Do Some Good This Summer

by Elana Konstant
Assistant Director of Public Interest Programs

For those of you still looking for a way to get some legal experience this summer or after completing the bar exam, GGU’s Pro Bono Program might be the perfect solution. You can volunteer in numerous different capacities and legal fields to get valuable practical training. Best of all, you can control your own schedule when it comes to the pro bono projects you take on.

Performing pro bono work involves volunteering your legal services without receiving any academic credit or compensation. Students will work under the supervision of a practicing attorney. GGU’s program with the Public Interest Clearinghouse (PIC) connects students and alumni with short-term and long-term volunteer projects all around the Bay Area.

As a pro bono volunteer, you can staff client intake clinics, participate in legislative advocacy, and represent low-income clients in a variety of substantive legal areas, including immigration, family and housing law. Engaging in pro bono work allows you to build your legal skills, while at the same time building your community.

To gain access to the online database of pro bono projects and sign up to receive a weekly pro bono e-newsletter, please visit www.lawstudentprobono.org. The Law Student Pro Bono Coordinator, Doan Nguyen, will be updating this site continuously throughout the summer. You can access the latest postings once you sign up. The site also provides a calendar of events and trainings relating to the pro bono projects.

Current students, please remember that you can apply the hours performed over the summer to next year's application for the Pro Bono Honor Society (remember that all upper class students have to complete 25 hours per year).

If you have any questions about pro bono projects or PIC, please feel free to contact Elana Konstant, at ekonstant@ggu.edu, or Doan Nguyen, dnguyen@pic.org.

In addition to engaging in some pro bono work, be sure to also use your summer break to continue your professional development. Please review this article for some tips on how to make the most of these next few months.