College of William and Mary Marshall- Wythe School of Law
College of William and Mary
Marshall- Wythe School of Law
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187
www.wm.edu/law
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Patricia Roberts Associate Dean
perobe@wm.edu
757/221-3821
Robert Kaplan
Associate Dean
rekapl@wm.edu
757/221-3805
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by a Referral System with Coordinators
Description of Program
The Law School partners with the Williamsburg Bar Association in quarterly legal clinics. The clinics provide pro bono assistance to low-income residents throughout Greater Williamsburg. Students assist volunteer lawyers with a range of pro bono services.The Law School also partners with the Virginia Bar Association to promote its Pro Bono/Community Servant Program. Through that program, nearly 230 William & Mary students pledged at least 35 hours of service during the 2005-06 academic year.
The Director of Externships also publicizes pro bono opportunities that are available with organizations who seek volunteers in addition to those students who are completing for-credit externships.
Location of Program
Career Services
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The Associate Dean for Career Services serves on the coordinating committee for the Williamsburg Bar Association's Community Legal Clinics and on the Executive Council of the Virginia Bar Association's Pro Bono/Community Servant Program.The Associate Dean for Academic Programs, who oversees externships, publicizes pro bono opportunities that are available with organizations who seek volunteers in addition to those students who are completing for-credit externships.
Funding
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Institute of Bill of Rights Law Student Division - Hampton Roads School Program (educational curriculum on Bill of Rights taught in middle and high schools in southeastern Virginia)Student Legal Services - Referrals to assist with legal needs of members of William & Mary community
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance - Assistance to area residents in preparing tax returns and answering tax-related questions
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Awards/Recognition
A reception recognizes students who complete their service as part of the Virginia Bar Association's Pro Bono/Community Service Program.An awards ceremony during graduation weekend recognizes members of the graduating class for their accomplishments. Public service is among the criteria considered for the Ewell Award and Dean's Certificates.
Recognition at graduation for public service includes the George Wythe Prize and the Thurgood Marshall Award.
Community Service
American Red Cross blood driveBone Marrow Drive: The Law School's Bone Marrow Drive Committee, working with the College's Alan Bukzin Memorial Bone Marrow Drive, raises money to cover the cost of tissue typing for new donors that enter the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. Fundraisers include Ali's Run 5K, the March Madness Free Throw Competition and the Annual Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament. The campus-wide drive is responsible for registering nearly 10,000 of the four million potential donors in the national registry.
Book drive for Head Start
Clothing drive for domestic violence shelter
Halloween party for children
Housing Partnerships: Renovation/refurbishing of homes for low-income residents
Park clean-up
Thanksgiving food drive
Toys for Tots drive
Law School Public Interest Programs
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Contact Information
Ramona SeinAssistant Dean for Career Services
rjsein@wm.edu
(757) 221-3805
Office of Career Services
Robert E. Kaplan
rekapl@wm.edu
757/221-3805
Office of Career Services
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
Public Interest Centers
Human Rights and National Security Law Project - www.wm.edu/law/institutesprograms/humanrights/Therapeutic Jurisprudence Program - The founding of the Therapeutic Jurisprudence Program at William & Mary Law School is another example of the institution's commitment to establishing new and creative programs that combine teaching and research, with significant contributions to the public good. The program provides an opportunity for law students, lawyers and judges to examine the theoretical and practical ideas associated with an important emerging body of law.
Therapeutic Jurisprudence (TJ) is the study of the role of the law as a therapeutic agent. It places much needed attention on the law's impact on emotional life and psychological well-being. As we better understand that the law is a social force that often produces therapeutic or anti-therapeutic consequences, the study of TJ provides an exciting opportunity for our students and legal professionals to gain valuable insights into how the law actually affects people. Recognition that significant human stressors are attached to legal processes is fundamental to our program. Our program explores ways consistent with the principles of justice that the knowledge associated with TJ can help minimize emotional harm and meet the needs of individuals, families and the community.
The TJ program lets our students experience lawyering with a true ethic of care. We believe that by placing emphasis on "humanizing the law" our students will be better prepared to be capable advocates, patient counselors, and outstanding leaders. It is our objective to provide academic, interdisciplinary training, and technical assistance through the therapeutic jurisprudence lens to assist people in understanding the law and the justice system as part of a helping profession.
The Therapeutic Courts Project is a crucial part of the school's TJ program. The primary focus of the project is to study therapeutic, problem-solving courts and to share "lessons learned" and "best practices" with court professionals around the world. The Project intends to identify specific needs of therapeutic court professionals and address these needs through research, training, and technical assistance.
www.wm.edu/law/institutesprograms/lawtcp/
Election Law Program - www.wm.edu/law/institutesprograms/electionlaw/
Courtroom 21 - www.wm.edu/law/courtroom21/
Iraqi Special Tribunal - This special project is conducted with the Regime Crimes Liaison Office of the Department of Justice. Second and third year students will be researching and writing legal memos on ten questions provided by the DOJ with the memos to be provided to the judges of the Iraqi Special Tribunal in Baghdad trying Sadaam Hussein and others. The client is the DOJ and students will be preparing the memos under the supervision of Professor Malone who is the supervising attorney for the project. Depending upon the number of participants, students will be expected to research and write 25-40 pages on the provided questions. There will also be a weekly, one-hour classroom meeting on substantive background issues, student discussion of their work, and international legal research. Students will also be expected to conduct an hour-long public program on the general issues facing the Iraqi Special Tribunal. Graded Pass/Fail.
www.wm.edu/law/academicprograms/curriculum/experiences/law748-01.shtml
Public Interest Clinics
Externships/Internships
www.wm.edu/law/academicprograms/curriculum/experiences.shtmlNon-Profit Organization Externship 1-3 credits:
Students in this course will be assigned to work with a lawyer providing services to one or more non-profit organizations.
Department of Employment Dispute Resolution Externship 3 credits:
This course requires students to work one full day/week in Richmond at the Department of Employee Relations Counselors, an agency which counsels state employees on work-related complaints, aspects of the grievance procedure, etc. Students will have opportunities to assist with adjudication and resolution of grievances, including investigating facts, applying the language of the grievance procedure, analyzing statutes and drafting rulings. Students may also be involved in the analysis of court decisions or other special projects as determined by the agency. Students should have a special interest in labor and employment law.
General Practice Externship 1-2 credits:
Externships provide valuable opportunities to enhance professional skills and to learn about employment options and work environment. The Director of the Externship Program and the Office of Career Services have a wide variety of placement suggestions for students who have not made their own arrangements.
Government and Public Interest Externship 3 credits:
This course provides an opportunity for students to gain practical experience by working in a government agency or nonprofit organization under the supervision of a lawyer.
Virginia Court of Appeals Externship 3 credits:
Students will work in the office of the Chief Staff Attorney reviewing briefs and records filed with the Court, and drafting proposed orders and memorandum opinions. A portion of one day each week will be spent in Richmond. Enrollment limited to four students. VA Third-Year Practice is required.
Attorney General Externship 3 credits:
Students work in the office of the Attorney General of Virginia in Richmond. Students will be expected to spend one full day per week in Richmond. Students in this course must arrange their schedules so that they have no classes one day a week. They will not be excused from other classes to participate in this course.
Judicial Clerk Externship 1-3 credits:
Provides an opportunity for students to gain insight into the judicial process from the bench, under the supervision of a local Judge. Currently there are several Federal Magistrate Judges in the Eastern District of Virginia and a VA CT of Appeals Judge serving as field instructors for students enrolled in the Judicial Clerk Externship, and additional Judges may join the program. Students selected for and enrolled in this externship are likely to have the opportunity to assist the Judge or Judge's Clerk in Court when necessary, and could be expected to perform research and writing assignments such as the review of Petitions for Appeal and Briefs in Opposition and preparation of memoranda related to this review; "procedural checks" on appellate filings; review and preparation of summaries of trial records in capital murder cases; observation and discussion of oral arguments; review of Habeus Corpus Petitions; and may have the opportunity to sit in while the Judge/Justices review petitions and deliberate.
Theraputic Courts Practice Externship 3 credits:
The Therapeutic Justice Practice Externship will offer students the opportunity to participate in specialized alcohol and drug courts in juvenile and circuit courts of Virginia. Students will be assigned to work under the supervision of a judge, prosecutor, or public defender as they learn about new and innovative alternatives to the traditional approach of the administration of justice. Students should plan one day per week with the supervising judge, prosecutor or public defender.
General Assembly Externship 1-3 credits:
During General Assembly sessions in Richmond, this externship will offer students the opportunity to work in the office of a delegate or senator. Students will learn, among other things, the daily routine of a legislator, the legislative process, and constituent services. Students will be given a rare opportunity to view the political and legislative process with a member of the world's oldest and continuously operating legislative body. Students should plan on one day per week in Richmond.
Supreme Court of Virginia Office of Chief Staff Attorney Externship 3 credits:
Provides students the opportunity to review trial court records, Petitions for Appeal and Briefs in Opposition, and prepare written memoranda outlining procedural histories, factual summaries and legal issue analysis; to assist in performing "procedural checks;" to attend and observe Supreme Court oral arguments when the full Court is in session; to attend Writ Panel and Chief Staff Attorney oral hearings and participate in discussions of significant issues raised or highlighted in the oral argument process; to prepare initial drafts of disposition orders in original jurisdiction and appellate review cases; to perform specialized research and writing projects for individual justices or the Chief Staff Attorney's Office as may be necessary. This externship requires students to spend TWO full days in Richmond each week for a total of 8 weeks. Third-year students preferred, however second-year students who have some other relevant skill or experience that demonstrates their ability to handle the office's critical and sophisticated workload in a discreet manner may be considered.
Classes with a Public Service Component
Directed Readings on International Environmental LawDomestic Violence Clinic - An examination through practice, reading, and a classroom component of domestic violence law and practice. Students will, under supervision, provide advice and counsel to residents of the Avalon shelter, and may include court representation of clients. In addition to meetings with the faculty supervisor, there is a one-hour classroom meeting per week, conducted jointly with students enrolled in the Legal Aid Clinic. Class meetings will focus both on current practice experiences of the students and readings and discussions of domestic violence law. Third-Year practice required. Enrollment limited to four students.
www.wm.edu/law/academicprograms/curriculum/experiences/law745-01.shtml
Federal Practice Tax Clinic - This clinic consists of two components: a seminar about federal tax practice and procedure and a practicum in which students will assist in the representation of low income Virginia taxpayers before the IRS and in U.S. Tax Court cases. The seminar will include a detailed and systematic exploration of federal tax practice. Students will be instructed in: interview techniques, client relations, case evaluation, settlement, negotiation, and trial techniques and strategies. Ethical issues will be discussed. The course is limited to 5 third-year students. Third-Year Practice is required.
www.wm.edu/law/academicprograms/curriculum/experiences/law743-01.shtml
International Law Clinic, Iraqi Special Tribunal - This clinic is a special project conducted with the Regime Crimes Liaison Office of the Department of Justice. Second and third year students will be researching and writing legal memos on ten questions provided by the DOJ with the memos to be provided to the judges of the Iraqi Special Tribunal in Baghdad trying Sadaam Hussein and others. The client is the DOJ and students will be preparing the memos under the supervision of Professor Malone who is the supervising attorney for the project. Depending upon the number of participants, students will be expected to research and write 25-40 pages on the provided questions. There will also be a weekly, one-hour classroom meeting on substantive background issues, student discussion of their work, and international legal research. Students will also be expected to conduct an hour-long public program on the general issues facing the Iraqi Special Tribunal.
www.wm.edu/law/academicprograms/curriculum/experiences/law748-01.shtml
Land Use Control Seminar - Students work on a project supervised by the James City County Attorney.
Legal Aid Clinic - Students work in the Williamsburg office of Legal Services of Eastern Virginia, providing legal service to poor people under the supervision of a faculty member. The legal work done by the students provides the basis for an exploration of the profession and the justice system. There is a one-hour classroom meeting per week in addition to office hours at Legal Services. In the classroom time, students discuss readings and their ongoing casework, exploring issues relevant to their client work. Third-Year practice required.
www.wm.edu/law/academicprograms/curriculum/experiences/law746-01.shtml
Public Interest Journals
Public Interest Career Assistance
Public interest employers were included in our fall and spring on-campus interview programs.In addition, the Office of Career Services sponsored a class-wide "Exploring Public Service" program for 1Ls, as well as programs for all students on Public Interest and Government Fellowships, Finding and Funding Summer Public Interest and Government Jobs, Legal Aid and Public Defender Careers, and numerous programs on government employment and judicial clerkships. We also included government and public interest attorneys in our panel discussions on substantive practice areas.
The Office also coordinated LRAP awards and summer and post-graduate public service fellowships.
Commonwealth Law School Consortium Public Interest and Government Job Fair
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
See www.wm.edu/law/careerservices/lrapapp.shtml
Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
Law School Funded:
William & Mary's Post-Graduate Public Service Fellowships provide funding for members of the most recent graduating class to work full-time in public interest positions between the time they take the bar in July and the time bar results are announced in the fall. The program is designed to provide a "bridge" for recent graduates who want to obtain public interest jobs which typically are not filled until the bar results are announced.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships
Law School Funded:
The America Reads Program responds to challenges in the higher education and financial aid communities resulting from an increase in the appropriation for Federal Work-Study (FWS) to use the increase for community service. The "America Reads Challenge" emphasizes reading tutors for preschool and elementary students as a critical national need for which the additional FWS resources are available to help forge a solution. The program is need-based and requires submission of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid Form).
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
Money in the law school budget and an endowment are earmarked for summer fellowships. The University provides an allocation comparable to Work/Study funding.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
The William & Mary Public Service Fund, a student organization, raises money for summer fellowships.
Pinter Fellowships: annual funding for positions involving LGBT or AIDS/HIV issues
Virginia Law Foundation: annual grant for positions in Virginia
Virginia State Bar Criminal Law Section: annual allocation for criminal law positions in Virginia
Christopher Wren Association: annual allocation - all public interest positions eligible
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
In Prison for 30 Years for Fraud: Sentencing and the Constitution After Sarbanes-OxleyWomen's Rights and Islamic Family Law in Afghanistan - William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law Speaker: Judge Marzia Basel, Director of the Afghan Women Judges Association
Legal Rights in Historical Perspective: From the Margins to the Mainstream - Symposium on how group-based rights move--or should move, or are stalled in their movement--from the margins of legal protection towards the mainstream
Representing Unpopular Clients: Klansman, Bombers, and the Bill of Rights - Guest Speaker: David Baugh, Esq.
Silent Covenants: Brown v. Board of Education and the Unfulfilled Hopes for Racial Reform - Marshall-Wythe Medallion
Speaker: Professor Derrick Bell
The Debate over Church and State: Religion, Marriage, and the Law - Guest Speaker: Jay Sekulow, Esq.
Cutler Lecture - The Cutler Lecture is an annual lecture by an outstanding authority on the Constitution of the United States. Each lecture is published in the William and Mary Law Review. http://www.wm.edu/law/institutesprograms/lectureseries.shtml
George Wythe Lecture - The annual George Wythe Lecture series is named in honor of the occupant of the first Chair of Law at William & Mary and in the United States. George Wythe was not only the law teacher of distinguished American patriots--Jefferson and Marshall among them--but was himself one of the most distinguished lawyers and judges of that late colonial and early national period. http://www.wm.edu/law/institutesprograms/lectureseries.shtml
Carter O. Lowance Fellowship - The Carter O. Lowance Public Service Fellowship in the Institute of Bill of Rights Law was established in 1989 by friends of the late Carter Lowance as a tribute to his distinguished public service to the people of Virginia. The Lowance Fellowship is awarded each year to a person in public life whose achievements merit special recognition. The Lowance Fellow is in residence at the Law School to deliver lectures, meet informally with students and participate generally in the life of the Law School and the College. http://www.wm.edu/law/institutesprograms/lectureseries.shtml
Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference - The Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference encourages legal scholarship on the role that property rights play in society and also facilitates the exchange of ideas between scholars and practitioners. The annual conference brings together members of the bench, bar and academia to explore recent developments in takings law and other areas of the law affecting property rights. During the conference, the Brigham-Kanner Prize is awarded to recognize an outstanding figure in the field. http://www.wm.edu/law/institutesprograms/property/
Supreme Court Preview - The Institute of Bill of Rights Law marks the commencement of the new term of the United States Supreme Court each fall with its Supreme Court Preview conference. Now in its 18th year, the Supreme Court Preview brings together leading Supreme Court journalists, advocates and legal scholars for a day and a half to discuss and analyze the Court's upcoming term. http://www.wm.edu/law/ibrl/supremecourt.shtml
Institute of Bill of Rights Law Student Division Symposium - Topics vary. Recent programs have focused on military recruitment at law schools, ten commandment displays on public property, national security vs. personal liberty, affirmative action, and racial profiling. http://www.wm.edu/law/ibrl/studentdivision.shtml
Institute of Bill of Rights Law - Lecture and debate topics vary. Recent programs have focused on the war on terror, search and seizure, transforming democracy, sentencing guidlines, the death penalty and international law, and the Second Amendment. http://www.wm.edu/law/ibrl/
Human Rights Lecture Series - Topics vary. Recent programs have dealt with human rights under Islamic law,human rights and U.S. foreogn policy,civilianization of military operations, detentions at Guantanamo Bay, use of landmines during international conflicts
Student Public Interest Groups
American Constitution SocietyAsian Law Students Association
Black Law Students Association
Bone Marrow Drive Committee
Children's Advocacy Law Society
Environmental Law & Policy Review
Federalist Society
Institute of Bill of Rights Law Student Division
Lesbian and Gay Law Association
Military Law Society
Phi Alpha Delta
Public Service Fund
Student Bar Association
Students for Equality in Legal Education
