Pennsylvania State University The Dickinson School of Law
Pennsylvania State University
The Dickinson School of Law
150 South College Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
www.dsl.psu.edu
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Kate Cramer LawrencePublic Interest and Clinical Teaching Fellow
Acting Director of the Miller Center for Public Interest Advocacy
(717) 240.5210
kmc32@psu.edu
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by a Referral System with a Coordinator
Description of Program
The Miller Center will pair law students who have agreed to provide pro bono research with lawyers providing pro bono representation, Legal Service attorneys, public defenders, private attorneys appointed by the court to represent indigent defendants, public interest organizations, and pro bono programs that have requested assistance on a case or particular issue.http://www.dsl.psu.edu/centers/miller.cfm
Location of Program
The Miller Center for Public Interest Advocacy houses the formal voluntary pro bono program and the Public Interest Fellow.
Staffing/Management/Oversight
Funding
The Miller Family made the initial donation which founded the Miller Center and the Chair position.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Awards/Recognition
Two times during each academic year, Miller Center hold a reception in honor of the most recently certified Public Interest Advocates. Faculty, staff, students and community members attend to support the Advocates as they receive plaques commorating their acheivments.Students who have been certified as Miller Center Public Interest Advocates by performing at least 60 hours of public service legal work are acknowledged in the graduation program and asked to stand and be recognized during the commencement ceremony.
Community Service
- Coordinate Volunteering with the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen
- Participate in the Carlisle Chapter of Big Brother Big Sister - Law School Mentor Program
- Send volunteer to work with Habitat for Humanity
- Chili Cook-off fundraiser for local food bank
Law School Public Interest Programs
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Contact Information
Kate Cramer Lawrence Public Interest and Clinical Teaching Fellow
Acting Director of the Miller Center for Public Interest Advocacy
(717) 240.5210
kmc32@psu.edu
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
Students who perform at least sixty hours of public interest work during their law school careers are formally recognized as Miller Center Public Interest Advocates upon graduation.
Public Interest Centers
The law school provides counseling and programming for public interest minded students through the Public Interest and Clinical Teaching Fellow. The Fellow also coordinates the pro bono program and is a general resource for all students with respect to the service aspects of a legal education.
Public Interest Clinics
- Disability Law Clinic: Offers free legal services to Cumberland and Perry County residents with issues related to disability in areas including social security, discrimination and special education issues.
- Elder Law Clinic: Students are a primary legal resource to elders in issues concerning consumer protection, health care and family disputes, among others.
- Family Law Clinic: Provides free legal help to people with issues concerning the family such as divorce, child support, custody, domestic violence and other matters.
- The Inmate Assistance Clinic:Students engage in problem solving through answering legal questions of inmates and making referrals when appropriate.
- The Children's Advocacy Clinic: Students represent the best interest of the child in a number of settings including dependency and neglect, custody and contested adoption hearings.
- The Refugee Clinic: Students represent detained immigrants in hearings before an administrative law judge and through appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals.
- Center for Law and Education
- Federal Public Defender
- Judicial Clerkships
- Non-Profit organizations (Community Justice Project)
- Legal Services offices
- Government and non-profit placements through the Semester in Washington Program
- The Guide to Public Interest Opportunities is prepared by Dickinson Law PILF, Career Services Office, and The Miller Center for Public Interest Advocacy and provided to all students.
- http://www.dsl.psu.edu/centers/miller.cfm is a website maintained by the Miller Center for Public Interest Advocacy
Externships/Internships
Legal Problems of IndigentsClasses with a Public Service Component Public Interest Journals
The Career Services Office serves as a resource center for students of DSL. The Career Services Office public interest website http://www.dsl.psu.edu/career/publicinterest.cfm provides links to public interest opportunities. Career Services provides a number of resources specifically geared toward public interest career opportunities and funding including books, binders and video tapes.Public Interest Career Assistance The Career Services Office and the Public Interest Office participate in the Equal Justice Works Career Fair as well as the Consortium of Greater Philadelphia Area Law Schools Public Interest / Public Service Career Fair.
The Public Interest Office updated the "Guide to Public Interest Opportunities" annually, provides counseling and programming geared towards public interest careers. Additionally, the Law School provides access to PSLawNet.
Dickinson School of Law has a Loan Repayment Assistance Program to help qualifying graduates working in public interest fields. Please see http://www.dsl.psu.edu/finaid/lrap.cfm for details.Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
Law School Funded:Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Law School Funded:Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Cohen Public Interest Scholarship - provides financial support for a student based on financial need and dedication to pursuing a public interest as a career.
Law School Funded:Summer Fellowships Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
The Cherie T. Millage Summer Fellowship Program sponsored by Dickinson Law PILF is awarded to students who obtain volunteer summer jobs in public interest law.
Federal Work study money combined with PHEAA money funded 12 students in public interest positions.
IOLTA funding for students working in Legal Services offices throughout PA.
http://www.dsl.psu.edu/groups/pilf.cfm
Annual Public Interest Speaker - Past speakers: Barry Scheck, Morris Dees, Robert F Kennedy Jr.Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs Public Interest Law Week - Bring in Fellowship speakers, provide lunches with local attorney on relevant topics, etc.
Robert M Cover Retreat - Annually send students to attend the retreat and organized the 19th Annual retreat in 2006.
Dickinson Law Public Interest Law Fund (PILF): Established by students in the fall of 1990, PILF is dedicated to promoting the practice of law in the public interest arena. PILF sponsors a summer fellowship program and hosts public interest events on campus to educate students about the rewarding career possibilities in public interest law. www.clubs.psu.edu/PILF.Student Public Interest Groups ACLU: The revitalized student chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is an active organization working towards protecting against the violation of civil liberties.
Amnesty International: The school has an active chapter of the worldwide human right organization.
Asian Pacific American Law Student's Association: APALASA's mission includes the promotion of diversity at Penn State's Dickinson School of Law as well as educating and advocating for Asian Pacific American issues.
Black Law Students Association:This organization is designed to promote the professional needs and desires of black law students and strives to provide and support numerous community service efforts in the Carlisle area.
Environmental Law Society: The Society performs community service activities related to environmental education and protection, sponsors Law School events to focus awareness on environmental issues, maintains an information board presenting news articles on current local, state, national, and world environmental issues, and hosts speakers and discussions.
Latino/a Law Student Association: Through the power of community, LLSA seeks to foster activism in all forms that seeks to improve conditions for the entire Latino population, which is now the nation's largest minority group.
Minority Law Students Association: Among other things, the MLSA works to foster and encourage a diverse community at Dickinson and to enable and support minority law students in achieving their goals.
Outlaw: Established by students in the spring of 2003, Outlaw strives to promote an atmosphere of diversity and tolerance in the Penn State Dickinson School of Law community by addressing legal, political, and social issues that affect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people in our society.
Project S.T.A.F.F.: Students Taking Action For the Furture is designed to is to provide the students of Penn State Dickinson with notice of, and opportunities for, community service in the surrounding Carlisle and Harrisburg areas.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA): This volunteer program, held in the spring, gives students a client counseling opportunity by helping local residents prepare their federal, state, and local income tax returns.
Women's Law Caucus: This organization seeks to promote an awareness and understanding of the legal and social issues facing women and men today through discussion and education.
- Center for Law and Education
