Lewis & Clark College Northwestern School of Law
Lewis & Clark College
School of Law
10015 SW Terwilliger Blvd
Portland, OR 97219
law.lclark.edu/
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Bill Penn
Public Interest Law Coordinator
503.768.6608
wcpenn@lclark.edu
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by a Referral System with a Coordinator
Description of Program
The Pro Bono Program, created in 1997, offers students an opportunity to act as volunteer legal interns with public service organizations. Pro bono placements/opportunities are promoted and facilitated through notices posted on a prominently situated window dedicated to pro bono, through individual student meetings with the Public Interest Law Coordinator or the Career Services professional, through an annual week of Pro Bono Panels (featuring as many as 20 organizations), through the Pro Bono Honors Program Awards (which offers recognition to students completing a minimum number of pro bono hours), and through email promotions (for specific opportunities and specific developed pro bono programs) to a pro bono list-serve. A student Evaluation Form is included in the Pro Bono Honors Program packet. The forms are collected and kept in a notebook for future students to review.
Location of Program
The Public Interest Law Coordinator is part of the Career Services staff. This person coordinates the pro bono and community service programs.
Staffing/Management/Oversight
Public Interest Law Coordinator provides oversight of the pro bono program.
Funding
Our Pro Bono Program is funded through the Career Services budget. The annual budget is approximately $2,500.
All group projects, except the Classroom Law Project and VITA, are supported through the resources of the Career Service Office. The Law School provides general support for the Classroom Law Project and VITA Program.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Classroom Law Project - The Law School is a sustaining member of the Classroom Law Project, a non-profit organization of educators, lawyers and civic leaders building strong communities by teaching high school students to become active citizens. See http://www.classroomlaw.org Community Alliance of Tenants - Students act as hotline volunteers and answer questions from tenants about their rights and responsibilities.
Legal Aid Services Projects - The Law School has two projects in collaboration with Legal Aid Services of Oregon and two with large local law firms.
Portland Women's Crisis Line - Volunteers work at the 24 hour crisis line, providing information, referrals and advocacy-based counseling to callers.
Tribal Ad Hoc Program - Program offers free legal research and writing assistance to tribal court judges throughout the country on short-term, one-time projects.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA)
Volunteers of America - Student volunteers assist and advocate for individuals who are applying for restraining orders. Program is held at the Multnomah County Courthouse.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Faculty members are involved in the Classroom Law Project and VITA Program as the program coordinators, trainers, and advisors.
Awards/Recognition
As part of the Pro Bono Honors Program, a certificate is given to each student who completes at least 30 hours of volunteer, not-for-credit and not-for-compensation work between May and April. The awards are given during a recognition lunch and ceremony at the end of each school year. The school also has a Community Service Honors Program. To qualify to receive the Community Service Honors Award, a student must perform 30 hours or more community service work. The qualifying students are recognized with a framed certificate at an awards presentation in April. The Law School's graduation program lists all graduates who have received the award during one or more of their years in law school. Since 2001, pro bono honor awards are also noted on all recipients' transcripts.
Students are also recognized by the Oregon State Bar and the Oregon Supreme Court through personalized congratulatory letters. An article on award recipients is published each year in the Oregon State Bar's Bulletin, and an article and photo is printed in the Law School's alumni publication.
Community Service
In 2001, the Law School instituted a Community Service Honors Program, a sister program to the Pro Bono Honors Program. The requirements of the program are identical to the Pro Bono Honors Program, except there is no requirement that the work completed be legal in nature. The Public Interest Law Coordinator and the Office of Career Services actively encourage community service work, as well as pro bono legal work.
Law School Public Interest Programs
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Contact Information
Bill Penn
Public Interest Law Coordinator
503.768.6608
wcpenn@lclark.edu
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
Public Interest Centers
Public Interest Clinics
Community Development Law Center International Environmental Law Project
Lewis & Clark Legal Clinic
National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI)
Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center
Externships/Internships
Students have the opportunity to participate in both Clinical Internship Seminars (CIS) and Externships. In CIS courses, students complete both classroom study and internship practicum's in the designated field of study. The public interest CIS courses that are offered include: Criminal Law, Disability Law, Environmental and Natural Resource Law, Environmental Prosecution, and Federal Indian Law. Many students who participated in the Externship program had public interest placements. They worked for a variety of organizations including, The Center for Constitutional Rights, Earth Rights International, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Classes with a Public Service Component
The courses associated with the clinical programs all have a public service component. In addition, some of the Professional Responsibility courses (a mandatory course for graduation) include a required pro bono component. Professor Steve Johansen has such a requirement when he teaches Professional Responsibility. His phone number is 503/768-6637 and his email is tvj@lclark.edu.
Public Interest Journals
Animal Law Review
Public Interest Career Assistance
Career Related Services:
- Individual public interest job search counseling for students and alumni
- Public interest resources and career planning materials available
- Public interest job postings
- Public interest programming (including speakers, panels, strategy information, etc)
- Public interest publications created by the Career Services Office
- Pro Bono Listserv
- Northwest Consortium Public Interest Career Fair ( http://www.lclark.edu/org/pifair/)
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
For information, see http://www.lclark.edu/dept/lawalum/lrap.html
Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships
Law School Funded:
Public Interest Law Scholarships - Please see http://www.lclark.edu/dept/lawadmss/scholarships.html
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Federal Work Study Funds
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
Yes
Graduate Student Funded:
Yes
Other Funding Sources:
Annual PILP Auction and Law School donation (money raised from students, alumni, friends, and the Law School). Approximately $50,000 per year raised, allowing 17-20 summer students to be awarded. The full-time summer stipends (40 hours for 10 weeks) are typically $4000 per student.
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
NW Public Interest Career Fair - In the Spring, Career Services, in cooperation with ten other area law school, sponsors the Career Fair providing students and graduates the opportunity to meet representatives from 50-60 government agencies or public service organizations in order to learn more about the agency or organization and their work. Participating offices are also invited to interview students and graduates for law clerk or attorney positions. More detailed information is posted on the website in late fall of each year.
Student Public Interest Groups
ACLU Student Group - Student ralliesCriminal Law Society - Speaker series
Environmental Law Caucus - Speaker series
Student Animal Defense Fund - Speaker series and Conference
The Public Interest Law Project - Auction
