Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
Cleveland State University
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
2121 Euclid Avenue - LB 138
Cleveland, OH 44115
www.law.csuohio.edu
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Pamela Daiker-MiddaughDirector of Pro Bono Program
Staff Attorney, Law & Public Policy Program
(216) 687-6878
Pamela.Daiker- Middaugh@law.csuohio.edu
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by a Referral System with a Coordinator
Description of Program
The Director of the Pro Bono Project facilitates individual projects, monthly projects (legal and non-legal) and ongoing larger projects. Each year, the Program holds a Pro Bono Program Volunteer Fair. At this Fair, students meet with representatives from non-profit agencies and governmental entities to learn about community service and pro bono opportunities. The Project, with the help of the Student Public Interest Law Organization, sponsors monthly group projects. These single day initiatives are either pro bono or community service. Law related projects have included providing end-of-life decision to the residents of Benjamin Rose Institute for the Elderly and providing intake for the Cleveland Bar Homeless Project. Training is provided.
The Project sponsors an Alternative Spring Break during which students are encouraged to design their own volunteer week at one or more sites in the community. In addition, through the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project, a law professor and students travel to Texas over school break to participate in this project of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. A full-time attorney oversees and coordinates the efforts of volunteer attorneys and students who provide representation and counseling to political asylum applicants and immigrants detained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Location of Program
With clinical program
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The Director of the Pro Bono Program is full-time faculty, half-time clinician and half-time program director.
Funding
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Cleveland Bar Association's Education Initiative - Students, faculty, staff and alumni work in the Cleveland Public high schools on one or more of the following initiatives (law firms and the bar association pick up some of the expenses): 1) Street Law: Law students and volunteer lawyers work with high school teachers to team-teach practical law in the social studies elective called Street Law. 2) Proficiency Exam Preparation: Law Students help prepare students to take the citizenship portion of the state-mandated proficiency exam that students must pass to receive a diploma. 3) City Mock Trial Program: Law students serve as legal advisors to help prepare student teams for competition. Law students also sit with municipal court judges and attorneys to serve as mock trial judges. 4) Mural Project: Law students help high school students paint a mural showcasing their interpretation of the law. Homeless Legal Assistance Project - Students go to shelters and assist pro bono attorneys in addressing legal issues and rights to homeless people.
International Services Center - Students and alumni provide legal assistance to people seeking asylum to the United States.
Women's Re-Entry Program - Law students work with women recently released from incarceration. Law students conduct intake, make referrals, and assist with legal decisions that the women make concerning housing, custody, employment, criminal, and social security issues.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Faculty members supervise some group pro bono projects.
Awards/Recognition
Students who volunteer at least 40 hours of public service during the school year receive certificates at the annual Academic Honors Ceremony. One student is named Pro Bono Student of the Year and, in addition to receiving a certificate, also receives a cash award of $50.
The Dean's Community Service Awards are given each spring to selected students for their commitment to community service. These awards involve a financial award of ½ tuition stipends or smaller $1000 stipends.
Community Service
The Monthly Group Projects include:
- Habitat for Humanity
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters Project
- Cleveland Food Bank
- Soup Kitchens
- Urban Garden Project
Law School Public Interest Programs
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Contact Information
Jayne GenevaDirector, Career Planning
jayne.geneva@law.csuohio.edu
(216) 687-2540
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
Public Interest Centers
Public Interest Clinics
Externships/Internships
Classes with a Public Service Component
Public Interest Journals
Public Interest Career Assistance
Students participate in the Midwest Public Interest Recruiting Conference
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
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:
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
Student Public Interest Groups
