As you begin the Spring Semester, please begin to think about how you will satisfy the 50-hour Pro Bono Service Requirement (All JD students). Please be mindful when planning your pro bono service that most projects are not structured for students to earn 50 hours in one semester. Due to the current pandemic most of these projects will be conducted remotely and unfortunately some projects are not being offered this semester. Recruiting for pro bono projects occurs in the fall and spring semester. Students may also complete their pro bono requirement during the summer. Credit is limited to a maximum of 50 hours during the summer.
Due to the limited number of available projects being offered this semester, students should investigate other pro bono opportunities and utilize their professional network. Students are allowed to initiate their own pro bono opportunities with approval. The Philadelphia Bar Association’s Directory of Public Interest Legal Organizations is an excellent resource to identify organizations that may have student initiated pro bono opportunities. Priority for placement will be given to those students graduating in May and who still need to satisfy the 50-hour requirement.
Below is an updated list of the Pro Bono Opportunities that are available for you to enroll in this semester. Training for these projects will take place during the first few weeks of the Spring Semester. If you are interested in participating in any of these projects, please be sure to submit your resume and rank your choices in order of preference no later than the registration deadline of Tuesday, January 18, at 12 p.m. Please be sure to list more than one choice as space is limited in all projects. Listing only one opportunity does not increase your chances of being placed in that project.
If you have questions about any of the projects, or the Pro Bono Requirement, in general, please contact Rashida West (rashida.t.west@drexel.edu).
Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia
Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia is an urban legal ministry which seeks to address injustice and poverty in partnership with existing inner city host ministries by bringing volunteer attorneys and law students into neighborhoods where their services are most needed. There are legal clinics in North, South, and West Philadelphia, as well as Chester. Clinic clients receive a free one-hour consultation. Where ongoing representation is indicated, CLCP coordinates referrals. CLCP seeks law students to assist with client intake and consultation. Volunteers are not required to be of a certain faith background to participate in this project. Each volunteer will be required to commit to one 3-hour clinic per month.
Training for this pro bono project will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, February 2, 12:15-1:15 p.m. If you are interested in participating in this pro bono project, please submit your resume to Rashida West (rashida.t.west@drexel.edu) and Michael Adams (madams@clcphila.org) by Tuesday, January 18, at 12 p.m.
Campaign for Working Families Low Income Tax Clinic
The Campaign for Working Families provides free tax service to low-income people in Philadelphia. It seeks to improve the economic well-being of low- and moderate-income individuals, families, and communities by building a movement to dramatically increase access to tax credits and benefits and asset-building opportunities. The Campaign for Working Families will hold training sessions on tax return preparation for student volunteers. Once trained, student volunteers will have their choice to volunteer at one of the 17 sites around the city where the tax clinics are hosted. Students also can do this project remotely. The tax clinics are open for tax season, from mid-January to mid-April. All sites have evening and weekend hours to fit your individual schedules.
Training for this pro bono project will take place on a date to be determined. If you are interested in participating in this pro bono project, please submit your resume to Rashida West (rashida.t.west@drexel.edu) by Tuesday, January 18, at 12 p.m.
Criminal Record Expungement Clinic
The Criminal Record Expungement Project (C-REP) is dedicated to working with the community to reduce the collateral effects of criminal records. C-REP provides free direct legal services to individuals seeking to expunge non-conviction records in Philadelphia County. Volunteer attorneys and law students host community clinics and provide legal counsel through all stages of the expungement process, including representing clients before the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia. Students must be available to staff the clinic one Friday afternoon a month and then on the off weeks, actively work on cases opened through the clinic.
Training for this pro bono project will take place via Zoom on Friday, January 21, 12-1:30 p.m. If you are interested in participating in this pro bono project, please submit your resume to Rashida West (rashida.t.west@drexel.edu) by Tuesday, January 18, at 12 p.m.
SeniorLAW HelpLine
The Pennsylvania SeniorLAW HelpLine, a project of SeniorLAW Center, provides free and confidential legal counseling, information, and referrals to older Pennsylvanians throughout diverse communities of the Commonwealth, including rural areas where there are few, if any, legal resources. The HelpLine handles a wide and interesting universe of civil legal issues, including real estate/housing, consumer protection, family law, estate and advance planning tools, public benefits, elder abuse, and neighbor disputes. After training, students will handle client intake activities – returning calls, collecting demographic information, and determining eligibility – and will elicit additional information to identify the legal issues. Interested students may have the opportunity to conduct research and/or assist in writing updates for the SeniorLAW website and other written resources. As scheduling permits, students may also have the opportunity to accompany staff attorneys to Family, Landlord/Tenant, and/or Mortgage Foreclosure Court. The HelpLine Coordinator and Legal Director will supervise all student work. Students must commit to work at least one half-day per week (4-hour shift) for the entire semester to participate in this project.
Training for this pro bono project will take place via Zoom on Friday, January 28, 12-2 p.m. If you are interested in participating in this pro bono project, please submit your resume to Rashida West (rashida.t.west@drexel.edu) by Tuesday, January 18, at 12 p.m.
Rapid Access to Public Benefits
In partnership with The Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP), students will assist youth (18-21 years old) aging out of the child welfare system to gain rapid access to Social Security (SSI) benefits. Once trained, students will conduct client interviews, obtain medical records, complete SSI application forms, write letters of support for clients, and participate in all other aspects of case development. Due to the expedited nature of these cases, students will have the opportunity to work on cases from start to finish. Students are asked to volunteer 2 - 4 hours a week and can set their own schedules each semester.
Training for this pro bono project will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, February 2, 12:15-1:15 p.m. If you are interested in participating in this pro bono project, please submit your resume to Rashida West (rashida.t.west@drexel.edu) by Tuesday, January 18 at 12 p.m.
Immigration Project
HIAS Pennsylvania provides immigration legal services to low-income immigrants in our region, assisting in matters from family reunification to naturalization to deportation defense. We focus on serving the most vulnerable, including refugees, asylum-seekers, unaccompanied children, and victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes. Law students will work with our intake coordinator to screen callers for eligibility for legal relief and for HIAS PA's services. Students will interview potential clients to gather information about their claims, prepare write-ups for attorney review, and will follow-up as directed to provide guidance and referrals. Students with foreign language abilities will have the opportunity to use these skills.
Training for this pro bono project will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, February 2, 12:15-1:15 p.m. If you are interested in participating in this pro bono project, please submit your resume to Rashida West (rashida.t.west@drexel.edu) by Tuesday, January 18 at 12 p.m.
Pennsylvania Innocence Project
The Pennsylvania Innocence Project is an organization dedicated to exonerating persons imprisoned in Pennsylvania for crimes they did not commit and to eliminating the causes of wrongful convictions. Law students will attend a remote training session and will work in groups of two remotely. The pro bono law students will conduct reviews at Stage 2 of each case. The cases that they review are all for major crimes carrying sentences of over ten years. The students will review a filled in questionnaire from the incarcerated individual, appellate briefs, and the appellate decision from the individual’s appeal of their conviction and criminal dockets. The reviewers will put together a report which summarizes the case and evaluates the plausibility of the incarcerated individual’s innocence claim. The report will conclude with a recommendation as to whether the Project should move the case forward for a full document review.
Training for this pro bono project will take place on a date to be determined. If you are interested in participating in this pro bono project, please submit your resume to Rashida West (rashida.t.west@drexel.edu) by Tuesday, January 18 at 12 p.m.