Florida State University Florida State University College of Law
Florida State University
Florida State University College of Law
425 W. Jefferson Street
Tallahassee, FL 32306
www.law.fsu.edu
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Nancy BenavidesAssistant Dean for Student Affairs
nbenavid@law.fsu.edu
(850) 644-7338
Category Type
Pro Bono Graduation Requirement.
Description of Program
Students are required to complete and report 20 hours of civil pro bono service during the second or third year of law school. Pro bono work is defined as "work on behalf of indigent individuals or other uncompensated legal work in conjunction with an individual lawyer, law firm or organization on behalf of a disadvantaged minority, the victims of racial, sexual, other forms of discrimination, those denied human and civil rights, or other work on behalf of the public interest. Work on behalf of the public interest means legal work that is designed to represent a position on behalf of the public at large on matters of public interest. . . ." Public interest work does not include the direct representation of litigants in actions between private persons, corporations, or other representations of litigants in which the financial interests at stake would warrant representation from private legal sources. Students are required to attend a pro bono meeting that covers all aspects of this law school requirement in the spring semester of the first year of law school. A list of pre-approved placements can be found on the school's website and hard copies are available in the Office of Student Affairs. A pro bono fair is also held each spring following the pro bono meeting. Representatives of the pre-approved placement sites are invited to campus to meet with law students about their organizations and pro bono opportunities. Information about the Pro Bono Program as well as pre-approved placement sites can be found on the law school website as well as in hard copy in the Office of Student Affairs. There is significant promotion and advertisement of the pro bono information session that is mandatory for all first year law students as well as the Pro Bono Fair that brings organizations to campus in the spring.
Students must complete a Registration Form identifying the nature and location of the pro bono placement prior to starting the pro bono work. That form must be approved by the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. After completion of the pro bono requirement, the students must provide a Certificate of Completion that is signed by the student as well as the supervising attorney at the placement site. That information is entered into a pro bono tracking database in the Office of Student Affairs.
Many students choose to perform their pro bono work during the summer or during spring break.
Location of Program
Office of Student Affairs
Staffing/Management/Oversight
Nancy BenavidesAssociate Dean for Student Affairs
nbenavid@law.fsu.edu
(850) 644-7338
Funding
The Pro Bono Program is funded, in part, by a grant from the Florida Bar Foundation.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Awards/Recognition
Students who perform forty or more hours of public service receive a certificate at graduation recognizing distinguished pro bono accomplishment.
Community Service
Law School Public Interest Programs
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Contact Information
Julie SaifullahAssoc. Director, Placement Office
(850) 644-4495
jsaifull@law.fsu.edu
Placement Office
Nancy L. Benavides
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
(850) 644-7338
nbenavid@law.fsu.edu
Office of Student Affairs
Rosanna Catalano
Director, Placement Office
(850) 644-4495
rcatalan@law.fsu.edu
Placement Office
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
Student Pro Bono Program
Students are required to complete and report 20 hours of civil pro bono service during the second or third year of law school.
Public Interest Centers
Children's Advocacy Center - Founded in 1991, the Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) trains second- and third-year law students in legal advocacy with an emphasis on intensive one-on-one and small group instruction. The Center is unique among law school clinical programs for providing a broad range of legal services. With approximately 80 on-going cases, it represents children, persons with disabilities, and victims of domestic violence. It also handles special education, Medicaid, foster care, delinquency, criminal, school expulsions, developmental services, supplemental security income (SSI) cases.
Public Interest Clinics
Children's Advocacy Center - Children's Advocacy Center (a partner in the statewide Children First Coalition, with law school faculty supervision).
Externships/Internships
The Clinical Externship Program offers a supervised program with placements at over 60 public law offices in the state, including Criminal, Civil, Environmental, Labor/Employment, Local Government, Administrative, Tort, Corrections, Economic Crimes/Antitrust, Disability Law, Domestic Violence, Real Estate Transactions, Guardian Ad Litem, Legal Services, Appellate and Judicial (federal and state courts).
Classes with a Public Service Component
Children's Advocacy Center
Clinical Externship Program
Public Interest Journals
Journal of Land Use and Environmental LawJournal of Transnational Law and Policy
Public Interest Career Assistance
The Placement Office services include:
- individual consultations
- workshops
- career counseling
- e-mail and job board postings
- The law school participates in the annual Equal Justice Works career fair/conference, the Florida Prosecutors' Minority Job Fair, and the Florida Public Defender Association Job Fair.
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:
The Denise Diaz Memorial Scholarship is awarded to an entering first year female Hispanic law student dedicated to public service.
The Beverly S. McLear Scholarship is awarded to a second year female law student wishing to practice and capable of practicing environmental law in the area of public interest.
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
The Florida Bar Foundation Public Service Fellowship Fund supports stipends of $3,500 (approximately 4-6 awards annually).
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
Public Interest Law Days is an event co-sponsored by the Office of Career Placement and the Public Interest Law Student Association. This event, held in the Spring, features speakers from state agencies, local state attorney and public defenders and non-profit organizations.
Student Public Interest Groups
American Civil Liberties UnionBlack Law Students Association
Dispute Resolution Society
Environmental Law Society
National Organization for Women
OUTLaw
Public Interest Law Student Association
Spanish-American Law Students Association
Tallahassee Bar Law Student Division (TBA) Women's Law Symposium
