UW School of Law > Public Service > Pro Bono Honors Program

Pro Bono Honors Award Law Student Checklist

  • Fill out your Pro Bono Project Approval form
  • If you didn't get a chance to attend all three live trainings you can access them here:
    1. Professionalism & Direct Legal Services: Watch the training video.
    2. Secondary Trauma and Compassion Fatigue When Working with Clients in Crisis: Missed the training? Watch the training video
    3. Providing Cross-Difference Competent Legal Assistance: Missed the training? No podcast is available for this training session. Please complete the following assignment in lieu of training session attendance:
  • After watching the video please write a reflective essay (about 600 words) that discusses one or more of the following:
    1. What sort of assumptions (ie. "single stories") have you made about a particular client or client population? These could be positive or negative singles stories. Describe an instance.
    2. Why do you think you made those assumptions?
    3. How do you think this may have affected communication and understanding between you and the client? How do you think this may have affected your ability to competently assist the client? How do you think this may have affected the outcome of the client's legal problem?
    4. Looking back on this instance(s) now, how do you think you might approach those types of interactions differently?
    5. Please write-in on your Certification of Training attendance form that you are attaching this essay.
  • Certify that you've attended our three trainings on our Certification form
  • Fill out the log of completed pro bono hours.
    1. If you've managed or coordinated a pro bono project please fill out the leadership hours log .
    2. If you've provided direct legal assistance or conducted research and writing please fill out the legal assistance hours log <> .
    3. If you've done both types of pro bono please complete two different sets of logs.
  • Fill out the Pro Bono Project Work Completion Form for each type of pro bono project you've worked on and have your supervisor sign the form. If you are unable to get your supervisor’s signature, please have him/her confirm your hours and type of work via email to Aline Carton-Listfjeld at
  • Write a 600-1000 word reflective essay* about your pro bono work experience, observations made about the clients you've served or the organization you worked for and/or reflections about your professional path in public service law.
    * The Pro Bono Honors Program may use quotes from your reflective essay to help promote our program. If you do not wish to have any portion of your essay potentially shared with the public please email .
  • By April 2: Send your essay and your completed forms to or drop them in the mail box marked Aline Carton/ Pro Bono Honors located in the faculty/staff mail boxes on the 3rd floor of Gates Hall.
  • All forms and reflective essay are due no later than April 2, 2013.

Last updated 5/17/2013