Franklin Pierce Law Center
Franklin Pierce Law Center
Franklin Pierce Law Center
2 White Street
Law Center
Concord, NH 03301
www.piercelaw.edu
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Brigette HolmesDirector, Social Justice Institute
bholmes@piercelaw.edu
603-228-1963, x1166
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by a Referral System with a Coordinator
Description of Program
The Student Pro Bono Project, a joint project with the New Hampshire Bar Association's Pro Bono Program, began as a student initiative. The project pairs law students with NH lawyers to work on a volunteer basis on pro bono cases accepted through the NH Bar Association's Pro Bono Program. The Project is in the process of expanding to include pro bono opportunities for students in local legal aid offices and other non-profits.
Location of Program
Pierce Law's Student Pro Bono Project is part of the Social Justice Institute
Staffing/Management/Oversight
Funding
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Black Law Student Alliance and Hispanic Law Student Alliance – These two student organizations set up an Immigration Law pro bono project where law student volunteers assist with intake and client interviews at a local immigration agency.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Awards/Recognition
Community Service
- Orientation for all 1L students includes a group Community Service Project.
- Pierce Law's Social Justice Institute and the Public Interest Coalition (PIC) sponsor the Annual Bruce Friedman Community Service Day, in which law students, faculty and staff participate each year, donating a day of work to local non-profit organizations.
Law School Public Interest Programs
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Contact Information
Brigette HolmesDirector, Social Justice Institute
bholmes@piercelaw.edu
603-228-1963, x1166
Social Justice Institute
Mary Sheffer
Assistant Dean for Career Services
msheffer@piercelaw.edu
(603) 228-1541 x1175
Career Services
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
A curricular guide is distributed to every student, and is available on the school's website (http://www.piercelaw.edu/curricular). Within the guide are public interest tracks within Pierce Law's Social Justice Institute - Criminal Justice, Family and Children, and Elders and Persons with Disabilities.
Public Interest Centers
Social Justice Institute – The goals of Franklin Pierce Law Center's Social Justice Institute are to train lawyers to provide affordable, high-quality legal services accessible to all, to advocate for social justice, and to creatively explore and develop successful, innovative practice models for delivery of legal services in our constantly changing society. For more information see, http://www.piercelaw.edu/socjustice/socjust.htm
Public Interest Clinics
Administrative Advocacy ClinicAppellate Defender Clinic
Consumer & Commercial Law Clinic
Criminal Practice Clinic
IP & Transaction Clinic
Mediation Clinic
Externships/Internships
Our externship program is one of the oldest in the country. With the guidance of the externship director, students can plan an externship with government agencies, non-profit organizations, law firms, judges, and in-house positions.The majority of our public interest externships fall in the criminal prosecution and defense throughout the US. However, we have had students at National Public Radio, the Library of Congress, working with risk management in hospitals and working on disability rights issues, to name just a few.
Please see www.piercelaw.edu/externships/externindex.htm for more information for students and employers.
Classes with a Public Service Component
Lobbying and Legislative Process – http://www.piercelaw.edu/registrar/CoursDesc.htmStreet Law Class – www.piercelaw.edu/registrar/CoursDesc.htm
Public Interest Journals
Public Interest Career Assistance
Both the Assistant Dean for Career Services, Mary Sheffer and the Interim Director of the Social Justice Institute, Megan DeVorsey work together to provide career counseling and support to students exploring Public Interest careers.
- Individual job search counseling
- Handouts written for students seeking public interest jobs
- Alumni contacts
- Information about funding sources
- The Northeast Law Consortium's Washington DC Off campus job fair.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
The Phinney Fund: (Loan Repayment Program)
Contact: Clinton A. Hanson, Jr., Director of Financial Aid, 603-228-1541 x1104, chanson@piercelaw.edu
Eligibility: Graduates with an adjusted gross income of $35,000 or less (or an adjusted gross income of $70,000 for married/partnered applicants) in qualified employment (Legal Services, Public Defender, Non-Profits, Government, Private Practice, Non-legal public interest) may apply. Graduates are eligible for five years after graduation.
Terms: Graduates may receive loan repayment assistance for 50% of the projected/calculated annual consolidated loan payments of their eligible loans. The maximum award per graduate is $3,500 annually, for a maximum of five years.
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:
We have students working at places such as the NH Attorney General's office, Legal Advice and Referral Center, and the NH Civil Rights Commission.
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
Yes
Graduate Student Funded:
Yes
Other Funding Sources:
The Public Interest Coalition organizes a charity auction every year to fund students who are working in the public interest over the summer.
Other Funding by Gifts:
Lexis-Nexis $3,500
Orr & Reno $3,500
The NH Bar Foundation $3,500
The Cindy Lonergan Memorial Fund $1,750
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
Public Interest Luncheon – The Social Justice Institute invites representatives from all of the local public interest agencies and provides pizza and drinks. This luncheon helps to kick off the auction fundraising efforts as it reminds students about the wonderful careers there are in public interest. Bownes Forum – A speaker is invited every year to address the school community and the greater Concord community about constitutional law issues. This year the Bownes Forum speaker was Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU
Community Service Days – Each year during Orientation we have a community service day where new 1Ls can join 2Ls and 3Ls in doing projects for the local community. Also, in the first semester we have a community service day in honor of the founder of our civil clinic.
Public Interest Auction – This fundraising event is an annual tradition for the school community and also the local bar. It not only raised money for students working in the public interest, but also heightens awareness of the need for more lawyers working in public interest.
Fun Run for Justice – An annual event which raises money for our loan repayment assistance program.
Phinny Fund Golf Tournament – In it's first year, this tournament raised over $15,000. It kicks off reunion weekend and raises money for our loan repayment assistance program.
Student Public Interest Groups
Con. Law SocietyPhi Alpha Delta
Public Interest Coalition
