Pro Bono Service Program: Overview
Hours Required
All students are required to perform a minimum of 50 hours of pro bono service to graduate. Students can begin performing pro bono service in the Spring Semester of the 1L year of law school. Students can receive credit for a maximum 25 hours of pro bono service performed during the Spring Semester of the 1L year. Any hours over 25 will be recorded and will count toward the Pro Bono Recognition Award given at graduation, but not towards satisfying the Requirement. The remaining 25 hours can be completed at any time during the Summer after the 1L year and the 2L/3L years of law school.
Qualifying Work
In order to qualify for credit towards the requirement, the pro bono service must be law-related. In addition, students may not receive financial compensation or academic credit for providing pro bono service. Moreover, a licensed attorney or other qualified supervisor must adequately supervise and review any and all work. The service must be:
a) On behalf of people who cannot afford to pay for legal services, have limited access to legal services, or are underserved by the private bar, or
b) Aimed at protecting the rights of an individual or individuals in situations raising important public interest concerns and/or important rights belonging to a significant and underserved segment of the public.
Government work, including working for the district attorney or public defender (or their federal/local equivalents) qualifies for credit towards the Pro Bono Service Requirement under our definition of pro bono. Judicial clerkships and internships, however, do NOT qualify for credit towards the Pro Bono Service Requirement because they do not fall within the parameters of pro bono service for Drexel’s program.
Awards
Students who significantly exceed the 50-hour requirement will receive a Pro Bono Recognition Award and be specially acknowledged in the graduation program. Students will receive a certificate based on the total number of pro bono service hours completed: Service Honors (100 - 200 hours), Outstanding Service Honors (201+ hours).