Student pro bono work is defined as:

• Law-related assistance to lawyers providing work without a fee, or at a substantially reduced fee, to persons of limited means or to charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental, and educational organizations in matters that are designed primarily to address the needs of persons of limited means; or

• Law-related assistance to lawyers providing work at no fee or at a substantially reduced fee to individuals, groups or organizations seeking to secure or protect civil rights, civil liberties or public rights, or charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental, and educational organizations in matters that are in furtherance of their organizational purposes, where the payment of standard legal fees would significantly deplete the organization’s economic resources or would be otherwise inappropriate; or

• Participation in activities intended to improve the law, the legal system or the legal profession.
  

Enrolling in the Pro Bono Program:

• Before enrolling in the Program, please read the Pro Bono Handbook.

• To participate in the Pro Bono Program, you must:

(1) read and sign a Law Student Pro Bono Pledge. We encourage all students who plan to participate in the Pro Bono Program to sign the Pledge, even if you are not prepared to accept a pro bono placement immediately.
(2) read and sign a Law Student Acknowledgement of Professional Responsibility form which sets out the expectations and responsibilities of students participating in the Pro Bono Program.

• Upper-level students may also participate in the Pro Bono Partners Program.  To enroll in the Pro Bono Partners Program, you must complete a Law Student Pro Bono Partners Registration Form.

Finding Pro Bono Work:

• Check the Rappaport Center’s website regularly.  All new pro bono opportunities will be posted here.

• Sign up to receive the Rappaport Center’s weekly email announcements, which include updates on public service and pro bono opportunities available to law students.  Email probono@suffolk.edu to be added to our listserv.

• Students enrolled in the Pro Bono Program will also periodically receive emails regarding opportunities available in indicated areas of interest.

• All pro bono opportunities publicized through the Pro Bono Program are already approved and therefore no additional steps are necessary to certify approval for these postings. 

• Students initiating their own pro bono placement must seek approval before beginning work that will count for the Pro Bono Program.  To secure approval, please complete a Law Student Pro Bono Placement Approval Form.

Supervision:

• All placements and pro bono work must be supervised by an attorney.

• A student's supervising attorney must sign all Pro Bono Student Work Logs, verifying the number of hours completed during the placement.

3:03 Certification:

• Students are prohibited from using certification for student practice under Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:03, or any other state's equivalent, to perform pro bono work.

Who May Participate: