participation in the program and stating the number of hours volunteered. Participating LL.M. students pledge a minimum of 12 hours for the same pro bono work.
Pro bono work, for the purposes of the BU Law program, must be unpaid and not for academic credit. To meet the goals of our program, student pro bono work should involve the rendering of meaningful law-related service to persons of limited means or to organizations that serve such persons or to other organizations dedicated to underrepresented groups and/or social issues.
The Career Development Office (“CDO”), with assistance as needed from the Public Service Committee, will determine what work will qualify as pro bono work for the BU Law program. The CDO also will track student pro bono hours.
Every year, students can also participate in two substantially subsidized spring break service trips to engage in pro bono work - The "BU Law Pro Bono/Student Hurricane Network Service Trip" to New Orleans, Louisiana and the "BU Law Pro Bono Immigration Asylum Service Trip" to Harlingen, Texas.
Now in its third year, the "BU Law Pro Bono/Student Hurricane Network Service Trip" offers BU Law students the opportunity to travel to New Orleans to volunteer in various legal organizations across Louisiana in efforts to aid displaced residents of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The trip is organized in collaboration with the Student Hurricane Network (SHN), a national student organization dedicated to helping hurricane victims in the Gulf Coast region through volunteer relief work.
This year, BU Law students will also participate in the first "BU Law Pro Bono Immigration Asylum Trip" to Harlingen, Texas. There, students will work with the South Texan Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) - a joint project of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas and the American Immigration Lawyers Association - on asylum cases, bond hearings, intakes, special immigrant juvenile cases, naturalization and other immigration matters.
Every year, BU Law School honors a faculty member and two alumni who have engaged in substantial pro bono work during their career by presenting them with a Pro Bono Award.
Location of Program
The Pro Bono Program is housed within the Career Development Office (“CDO”).
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The Pro Bono Program is staffed by Sabrina Halloran, Director of Pro Bono, and David Adams, Senior Clerkship and Pro Bono Coordinator. Each devote approximately 30% of their time to the Program. The BU Law Public Service Committee, comprised of faculty, staff and students, also advise the program along with the Director of the Career Development Office.
Funding
The Pro Bono Program is funded through the law school operating budget.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Shelter Legal Services - Law students interview clients and manage civil legal cases, under the supervision of an attorney, at one of four weekly legal clinics. Clients need help on a variety of issues, including family law, housing, disability, unemployment and immigration.
Children and the Law Society-The mission of Children and the Law is to foster an awareness of the legal issues facing children, and explore how the law and lawyers can best advocate for the welfare of all children. The group sponsors presentations from experts in the field and helps BU Law students find opportunities in Boston-area juvenile advocacy programs. For more information please write to childlaw@bu.edu.
Massachusetts Transgender Legal Advocates - Massachusetts Transgender Legal Advocates is a small group of law students and lawyers committed to addressing the needs of low income transgender people in Massachusetts. MTLA recognizes that a lack of public awareness about trans people can make it difficult to navigate the legal system. Our legal team is composed of trans folks and their significant others, family, and friends. To contact the project: transgenderlegaladvocates@gmail.com (or leave us a voicemail message at 617-450-1353).
Pro Bono Immigration Asylum Trip - BU law students will work with the South Texan Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR), a joint project of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Students will work on asylum cases, bond hearings, intakes, special immigrant juvenile cases, naturalization and other immigration matters. In addition to the pro bono work with ProBAR, students will have the opportunity to meet with U.S. Border Patrol and refugees at a local shelter.
Student Hurricane Network - For the past two years BU Law has sponsored a pro bono volunteer trip to New Orleans during Spring Break. Students have worked with various legal organizations including; the New Orleans District Attorney’s Office, the FEMA Trailer Survey and Mapping Project, The New Orleans public Defenders Office and the Louisiana Justice Institute.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program
Veterans Advocacy Project - The Veterans’ Advocacy Network is partnering with the Massachusetts Bar Association to connect veterans with volunteer lawyers trained by the MBA in veterans’ benefits law. The intake assistance project is an opportunity for law students to help with this effort. Students will receive training where they will learn some basics of veterans’ benefits law and how to conduct an initial client interview. Trained students will be supervised and staff the MBA’s phone lines on specific days conducting intake interviews for veterans with disability claims, or referring them to other sources of legal assistance.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
There is no formal faculty pro bono policy, but faculty engage in numerous pro bono projects each year. Students often assist faculty members with these projects, which often take the form of research and publication. Every year, a faculty member who has engaged in substantial pro bono work is honored by being presented with a Pro Bono Award. There is also an annual Boston University School of Law Faculty Public Service Award.
Awards/Recognition
At graduation, the faculty presents a Faculty Award to a graduating student or students who promote the ideals of community service. Those students who have completed the required number of pro bono hours are also recognized with a notation on their law school transcript.
Students are recognized in a separate awards reception for pro bono and public interest work. Faculty and alumni/ae are also recognized.
Every Fall, BU Law holds a Pro Bono Kick-off Celebration. The event is attended by students, faculty, staff, alumni and the legal community. Each year, an alumnus/a is presented with the Victor J. Garo, Esq. Award for Pro Bono Service. This event is also an opportunity for students to meet with local legal non-profits and learn about pro bono opportunities. It is a great celebration of the pro bono work of our students, faculty and alumni.
In April, towards the end of the school year, the school host a Year-End Pro Bono Celebration during which a Faculty Member and an alumnus/a are presented with a Pro Bono Award in recognition of their pro bono work.
Community Service
Ongoing Community Service Programs:
Part of BU Law’s first year orientation includes an optional community service day. Students sign up to do a variety of service projects in the Boston area, including Habitat for Humanity; getting an inner city school ready for the start of classes; cleaning up Boston parks and serving meals at a homeless shelter.
Additionally, the Public Interest Project has monthly community service projects. These projects range from volunteering at soup kitchens to working at domestic violence shelters to cleaning up parks along the Charles River.
Law School Public Interest Programs
Back to top
Contact Information
Carolyn Goodwin, Esq.
Associate Director for Government and Public Interest Advising
Boston University School of Law
765 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
(617) 353-3141 main
(617) 358-5101 direct
(617) 353-2547 fax
cgoodwin@bu.edu
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
None.
Public Interest Centers
None.
Public Interest Clinics
Civil Litigation Clinic – Students work out of the offices of Greater Boston Legal Services and learn the importance of providing strong representation to all who need it, regardless of economic means. Students handle their own case loads, under the supervision of 6 full-time clinical law faculty members, in the areas of divorce and child custody, housing and eviction, disability, unemployment and immigration. http://www.bu.edu/law/prospective/jd/clinics/civil.html
Criminal Trial Advocacy – Students gain experience as either defense or prosecuting attorneys in Boston Municipal Court, Boston Juvenile Court, and Quincy District Court. Students conduct investigations to formulate trial strategy, file appropriate pre-trial motions, participate in plea bargaining, try cases before judges, and make sentencing arguments. http://www.bu.edu/law/prospective/jd/clinics/criminal.html
Legislation Clinic – Students obtain hands-on experience drafting legislation and applying legal skills to the legislative process. These programs allow students to develop skills that can be invaluable to a public interest attorney. Student drafters work with state senators and representatives, mayors, city councils, administrative agencies, and public interest groups to create legislative solutions to problems. Once you know how to draft legislation, you could preserve conservation land, ensure the reproductive rights of women, secure funding for a school district, establish a precedent regarding the rights to same-sex couples to adopt, to name a few. http://www.bu.edu/law/prospective/jd/clinics/legislation.html
Wrongful Conviction Clinic– Students screen prisoner applications for assistance from the New England Innocence Project.
Asylum and Human Rights Clinic – Students represent asylum, VAWA, U and T visa clients in administrative hearing and before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (Immigration Court).
Externships/Internships
BU Law offers two public interest externship programs:
The Legal Externship program gives second and third-year students the opportunity to gain practical experience in an area of substantive interest. Students are exposed to the realities of law practice while under the supervision of well-respected practitioners. Over the years, hundreds of students have expanded their experience through legal externships in such areas such as civil rights, health care, environmental law, domestic violence and children’s law. For a complete list of placements, visit http://www.bu.edu/law/prospective/jd/clinics/legal.html
The Legislative Externship Program matches second and third-year students with Senators and Representatives at the Massachusetts State House.
BU Law also offers a summer international internship program. These summer opportunities are for both 1L and 2Ls seeking an international internship. International public interest placements include: International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (Appeals Chambers) Legal Aid of Cambodia, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and International Bridges to Justice.
Classes with a Public Service Component
During 2L and 3L years students choose their courses. Many students also decide to pursue a concentration in one of the five following areas: Health Law, Intellectual Property Law, International Law, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, and Business Organizations and Finance Law. Classes from the core curriculum (for example, corporations, taxation, federal courts, commercial code, administrative law and evidence) offer students a foundation essential for many public interest jobs. In addition, there are numerous courses that directly explore public interest law. Many students also supplement their law school classes by taking classes in other schools within the university. The following list, certainly not all of the electives, is an example of courses at BU Law that may be taught in any year. As you will see, many classes are seminars which offer students the opportunity to research and write about topics of interest:
Advanced Environmental Law (S)*,Affordable Housing Law (S), Bankruptcy and Creditor’s Rights, Biotechnology Law and Ethics (S), Civil Liberties & National Security (S), Constitutional Theory (S), Consumer Law, Criminal Procedure: Adjudication, Criminal Procedure: Advanced Readings, Criminal Procedure: Comprehensive, Criminal Procedure: The Investigatory Process, Current Issues in Employment Law (S), Democracy & Equality (S), Domestic Violence (S), Effective & Ethical Depositions (S), Employment Discrimination and Employment Law, Energy Law & Policy (S), Environmental Law, Family Law, Federal Habeas Corpus (S), Global Climate Change (S), Health, Bioethics & Human Rights (S), Homicide Investigations and Trials (S), Housing Law (S), Immigration Law and Policy (S), International Human Rights (S), Juvenile Court, Juvenile Delinquency, Labor Law, Law, Work and Poverty (S), Law and the Democratic Process, Non-Profit Organizations (S), Philosophical & Policy Perspectives on Tort Law (S), Public International Law (S), Trial Advocacy, Trial Advocacy; Advanced, War on Drugs: U.S. Drug Policy (S), Welfare and Poverty Law (S)
*(S) denotes a seminar
Public Interest Journals
The Public Interest Law Journal (PILJ) is a non-partisan publication dedicated to the academic discussion of legal issues within the public interest. The PILJ focuses on constitutional law, criminal law, and family law, as well as legal ethics, environmental issues, education law, and civil rights law. Edited by second and third-year students, the PILJ features articles relating to public interest written by practicing lawyers, professors, judges, scholars and public officials, as well as book reviews, current developments in the law, and other commentaries. The Journal also publishes student-written Notes on current public interest issues.
In addition to PILJ , there are several other scholarly journals which offer students the opportunity to research and write about current legal topics in the field of public interest law. The other law school journals are the Boston University Law Review, American Journal of Law and Medicine, Annual Review of Banking & Financial Law, Boston University International Law Journal and Journal of Science & Technology Law. http://www.bu.edu/law/central/jd/organizations/journals/pilj/index.html
Public Interest Career Assistance
BU Law is a member of the Massachusetts Law School Consortium which organizes two public interest career fairs – one in the fall and another in the spring – devoted exclusively to public interest opportunities.
The CDO offers one-on-one counseling sessions, in addition it sponsors numerous public interest career and job search-related workshops, a public interest brown bag lunch series, alumni mentors, panels and programs and print and online resource materials. The workshops include; career panels, interviewing skills workshops geared toward public interest/government employers, a fellowship workshop, alternative career programming and programs on effective job search strategies and the recruitment process (including how to conduct your own self-directed job search).
These programs often feature BU Law alumni/ae engaged in public interest or government work either as part of their practice or through significant pro bono work. Participating alumni/ae customarily stay after the events to meet students and answer specific questions.
Every fall, BU Law holds a Public Interest Orientation for students, faculty and staff. This program features an alumnus/a guest speaker who works in public interest, a student panel and an opportunity for students to connect with other students interested in public service.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
Under the terms of the current grant program, which has been approved by our faculty, graduates are eligible to apply for grants for up to 10 years after graduation, though preference is given to more recent graduates. Applicants apply to the Loan Repayment Assistance Program, coordinated by the School's Financial Aid Office, and a committee considers several criteria, including the ratio of salary to aggregate debt, year of graduation, spousal income and educational loans (if any), dependent responsibility and any special circumstances affecting the applicant's ability to repay outstanding debt.
Back to top
Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
BU Law counsels students regarding fellowship opportunities and offers resources to help students identify post-graduate fellowships and awards.
Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships
Law School Funded:
Boston University School of Law is committed to supporting students who are dedicated to public interest law. Our Public Interest Scholars program is designed to provide financial support to a number of students who have demonstrated their desire to pursue a career in public interest law.
BU Law awards a limited number of full-tuition scholarships on the basis of academic merit, financial need, and a demonstrated commitment to public interest.
Interested students must submit the following application materials by March 1, 2009:
For additional information please see: http://www.bu.edu/law/prospective/apply/jd/finaid/public.html
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
BU Law counsels students regarding fellowship opportunities and offers resources to help students identify term-time fellowships and awards.
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
BU Law supports the fundraising efforts of the Public Interest Project Summer Fellowships.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
BU Law’s Public Interest Project (PIP) sponsors over 50 students with public interest summer internships. PIP several events throughout the academic year to raise funds for grants to support students in summer public-interest and public-service positions.
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
Faculty Brown Bag lunch talks – Distinguished members of our faculty speak on issues such as the military’s policy on non-recruitment of gay and lesbian persons; right to die issues; medical marijuana; and the legal duties of physicians and lawyers in conducting interrogations of unlawful combatants at Guantanamo Bay.
Public Interest Project Annual Auction – Each year the BU Law Public Interest Project organizes an auction to raise money to support students engaging in nonpaying public interest summer jobs.
Student Public Interest Groups
Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) -
Community activities have included participation in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) and a volunteer divorce clinic.
Black Law Students Association (BLSA) –
Devoted to community service.
Education and School Law Association -
Explores education law. Hosts guest speakers, career panels and other activities to introduce students to the area of education and school law.
Environmental Law Society –
They coordinate the School's white paper recycling program, as well as community service activities with Boston-area environmental groups.
Law Democrats
Law Students for Reproductive Justice
Muslim Law Students Association
National Security Law Society
OUTLAW
OutLaw is Boston University School of Law's student group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and allied students. OutLaw provides leadership and educational opportunities and strives to connect Boston University School of Law to the GLBT legal community.
Public Interest Project (PIP) -
Funds summer public interest stipends for students working in government and public interest organizations. Sponsors community service activities throughout the year. Holds an annual auction to raise money for summer stipends.
Boston University School of Law's Shelter Legal Services is a student group that supplements the work of our parent group, Shelter Legal Services Foundation, Inc. Shelter Legal Services Foundation, Inc. increases access to quality, pro bono legal services for the poor. Student volunteers, with the assistance of attorneys, staff the weekly legal clinics, advise clients and advocate in courts and administrative agencies throughout the Commonwealth.
