About Our Program

What is the UNC School of Law Pro Bono Program?

The UNC School of Law Pro Bono Program began in the fall of 1997.  Since its inception the Pro Bono Program has filled hundreds of placements with attorneys in non-profit organizations, private practice, and North Carolina's legal services organizations.  The program is administered by ten law students, matching students with placement needs.

The UNC School of Law Pro Bono program encourages and facilitates pro bono within the law school.  The program matches law students with practicing attorneys across the state to work on cases that the attorneys have taken for free or on reduced rates.  The Pro Bono Program provides clients with high quality, low cost legal representation.  Additionally, working on pro bono projects gives students valuable hands-on experience while encouraging attorneys to take on cases that they might not otherwise have the resources to do.  The program also works with student organizations on their pro bono projects. 

The program is the central point for all pro bono activities at the law school and maintains a database to keep track of student pro bono activities.  When students complete 50 hours of pro bono service, they receive a Letter of Recognition from the Dean of the law school.  Students performing over 75 hours of pro bono service receive a certificate from the North Carolina Bar Association and the law school acknowledging their service at the end of their third year.  The law school makes a special recognition at graduation of students who have performed over 100 hours of pro bono service.  Furthermore, students with more than 50 hours of pro bono service earn a notation on their transcripts. The Pro Bono Program operates primarily from August to April, with special projects going on during the Winter and Spring Breaks.

Mission Statement

The mission of UNC School of Law Pro Bono Program is to assist attorneys who provide high quality, low-cost legal services to individuals in need and to create a life long commitment to pro bono work among Carolina Law Students.

A vigorous and active legal system that addresses issues affecting citizens is the essential cornerstone of a healthy democracy.  Pro bono legal service is a crucial element of this process since it ensures that those individuals who have neither economic nor political means have the opportunity to actually pursue their claims.  The legal system, through pro bono work, often informs the political spectrum of critical societal issues which would not otherwise be addressed.

Finally, access to legal assistance is a critical determinant of the efficacy of the laws created by the political process.  Providing legal assistance to those unable to afford it ensures that democratically chosen legal protections actually protect citizens as they were meant to do.  Thus the ultimate goal of the Program is to encourage as many law students as possible to make service to the community an element of their practice, no matter what that service and their practice might be.

What counts as pro bono?

The following criteria must be met for a students work to qualify as pro bono for the purposes of recognition by the UNC School of Law Pro Bono Program:

  1. The law student must engage in law-related activities;
  2. The law students work must be supervised and/or approved by an attorney. Supervision and/or approval includes, at a minimum, attorney review of student work product;
  3. Receiving class credit for law-related activities precludes these activities from qualifying for pro bono credit. Receiving monetary compensation for law-related activities precludes these activities from qualifying for pro bono credit;
  4. The law related services must be provided to the client for free or at a substantially reduced rate (whether reduced rate work will qualify as pro bono may depend on several factors, including the actual rate being charged the client, whether or not the attorney would bill for work performed by students, the economic factors preventing the client from obtaining full-rate services, and the population affected by the legal issues involved); AND 
  5. The law related activities must be on behalf of:      
    1. person(s) of limited financial means; OR
    2. person(s) with limited access to legal representation; OR
    3. nonprofit, civic, community, religious, or governmental organizations.

NOTE: The following activities are expressly excluded from qualifying for pro bono credit:

  1. Work done on law journals;
  2. Work resulting in submission of writing into competition or other journals;
  3. Work on law related symposiums, conferences, and panel discussions; AND
  4. Any and all fundraising activities

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