Include Your Public Interest Hours in the LSD’s Countdown 2000

Countdown 2000 is the Law Student Division’s campaign to count all the hours of public interest work performed by law students across the country. All unpaid public service work accomplished between the 1998 fall semester and the end of the spring semester in the year 2000 is eligible. This includes public interest work for which students receive academic credit including school legal clinics.

The goal of Countdown 2000 has been raised considerably. Previously, the aim was 200,000 hours, which has been surpassed. Now, the goal is to have at least 2 million hours of documented public service hours by the year 2000 American Bar Association annual meeting.

At the 1998 annual meeting in Toronto, then-public interest chair Tim Tuttle challenged each ABA school representative to submit a minimum of 2,000 hours before the end of the 1999 spring semester. "This is an easily attainable number of public service hours," Tuttle said. "One clinic alone will contribute several thousand hours to a school’s number."

Public service hours from all law students are eligible. The students do not have to be ABA members, nor do the projects need to be affiliated with the ABA.

To submit hours, download the Countdown 2000 submission form from the LSD’s web page, www.abanet.org/lsd/2000.html, and mail to the address listed.

For more information, contact this year’s public interest chair, Amy Williams, at 405-447-9868, alwilliams[underline] 84@hotmail.com. •