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Virginia upholds Thomas Jefferson’s conviction that lawyers have a special obligation to serve the public interest. The School of Law is committed to upholding his ideal of public responsibility and to nurturing the civic virtues that support it: integrity, civility, and service.
The Law School’s Pro Bono Program encourages all students to perform at least 25 hours of free legal work annually. In a typical year Virginia law students contribute more than 10,000 hours to assisting indigent clients and nonprofit organizations.
Virginia’s loan forgiveness program removes the burden of debt repayment from students who choose lower-paying public service careers, making virtually any career a practical possibility. The Law School also offers tens of thousands of dollars in fellowships to students embarking on public service careers as well as generous support for students engaging in public service projects during the summer.
In 2004, the Law School developed a pro bono partnership with the Richmond-based law firm of Hunton & Williams. The partnership combines pro bono services of the firm’s attorneys with the assistance of volunteer law students to represent indigent clients in the areas of immigration/asylum and family law. The Pro Bono Partnership reflects the Law School’s and the firm’s commitment to the ideal of access to justice.
Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center
The Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center is
the School's focal point for public service programming and outreach.
The Center oversees the Law School's public
service job placement efforts, and administers voluntary pro
bono programs that introduce students to the rewards of community
service, coordinates
summer internships and fellowships,
and provides individualized career counseling.
In its recently created blog, Public Works, the Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center frequently posts information on public service job opportunities, pro bono projects, fellowships, speaker events, and links to frequently accessed employment resources. The Center also hosts a database of jobs available nationwide, maintains an electronic network of Virginia Law alumni employed in public service, and issues e-mail alerts of new openings, events, and pro bono opportunities. Each year, the Center sponsors the Public Interest Job Fair, drawing employers from throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Center also sponsors a variety of public service workshops and speakers and assists student organizers of the Conference on Public Service & the Law, the Public Interest Law Association, and other public service organizations.
PUBLIC SERVICE FACTS, 2006-2007
Number of students
who logged public service hours: 299
Total student hours
logged: 13,699
Number of third-year
students who completed 75 hours of public service in three
years:
61
Number of Class
of 2007 graduates employed in public service: 27 (as of May 2007)
PILA Fellowships
awarded: 53
PILA (Public
Interest Law Association, a student organization) awards fellowships
to first-years and second-years who work in public service full-time
during the summer. Where
PILA Grantees Worked
Total Amount of
PILA Awards: $215,697
PUBLIC SERVICE LINKS
For more information:
Contact the Public Service Center at publicservicelaw@virginia.edu.