Chapman University School of Law
Chapman University
Chapman University School of Law
One University Drive
Orange, CA 92866
www.chapman.edu
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Carolyn R. Young Director of Externship Program
cayoung@chapman.edu
714-628-2651
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by a Referral System with Coordinator
Description of Program
Chapman University School of Law, in partnership with the Public Interest Law Foundation and Externship Program, has created the "Commitment to Service" award to encourage and recognize the public interest work of Chapman Law students. Students who complete at least 50 hours of pro bono work upon graduation will receive an award acknowledging their service. The program is administered by the Director of Externships, and information and forms are available at http://www.chapman.edu/law/students/proBono.asp.
Location of Program
With the externship program
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The Director of Externships administers the Commitment to Service award program, maintaining pro bono opportuinity listings and other program forms, and verifying completed award applications.
Funding
Administrative support is provided for faculty pro bono projects as in-kind assistance.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
In 1997, Chapman adopted a mandatory pro bono policy for full-time faculty. Pro Bono is defined broadly as "uncompensated legal or law-related service to people or groups that tend to be underrepresented due to inability to pay, minority status, unpopularity of position or the widely diffused public benefits of their cause." While the policy encourages law-related work, it does not necessarily limit the work narrowly to legal representation. Therefore, "non-legal service may qualify if it's a substantial response to a legal problem." However, "service solely within the Law School and University does not satisfy the service obligation of each faculty member." No set number of hours is required. Pro Bono service is not required every year, taking into consideration periods of heavy commitment to other matters, but faculty must fulfill all expectations over a several year period. Pro bono service is a factor in rank and tenure decisions.
Awards/Recognition
Chapman holds a reception and banquet in the week before the graduation ceremony. Graduating students and their families, faculty and adminstration attend, and awards for various accomplishments such as valedictorian and law review membership are distributed. The Commitment to Service awards for pro bono work are announced at this event, and certificates are presented to students.
Community Service
Law School Public Interest Programs
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Contact Information
Suzanna AdeliziAssistant Director of Career Services
Phone: (714) 628-2517
Fax: (714) 628-2512
tmplaw13@chapman.edu
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
Public Interest Centers
Public Interest Clinics
Claremont Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence - the Claremont Institute Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence provides students with an opportunity to assist with the Center's ongoing trial and appellate litigation. Over the past four years, numerous students have participated in the program, conducting research, drafting discovery requests, preparing draft summary judgment motions and appellate briefs, attending hearings, and even preparing briefs for filing with the Supreme Court of the United States in such landmark cases as Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (the Ohio school vouchers case) and Grutter v. Bollinger (the Michigan affirmative action cases). Elder Law Clinic - Students work for elderly clients on issues such as wills, mortgages and government benefits.
Ninth Circuit Appellate Clinic - Students interested in appellate work participate in the Ninth Circuit Appellate Clinic. Students learn the fine art of appealing decisions of lower courts by writing briefs and presenting oral arguments before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The clinic pairs students with immigrants with appeals pending before the 9th Circuit Court. The cases are selected from the court's pro bono program.
Tax Law Clinic - Law students who have completed prerequisite tax law courses are eligible to represent actual taxpayers under the supervision of attorney-professors. If matters cannot be resolved before trial, students may represent clients before a judge in U.S. Tax Court. The clinic not only provides a valuable service to disadvantaged taxpayers, it teaches students valuable negotiation and interviewing skills and helps the IRS in more efficient resolution of tax controversies.
Externships/Internships
The Chapman University School of Law Externship Program allows students to earn academic credit while working in a government agency, a judge's chambers in a state or federal court, or a public interest organization. Students receive valuable instruction that supplements the traditional legal education of the classroom, and develop the practical skills, poise and confidence necessary to be effective practitioners in the courtroom and the law office. Externships also provide insight into professional responsibility and the operation of the legal system while enhancing the legal resume and providing important networking opportunities. For more information please see http://www.chapman.edu/law/programs/externships.asp#IIIB
Classes with a Public Service Component
A general survey course taught by adjunct professor but no service component is required. The adjunct professor is Joanna Joyce Weiss, Latham and Watkins, Costa Mesa, CA. On occasion, students have been granted academic credit to assist professors engage in public interest research or to represent clients. This has included drafting estate plans and wills for tax clients, and researching legal issues regarding economic development and business opportunities for low income clients.
Public Interest Journals
Public Interest Career Assistance
Chapman University School of Law is a member of the Law School Career Advisors of Southern California--a consortium of ABA approved law schools in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties. The consortium sponsors two large events focused on public interest careers they are: 1) Public Interest Career Day. There are generally 200 employers who participate in this event. Many participating employers interview students for summer or fall semester internships with their offices. Additionally, employers are permitted to host an information table. For students who are seeking greater information, there is a series of panels and brown bag lunch discussion tables.
2) Government Career Information Day. This event is organized very similarly to Public Interest Career Day and consists of panels, information tables, an interview component, and a lunch with participating employers. Unlike Public Interest Career Day which features employers from non-profit organizations, government agencies, and the courts, Government Career Day only focuses on legal employment opportunities within the government.
The Career Services Office is pleased to post public interest job openings on its job board. Additionally, the office hosts an annual reception at the beginning of the school year for the Public Law Center to inform students of volunteer opportunities with this organization. The Career Services Office has also arranged off-site visits to the Legal Aid Society of Orange County for students to become aware of opportunities with this organization. Both the Public Law Center and the Legal Aid Society are invited to participate in our annual Bar Day for all students. Finally, the office also organizes public interest career panels, including one panel on drafting a successful fellowship application for our students interested in public interest careers.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
None.
Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Approximately 3 fellowships are available per year at $3000 each. Funding is provided through the student-run Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF). PILF conducts fundraising, particularly through an annual silent auction, to support the program.
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
- Annual Public Interest Career Panel
- Periodic Speakers on Public Interest Issues (school and student sponsored)
Student Public Interest Groups
Public Interest Law Foundation - PILF holds a silent auction every spring to raise funds for summer grants to students doing public interest work. PILF also puts on a variety of lunchtime panels throughout the school year to educate students about public interest careers and pro bono opportunities. http://www.chapman.edu/law/students/PILF/default.asp
