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Harvard Law School Class of 2005 Required to Perform First-Ever Pro Bono Service Requirement

published March 26, 2023

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Summary

The Harvard Law School Class of 2005 was the first to experience a pro bono requirement when they graduated from the university. Graduates from this class must complete many hours of pro bono work before they can receive their degree, which has sparked controversy among legal professionals.


Pro bono work is a legal service provided free of charge to those who cannot afford a lawyer. Harvard Law School's pro bono requirement mandates that graduates complete at least 50 hours of pro bono service prior to graduation. While some see this as a positive step in increasing access to justice, others argue that it is an unfair obligation that should not be required to complete a law degree.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has long required that law students engage in pro bono work, but Harvard Law School is the first to require that students complete 50 hours of pro bono before they graduate. This requirement came on the heels of Harvard Law School's revival of the Clinical Program, which allows students to gain practical experience in the legal field.

This mandate has caused a stir among some in the legal community, with some saying that it is too much to ask of students and can be a burden to those who do not come from privileged backgrounds. They argue that pro bono hours should be voluntary, not mandatory. Others believe that making pro bono work mandatory for law students is a necessary step in providing equal access to justice for people who lack the resources to hire a lawyer.

In addition to pro bono hours, Harvard Law School also requires that students participate in at least three hours of public service activities each term. This requirement is meant to foster a sense of civic responsibility in graduates of the law school, as well as to encourage students to be active and engaged members of their community.

The Harvard Law School Class of 2005 was the first to be faced with these new requirements, but they are not alone. Other law schools across the country have followed suit and enforced their own pro bono requirements.

The Harvard Law School's pro bono requirement has opened a debate between those in favor of the mandate and those opposed. This requirement could have a major impact on the way law students perceive the legal profession and could have long-lasting implications for access to justice. The pro bono requirement for the Harvard Law School Class of 2005 is the first of its kind, and the discussion it has sparked will surely continue for many years to come.
 

Harvard Law School Class of 2005: The First Class To See A Pro Bono Requirement

The Harvard Law School Class of 2005 was the first to see the introduction of the new pro bono requirement. The requirement requires students to perform a minimum of 50 hours of pro bono legal work before being eligible for a degree. This rule was introduced by the Harvard Law School to encourage graduates to provide free legal services to those in need in their local communities.
 

The Goals Of Harvard Law School's Pro Bono Requirement

The requirement is part of an effort to ensure that Harvard Law graduates are actively contributing to their local communities, and are dedicated to providing access to justice for those who need it most. In addition, Harvard hopes that by engaging in pro bono work, students will gain valuable legal experience that will help them in their future legal careers.
 

The Flexibility Of Harvard Law's Pro Bono Requirement

Harvard Law School is flexible in working with students to fulfill the pro bono requirement. Students have the option of working with a variety of pro bono organizations or performing individual service projects. In addition, the school allows students to satisfy the requirement through externships, internships, research projects, or even volunteer work.
 

Harvard Law Alumni: A Rich History Of Pro Bono Work

Harvard Law alumni have a long and rich tradition of engaging in pro bono work. In fact, many Harvard Law graduates have gone on to become national and even international leaders in public service and the legal field. By introducing the pro bono requirement, Harvard Law School is continuing its legacy of providing students with the opportunity to engage in meaningful pro bono service, and to become a leader in the legal field.

While Harvard Law has a long tradition of students volunteering their time and knowledge to the local and world communities, this tradition was not set in stone until the start of the Pro Bono Service Program in 2002. The program was put in place to "instill a public-service ethos" into students, says Director Lisa Dealy.

Now at Harvard Law, between the spring semester of a student's first year and spring break of his or her third year, the student must do 40 hours of some sort of free legal work. Many students do much more than the required amount, says Dealy, with 82% of students doing more than 100 hours each of pro bono legal work since the requirement was launched.

The goal of the program is to have students carry a philosophy of service with them into their legal careers. Even if a student moves on to work in corporate law, says Dealy, there is a hope that he or she will continue to do pro bono work of some kind in his community.

The program also helps to put an emphasis on experiential learning, which, as opposed to the many specialty clinics that are available to students, is mandatory.

For example, if a student is interested in corporate law with a focus on real estate, he or she can come to Dealy's office and ask about what pro bono opportunities there are that would pertain to his or her career goals. Dealy can then direct him or her to a firm or nonprofit that is working to develop low-income housing. This gives the student experience in his/her desired field, helps members of the community, and fulfills his/her pro bono service requirement.

The pro bono work can take many forms, says Dealy, but it must be legal work, not just community service. Some students do research and writing, some help draft legislation, others represent indigent clients.

Rules governing who can practice law vary from state to state. In Massachusetts, third-year law students can provide direct legal services to clients if they are under the supervision of a licensed attorney.

The program requires that there is a supervising attorney at the firm or organization in which the student works, says Dealy. The supervisor must give feedback, teach good legal skills to the student, and have a mission of helping to make a good lawyer. "We do look into the supervision piece very carefully," says Dealy.

One hurdle for program participation for some nonprofits, says Dealy, is that the staff attorneys there are so flat-out with work that they do not have time to supervise a student, even though the group may need pro bono help.

So far, about a quarter of students are doing their pro bono work in state and local government offices, says Dealy. Others work in Public Defender offices or provide direct legal services to the poor through other groups. So far, all of Harvard Law's students have gotten their first choices of pro bono assignments, says Dealy, but this could change now that all students at the school will be under the requirement. Those in classes prior to 2005 were grandfathered out of the requirement, although many did pro bono work nonetheless.

Some students at Harvard work with individual professors who have been asked to do pro bono work, such as writing amicus briefs, says Dealy. Professors will call her office outlining their requirements for an assistant, and a student with the required skills and academic background will be placed with the professor for the project. Some professors will only take on some pro bono projects if they can find a student to assist them, says Dealy.

Other students fulfill their pro bono requirement at organizations abroad over the summers. They work in international nonprofit groups on human-rights issues or in law firms working on immigration cases, for example. These students are allowed to receive travel grants (ranging from $3,300 to $5,600) to take these positions and still have the work count towards the pro bono requirement, says Dealy, but they cannot receive payment for the work itself. There are also summer funding grants for those doing domestic public interest work.

Another way for a Harvard student to fulfill the requirement is to work with one of several student organizations helping the community. Overall, about one-third of Harvard Law students meet the pro bono requirement through existing campus organizations, says Dealy. One of these campus groups is the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, the oldest student-run law practice in the country.

For an in-depth look at a student who made this commitment, see the story profiling on Jennifer Cannistra on this page.

published March 26, 2023

( 14 votes, average: 3.9 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.