University of Nevada, Las Vegas - William S. Boyd School of Law
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
William S. Boyd School of Law
Box 451003
4505 Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89154-1003
www.law.unlv.edu
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Kendal Sue Bird AdamsProgram Coordinator
kendalbird@clarkcountylegalservices.com
(702) 386-1070
Cliff Marcek
Program Coordinator
Cliff.marcek@unlv.edu
(702) 366-7076
Betty Campbell
Administrative Assistant
Betty.campbell@unlv.edu
(702) 895-2874
Christine Smith
Associate Dean for Administration and Student Affairs
Christine.smith@unlv.edu
(702) 895-1872
Category Type
Pro Bono Graduation Requirement
Description of Program
The William S. Boyd School of Law Community Service Program, in collaboration with Clark County Legal Services and Nevada Legal Services, is a mandatory program. After completing a training course, second semester, first-year students provide free legal information courses on family law (divorce), paternity/custody, small claims, bankruptcy, guardianship, and immigration. In conjunction with the Neighborhood Justice Center some students are trained as mediators and conduct co-mediations and mediations throughout the academic year. Through the voluntary Partners in Pro Bono Program, a student is partnered with an experienced attorney and the two work together on a pro bono case. This project is a partnership of the law school (Associate Dean for Administration and Student Affairs) and Clark County Legal Services.
http://www.law.unlv.edu/communityServiceProgram.html
Location of Program
Associate Dean for Admission and Student Affairs
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The Law School has a half-time attorney and a quarter-time assistant assigned to the program. Clark County Legal Services and Nevada Legal Services have one full-time attorney assigned to the program.
Funding
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Vegas Immigration Student Association – The focus of V.I.S.A. is to inform and educate students and members of the community about immigration and the issues surrounding it. V.I.S.A. and the Public Interest Law Association, along with the Nevada Immigrant Resource Project, sponsor Citizenship Fairs providing students opportunities to present information to immigrants.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
"As a professional school the Law School places heavy service demands upon its faculty. . . . importance of service to school and the bar . . . Pro bono legal representation, testifying before legislative committees, teaching continuing education courses, educating non-lawyers about the law and our legal system, serving as a mediator or arbitrator, participating in professional associations and many other activities are valuable. The School thus encourages and demands service activities by all faculty, as such activities are not only good in and of themselves and are encouraged by the School, as they can inform both teaching and scholarship as well as contribute to the intellectual life of the applicable legal community. . . ."
Awards/Recognition
We hold a reception recognizing all students who participated in the Community Service Program. Outstanding students are awarded scholarships for their service.Awards: Barbara Buckley Community Service Award and the Clark County Outstanding Student Pro Bono Award.
Community Service
Student organizations who receive funding must plan and participate in at least one philanthropic event per year off campus. Activities include donations for the homeless, removing graffiti from a community, etc. The organization must complete 20 hours of service outside of the physical vicinity of the law school. The service hours are calculated by adding the number of hours worked by each organization member.
Law School Public Interest Programs
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Contact Information
Cynthia AsherDirector of Career Services
Cynthia.asher@unlv.edu
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
None.
Public Interest Centers
None.
Public Interest Clinics
Capital Defense Clinic – http://www.law.unlv.edu/clinic.htmlChild Welfare Clinic – http://www.law.unlv.edu/clinic_childWelfare.html
Education Clinic – http://www.law.unlv.edu/clinic_Education.html
Immigration Clinic – http://www.law.unlv.edu/clinic_immigration.html
Juvenile Justice Clinic – http://www.law.unlv.edu/clinic_juvenileJustice.html
Externships/Internships
Students have the opportunity to learn as student externs under the direct supervision of attorneys and judges. Externship opportunities exist in the public and not-for-profit sectors, including all federal and state judicial branches, the Nevada and U.S. legislatures, and offices of the U.S. Attorney, Federal Public Defender, Clark County District Attorney, Clark County Public Defender, Clark County Legal Services, Nevada Legal Services, Clark County School District Office of Compliance and Monitoring, Henderson City Attorney, Nevada Attorney General, Nevada Immigrant Resource Project*, Senior Citizen Law Center, UCCSN Office of Legal Counsel, National Labor Relations Board, Washoe County Family Law Self-Help Center, and other programs. Aside from current placements in Northern Nevada (Reno/Carson City), further placements are in development.Externships expose students to a wide range of legal issues and the opportunity to conduct legal research and draft memoranda, pleadings, and a variety of other legal documents; interview clients; and assist and participate in cases.
Classes with a Public Service Component
LEAP - Legal Education & Assistance for Prisoners Seminar - Students provide legal information to inmates at several Nevada Department of Corrections facilities. Students are assigned to a team that will work with the inmates at one of the facilities. Students meet with and conduct interviews with the inmate law clerks to identify legal topics about which they need information. Students then research those issues, develop training materials and conduct workshops or training sessions for the inmates using the materials they develop. Students visit the facilities once each month.
Public Interest Journals
5 Nev. L.J. (Fall 2004) (Symposium Issue: Pursuing Equal Justice in the West)Nevada Law Journal, Volume 6, (Spring 2006), Number 3 – Special Issue on Legal Representation of Children
Public Interest Career Assistance
Presentations and workshops throughout the school year encouraging students to consider careers in Public Interest/Public Service
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
The School of Law is developing a program.
Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
Law School Funded:
None.
Graduate Student Funded:
None.
Other Funding Sources:
None.
Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships
Law School Funded:
Community Service Program Scholarships - Annually three students receive $1,000 scholarships for outstanding service in the community service program. One student is chosen as the most outstanding student and receives $4,450.
Community Service Scholarships - Several scholarships are awarded to students who show a commitment to community service. The scholarships are $2,500.
Graduate Student Funded:
None.
Other Funding Sources:
None.
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
None.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
The Public Interest Law Students Association raises funds for student fellowships for public interest summer clerkships.
PILA raised funds to allow four students to work in public interest offices during the summer. Students worked for Clark County Legal Services with domestic violence victims, Clark County Special Public Defender's Office on child abuse and welfare issues, with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights to help expose human rights abuses in the United States criminal justice system and for the Maricopa County Public Defender's Office helping individuals who have been charged with crimes. These students contributed over 1,280 hours of legal service to low-income, indigent and underrepresented populations.
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
Social Justice Discussion Lunch Series – The Public Interest Law Students Association sponsors this luncheon program.
Student Public Interest Groups
All student organizations must do a community service project in order to receive funding for the academic year.Public Interest Law Association – PILA is a student organization that promotes public interest and public service activities. Each year PILA raises funds to provide summer grants to students who work in non-profit or government agencies representing underserved or indigent populations.
Saltman Center Conflict Resolution Student Organization – Sponsored training for students to serve as mediators with the Neighborhood Justice Center.
Vegas Immigration Student Association – Sponsored two programs: Domestic Violence & Nicaragua's Legal System and Trafficking of Humans--How Prevalent is it in the U.S./Las Vegas?
