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

Pro Bono Honors Program: Frequently Asked Questions

Why participate in the Pro Bono Honors Program?

Besides giving back to your community and providing services to organizations serving people in need, you will be advancing your career! Pro Bono service allows you to:

  • Gain valuable, practical legal experience in a real-world setting
  • Meet smart and dedicated attorneys who can help mentor you in your career
  • Have client contact and help real people with real problems
  • Learn more about a particular area of law practice
  • Help build a culture of public service at the law school and in the legal profession
  • Actualize the School of Law mission of Generous Public Service

Who is eligible to participate?

All UW law students are eligible to participate: students in the J.D., LL.M., and Ph.D. programs. Awards will be presented each April for pro bono work completed in the last twelve months.

The next UW Law Annual Awards Ceremony will take place May 16, 2013.

How will students be recognized for pro bono work?

To be recognized for pro bono work students must:

  • Report a minimum of 30 approved pro bono hours (10 hours for 1Ls)
  • of not-for-credit
  • and not-for-compensation
  • pro bono work (defined below)
  • performed between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013
  • attend three extra-curricular training sessions (described below)
  • submit a 600-1000 word reflective essay about your path in public service or your pro bono experience (described below)

All students participating in the program will be honored at the UW Law Annual Awards Ceremony on May 16, 2013.

There are two specific types of pro bono work recognized for students:

  1. Pro Bono Legal Assistance:
    • Students who report a minimum of 30 direct legal service hours (10 hours for 1Ls) will receive a Pro Bono Honors Certificate of Recognition
    • The 1L and the 2L who reports the most pro bono hours out of his or her graduating class that year will receive special recognition with a 1L & 2L Pro Bono Honors Award respectively
    • The 3L who reports the most hours of pro bono service throughout his or her law school career will be honored with a Pro Bono Student of the Year Award
    • The LLM or PhD student who reports the most hours of pro bono service in a reporting year will receive special recognition.
  2. Pro Bono Project Leadership:
    • Students who report a minimum of 30 hours (10 hours for 1Ls) managing, coordinating and/or leading UW Law-based pro bono projects that provide direct legal assistance to low-income clients and/or provide legal assistance to a public interest non-profit organization will be recognized with a Pro Bono Leadership Award

How are faculty and staff recognized for pro bono work?

All faculty and staff participating in the program will be honored at the UW Law Annual Law School Awards Ceremony on May 16, 2013.

There are two specific types of pro bono work recognized faculty and staff:

  1. Pro Bono Legal Assistance
    • Faculty and staff who report a minimum of 30 legal service hours* will receive a Pro Bono Honors Certificate
    • The faculty member who reports the most pro bono hours that year will receive special recognition with a Pro Bono Faculty of the Year Award
    • The staff member who reports the most pro bono hours that year will receive special recognition with a Pro Bono Staff of the Year Award
  2. Community Service:
    • Non-attorney staff members who report a minimum of 30 community service hours will receive a Community Volunteer Honors Certificate
    • The non-attorney staff member who reports the most community service hours that year will receive special recognition with a Community Volunteer of the Year Award

* Examples of legal services include providing direct legal assistance and representation to low-income clients, providing legal support and advice to a non-profit public interest legal organization such as drafting amicus briefs, pleadings, legal memoranda, and/or serving on a non-profit board providing legal support and advice. Faculty/staff need not necessarily be licensed in the State of Washington to participate in the program.

What is considered pro bono work?

There are three kinds of work that can qualify for an award:

  1. Providing pro bono legal assistance.

    Pro bono legal assistance may be performed for:

    • a UW Law-based, student-run pro bono project that provides legal assistance to low-income clients or provides legal assistance to a non-profit organization representing low-income clients
    • the UW Law Moderate Means program
    • a public interest or non-profit advocacy organization
    • a government agency that provides legal assistance to low-income communities

    Pro bono legal assistance may include the following:

    • Work (including research and writing) directly related to the delivery of legal services to indigent individuals;
    • Work (including research and writing) for an attorney or attorneys on behalf of an organization to which donations qualify as deductions under state or federal tax laws;
    • Work (including research and writing) for an attorney or attorneys that is directly related to the delivery of legal services to indigent individuals where the retainer agreement has specified that the attorney or attorneys are performing the work pro bono and are not to receive a fee from the client;
    • Work (including research and writing) for an attorney or attorney on behalf of a government agency which directly benefits low-income communities
    • Up to two hours of training related to the delivery of legal services to indigent individuals, that is then followed by the actual delivery of services. This does not include required trainings associated with the Pro Bono Honors Program.

    Note: "Legal services" and "law-related work" also include work that is related to alternative dispute resolution.



    If you are involved in providing legal assistance, you need to be under the direct supervision of a licensed attorney. All pro bono work by the student must be performed without remuneration of any kind, either monetary (salary, hourly wage, stipend, etc.) or for academic credit. Work performed by a student for academic credit as required for a Public Service Externship, for the Public Service concentration track, or under a PILA or other grant, stipend, fellowship or work-study is not eligible under the Program. However, students who exceed the required number of hours for their Public Service Externship, PILA grant, the Public Service concentration track, stipend, fellowship, or other certificate program may count those additional hours, if they otherwise qualify as pro bono work.

    Pro bono legal assistance does not include the following:
    • Volunteer work performed for a judge or court unless hours reported are directly related to a project providing access to justice to low-income litigants
    • Volunteer work performed for a government agency that does not directly benefit low-income communities
    • Work performed for academic credit as required for a Public Service Externship, for the Public Service concentration track, or under a PILA or other grant, stipend, fellowship or work-study

  2. Coordinating, managing or leading a UW Law-based pro bono project. The project must provide direct legal assistance to low-income clients or provide legal assistance to a non-profit public interest organization (for law students only).


    3. Coordinating, managing or leading a student pro bono project may include the following:
    • Serving as an officer and/or board member
    • Providing case-management
    • Recruiting and coordinating volunteers
    • Fundraising

      • Examples of student-led pro bono projects include (but not limited to):
      Immigrant Families Advocacy Project (IFAP), Street Youth Law Advocates (SYLAW), Incarcerated Mothers Advocacy Project (IMAP), Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project, International Human Rights Shadow Letter Writing Projects and GreenLaw pro bono projects.

      If you have ideas for a pro bono project please talk to Aline Carton Listfjeld, Assistant Director for Public Service Law, at . She can provide information and resources.

  3. Non-legal volunteering for a community service organization (for non-legal staff members only). For a list of current volunteer opportunities in your area please visit www.idealist.org.

How can students qualify for an award?

For First-Year Students:

Pro Bono Work
To qualify for an award, a student must perform 10 or more hours of pro bono work as defined above. First-year students are encouraged to focus only on their studies during their first quarter. First-year students on academic probation should not participate in pro bono activities during the school year.

Attend Three Training Sessions:

Please check back in the fall for 2013-2014 training information

  1. Professionalism & Direct Legal Services
  2. Secondary Trauma and Compassion Fatigue When Working with Clients in Crisis: Missed the training?
  3. Providing Cross-Difference Competent Legal Assistance

    Reflective Essay
    To qualify for an award, students must also submit a reflective essay no less than 600 words and no more than 1000 words. This essay can be about their pro bono work experience, observations made about the clients they served or the organization they worked for and/or reflections about their professional path in public service law. Essays must be emailed to Aline Carton Listfjeld, Assistant Director, Center for Public Service Law, no later than April 2, 2013. Portions of students’ reflective essays may be published to help promote the Program unless students request otherwise.

    For Second-, Third-Year, LL.M. and Ph.D. Students:

    Pro Bono Work
    To qualify for an award, a student must perform 30 or more hours of pro bono work as defined above. Second and third-year students on academic probation should not participate in pro bono activities during the school year.

    Attend Three Training Sessions:

    Please check back in the fall for 2013-2014 training information

    1. Professionalism & Direct Legal Services
    2. Secondary Trauma and Compassion Fatigue When Working with Clients in Crisis: Missed the training?
    3. Providing Cross-Difference Competent Legal Assistance

      Reflective Essay
      To qualify for an award, students must also submit a reflective essay no less than 600 words and no more than 1000 words. This essay can be about their pro bono work experience, observations made about the clients they served or the organization they worked for and/or reflections about their professional path in public service law. Essays must be emailed to Aline Carton Listfjeld, Assistant Director, Center for Public Service Law, no later than April 2, 2013. Portions of students’ reflective essays may be published to help promote the Program unless students request otherwise.

      Can I combine pro bono legal assistance hours with leadership hours to satisfy the award requirement?

      No. Each award is designed to recognize a specific type of pro bono work. Students may be recognized with more than one award so long as the student has satisfied the requirements for each specific award.

      I attended a similar training session last year. Do I need to attend the new training sessions to qualify for an award?

      Yes. Every year we update and improve our training sessions. In addition, other students will greatly benefit from hearing about your experience and insights on the topics discussed.

      Do faculty and staff need to attend training sessions to participate?

      No, however they are encouraged and welcome to attend if they can.

      When is the UW Law Annual Awards Ceremony?

      The UW Law Annual Awards Ceremony takes place every spring quarter. The next awards ceremony and reception will be Monday, May 16, 2013 at 3:30pm at the law school.

      How can I get more information about the program?

      For more information about the Pro Bono Honors Program, please contact Aline Carton-Listfjeld, Assistant Director, Center for Public Service Law, or (206) 616-9789.

      “My experience has highlighted the opportunity for attorneys to do pro bono work outside of their full-time jobs. With so much need for legal aid going unfulfilled, and with a monopoly on legal practice, I’ve truly come to believe that lawyers have a duty to complete pro bono legal work. Completing 10 hours in what was a very busy three months helped me see that even at life’s busiest, it is easy to have a huge impact on someone’s life. The experience has led me to set a goal for myself completing at least 40 hours of pro bono service per year. Pro bono service has been one of the highlights of my 1L year.”

      -Hollis-Anthony Ramsey, Class of 2013: UW Immigrant Families Advocacy Project (IFAP)

Last updated 5/22/2013