Law Practice

What types of pro bono work can law students do?

Law students can help provide much-needed assistance to legal aid and public interest law organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means. Law students can choose from a range of pro bono opportunities that complement their interests and skills, including:

• Interviewing clients at a local legal aid agency, hotline, or clinic;
• Researching legal issues;
• Drafting legal motions, memoranda, or briefs;
• Assisting in trial When the issues of a case are heard in court and decided by a judge or jury or administrative preparations;
• For students with a Rule 711 license under the supervision of a licensed attorney and with the prior written consent When someone gives permission for someone else to do something of the person whose behalf the law student or graduate is acting:
  • Counsel Another name for a lawyer and advise clients, negotiate in the settlement of claims, represent clients in mediation When a neutral person, called a mediator, works to help the parties in a case reach an agreement and other non-litigation matters, and engage in the preparation and drafting of legal instruments;
  • Appear in Illinois trial courts, courts of review, and administrative tribunals, including court-annexed arbitration When parties present their case to a third person instead of going to court. The arbitrator’s decision is binding. This means it becomes part of the final judgment even if the parties don’t agree with it. and mediation, subject to certain conditions
• Assisting with pro bono transactional legal assistance, which can include work in the areas of corporate, tax, intellectual property, and real estate Property consisting of land or buildings like a house or an apartment work, to low-income small business entrepreneurs or community-based nonprofit organizations involved with community economic development issues;
• Helping clients navigate the legal process at court-based self-help centers or advice desks, or at neighborhood clinics; and
• Making presentations and/or developing community legal education materials on legal issues of interest to persons of limited means.

How do law students benefit from performing pro bono work?

In addition to helping to provide much-needed legal assistance to persons of limited means, performing pro bono work exposes law students to many personal and professional benefits that ultimately will help them become better lawyers, including:

• An opportunity to meet and assist a “real” client, often the only opportunity to do so while in law school;
• Development or enhancement of many legal practice skills, including interviewing, research, writing, trial preparation, case management, and interpersonal skills;
• An opportunity to gain exposure to various areas of substantive law, which may help with the selection of a future practice specialty;
• Gaining professional experience, enhancing resumes, and building relationships with practicing attorneys who may be important contacts for future employment;
• Emotional fulfillment which will help increase law students’ connection to the community, while making it a better place to live;
• The opportunity to learn firsthand about the unmet needs of the poor and working poor; and
• Learning to balance responsibilities and integrate pro bono work into their practice at the beginning of a law career.

Why are pro bono legal services so important?

Legal aid is a critical social service that helps prevent minor A person under 18 years old legal issues from spiraling into crises. According to a major study, The Legal Aid Safety Net: A Report on the Legal Needs of Low-Income Illinoisans, low-income Illinois residents succeed in obtaining help for only one out of every six problems they face that require the services of a lawyer Someone who represents clients in courts or who gives legal advice . According to this study, poor people faced more than 1.3 million civil legal problems involving issues such as domestic violence Harm by one household or family member against another household or family member. Harm may be an emotional, mental, or physical injury , divorce, child custody, evictions, mortgage A loan given by a bank that is used to help someone buy a home foreclosures, or the physical and financial abuse of the elderly. Unfortunately, Illinois’ legal aid system remains severely underfunded today, leaving hundreds of thousands of lower-income residents unable to obtain civil legal assistance that is critical to their safety and independence. The equivalent of only about 325 full-time legal aid lawyers practice in Illinois; this is a ratio of one legal aid lawyer for every 4,752 problems faced by the poor. The rapidly growing gap between the legal needs of those who cannot afford legal services and the resources available to meet their needs must be bridged, and law students can and should play an integral role.

What resources are available to assist law students in their pro bono efforts?

Illinois Legal Aid Online has developed web-based resources for pro bono volunteers throughout Illinois. The website contains thousands of legal resources. The largest volume of practice support information is concentrated in the areas of greatest need for lower-income clients, including housing, family law, and consumer law. Website users can sort the legal resources library by practice area or by type of resource, so finding forms or video training presentations is easy.

Illinois Legal Aid Online also works with every pro bono program in the state to provide volunteers with the highest quality and most up-to-date information and training resources. The website supports both pro bono attorneys and pro bono programs seeking volunteers.

What pro bono and public interest programs are available in Illinois law schools?

The American Bar Association published law school public interest and pro bono programs available by state. Visit the ABA for the directory, sorted by school: Directory Law School Public Interest and Pro Bono Programs in Illinois.

What are some examples of pro bono programs available for law students?

In addition to law school pro bono programs, below are examples of pro bono programs available specifically for law students:

• Illinois JusticeCorps: This is an innovative program to improve access to justice for people in need and to make the legal system fair, equitable, and effective for people of all backgrounds and incomes. For more information, please visit Illinois JusticeCorps.
• Public Interest Law Initiative: This program connects law students from across the country with public interest agencies in Illinois and pays them for their work. Interns can also receive law school credit if first approved by both the law student’s law school and agency. For more information or to apply for an internship, please visit PILI Law Student Internship Program. 
• Chicago Bar Foundation Pro Bono Opportunity Portal: This portal connects attorneys, law students, and other legal professionals with legal aid organizations and specific cases they need assistance with.  For more information, please visit the Pro Bono Opportunity Portal.

Additional sites to learn more about law student pro bono

• The American Bar Association Center for Pro Bono
• The Path to Pro Bono: An Interviewing Tool for Law Students
• Association of American Law Schools
• Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI)
• Equal Justice Works
• PSLaw Net