Pro Bono Program
Service to others is at the heart of the legal profession. As attorneys, serving those in need is an honor and a duty. Our Pro Bono Program offers many ways for our students to serve the community.
Recognition
For students participating in the Pro Bono Program, the following recognitions are highlighted in the third year of law school.
- Pro Bono Honors. Students who complete between 50 and 99 hours in the program are recognized with Pro Bono Honors at the Student Awards Ceremony in the Spring quarter of their third year in law school.
- Pro Bono Champion. Students who complete over 100 hours in the program are recognized as Pro Bono Champions at the Student Awards Ceremony in the Spring quarter of their third year in law school.
- Public Interest Fellow. Subject to faculty approval, students who complete over 200 hours in the program and earn 10 hours of academic credit from a list of approved courses* are recognized as Public Interest Fellows at commencement.
Eligibility: who can participate?
- All current law students after completing their first academic quarter.
Guidelines: what work is included?
- Pro Bono Law-Related Service: government, prosecutors, public defenders, legal aid, nonprofits, legal clinics, law reform, public interest law firms, judicial internships, etc.
- Examples: assisting a professor with a pro bono project, working in the Baylor Law Legal Clinics, Greater Waco Legal Services, Texas Access to Justice Commission Pro Bono Spring Break, volunteering at Lone Star Legal Aid
- Pro Bono Community Service: non-law-related community volunteer work. A maximum of 25 hours worked of Pro Bono Community Service may be recorded over your entire time in law school.
- Examples: building homes with Habitat for Humanity, delivering meals at Meals on Wheels, volunteering with the Humane Society
- Exclusions: Hours cannot be:
- For academic credit (e.g., externship requirements)
- For disciplinary purposes (e.g., a sanction or probation requirement)
- For pay (exception: living stipend)
- A maximum of 25 hours worked when not enrolled in at least 5 hours of courses may be recorded over your entire time in law school.
- A maximum of 25 hours worked of Pro Bono Community Service may be recorded over your entire time in law school.
Logistics: how does the program work?
- Commit to completing at least 50 hours in the program according to the above guidelines.
- Record hours regularly in Symplicity. The “Pro Bono” tab is at the top of your homepage in Symplicity.
- Submit hours at least one month before graduation.
To participate in the Pro Bono Program under the guidelines above and commit to completing 50 hours or more, click the link to email our director and start the conversation. If you are uncertain whether a volunteer opportunity is eligible under the program guidelines, please get in touch with our director by clicking on the link.
Follow us on Instagram: @baylorlawprobono
*List of Public Interest Fellow courses:
- Administrative Law: Federal
- Administrative Law: Texas
- Advanced Criminal Procedure
- Advanced Family Law
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Client Counseling
- Civil Liberties
- Civil Rights Actions
- Comparative Systems of Justice
- Constitutional Law: Free Speech
- Elder Law
- Employment Discrimination
- Environmental Law
- Family Law
- Family Law Advocacy and Procedure
- Family Rights Practice and Procedure
- Field Placement focused on public interest (faculty pre-approval required)
- Health Care Law
- Immigration Law
- Juvenile Justice
- Legal Clinics (if course credit is earned)
- Municipal Government
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Post-Conviction: Sentencing
- Poverty Law
- Public Interest Law
- Retirement Law
- Separation of Church & State
- Supreme Court Seminar
- Voting Rights
