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PRO BONO
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Pro Bono
Requirements
- All students are required to
complete twenty (20) hours of Pro Bono. A minimum of ten (10) requisite hours must be
completed in legal-related activities.
Students must complete their required hours of pro bono service prior
to the deadline to register for their final semester in law
school. Accordingly, students who have not completed all
required hours before the pre-registration deadline
for their graduating semester will not have their registration bids
included in the lottery process. July graduates will be treated
as May graduates for purposes of this policy.
- Legal related activities are limited to:
- Pro Bono service for the indigent;
- Pro Bono work for public agency;
- Pro bono work for a private attorney on a case in which he or she is working pro bono;
- Pro bono work done under the supervision of a faculty member, if the faculty member is engaged in a legal pro bono project, as long as the work done by the student is more than mere research assistance; and
- Pro bono work done for a law school project pursuant to a grant or other funding, where the work is supervised by someone other than the faculty member overseeing the project, and as long as the work is not used by the faculty member for activities that would generally be supported by research assistance (such as scholarship or speeches).
- All students may complete the
remaining ten (10) hours in non-legal related activities
- Non-legal activities must be
approved by the Assistant Dean of Students' office. Non-legal related activities exclude fund-raising for the University and the Law School. Students may not satisfy their non-legal pro bono requirement by volunteering for departments on campus.
- Pro bono activities will be promoted by the Assistant Dean of Students’ office. Any promotion will specifically categorize activities as either legal or non-legal
related.
- Students will be formally
introduced to these requirements during the First Year
Orientation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The William F.
Blews
Pro Bono Service Award
In honor of William F. Blews,
'66, the College of Law has established this award to recognize
those students who, at a minimum, perform twice the number of
Pro Bono service hours required for graduation.
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For Questions on
Pro Bono Requirements, or to get approval, please contact the
Office of Student Life at (727) 562-7808 or e-mail ProBono@law.stetson.edu |
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Frequently Asked
Questions
Why a Pro Bono Requirement?
Pro Bono service is an integral part of a lawyer's responsibility and has
been for centuries. All citizens have legal rights but not all of them know
what they are or how to access them. Very often, the legal problems of the
poor involve those rights. However, their inability to obtain some legal
assistance can result in devastating consequences. A lawyer's knowledge
requires that he or she donate some of his or her time to protect these
people's rights. In order to emphasize the important of this kind of community
service, Stetson University College of Law requires that students fulfill a
Pro Bono requirement.
Where can I do Pro Bono?
For the most part, you can choose any agency, non-profit organization,
attorney, or governmental entity. The Office of the Student Services maintains a
list of pre-approved agencies where a student can fulfill his or her Pro Bono
requirement. If the organization is not on the pre-approved list, you should
consult with the Student Services prior to beginning your assignment. You can
also consult with the Student Services about special requests for Pro Bono
assignments, such as fields or practice areas in which you may have a
particular interest.
Do I have to do all of my Pro Bono hours at one time or at only one
place?
No. Students are required to meet their Pro Bono requirement six months
prior to graduation. Essentially, this gives students two and a half years to
complete their Pro Bono requirement. They can perform their Pro Bono
requirement at any time during that period. Even more, students can perform
their requirements by working on a legal pro bono assignment may qualify as
legal. A few hours may be general in nature, i.e., photocopying, errands, etc.
These should be counted as general pro bono hours.
What if the attorney I'm working for is earning money on the project?
When working for a lawyer on a Pro Bono case, you need to obtain a letter
from the attorney indicating that they are not receiving any fees for the
case. This includes court appointed fees. Working an "extra 20
hours" at your clerking job does not count as Pro Bono hours. The firm
would still be billing your time to clients and/or profiting from your work.
What does fund-raising really mean?
Stetson University College of Law has recently revised its policy regarding
the use of fund-raising activities as a fulfillment of the Pro Bono
requirement. Fund-raising efforts for either the University or the College of
Law will NOT qualify for Pro Bono hours. Fund-raising for the benefit of a
student club or organization on campus does not count for Pro Bono Hours.
How can this benefit me?
Besides meeting the graduation requirement, students earn another possible
resource for contacts and references. Students who have worked hard at their
assignments have earned letters of reference from their Pro Bono supervisor(s).
Does working more than the required hours for a clinic or for an internship program while working at the public-defender's office qualify as pro-bono hours earned?
All internships and clinics now require student participants to work at their placement agency until the end of the semester. Therefore, no pro bono credit may be earned by working at those agencies until AFTER the last day of classes OR students have completed their semester hour requirement, whichever comes LATER. Students MAY NOT earn pro bono hours during the semester merely by working at their assigned agency for additional hours. Any extra hours students work at their respective agencies during the semester, CAN be considered when grades are calculated, however, cannot be considered towards their pro bono requirement. (i.e. If the clinics require you to work 16 hours per week at the agency, you cannot work 20 hours a week and apply for 4 pro bono hours.)
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Gulfport, Florida 33707-3299