J.D. Public Service Requirement

In order to receive a J.D. degree, a student must perform at least 60 hours of public service legal work. The goals of the public service requirement are three: first, to educate students about the attorney’s ethical responsibility to provide pro bono legal assistance, particularly to those who would not otherwise have access to the legal system; second, to foster in students a lifelong commitment to public service by providing the opportunity and training vital to the development of such a commitment; and third, to develop students’ lawyering skills by providing them with work experience under the supervision of an attorney.

Students can fulfill the public service requirement in any of the following ways:

1. By satisfactorily completing a Law School clinic. There is no limit on the number of clinic credits a student can take, but the number of clinical positions available each year is limited.
2. By satisfactorily completing a public service externship for two or more credits. Students can undertake externships with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, legislative bodies, judges, or private law firms on pro bono matters. Students cannot undertake externships with a private law firm or an agency on fee-generating matters. Students can enroll in externships only after completing the first year of law school, and must work at least 30 hours over the course of a quarter for each credit.
   Complete guidelines for identifying, registering, and completing public service externships are available in the Career Planning Office or on its Externship web pages.
3. By satisfactorily completing the requirements of the Street Law course (Law B 514). In that course, students are assigned to teach a basic law course to high school students.