About Our Program

Lawyers have a professional and ethical responsibility to use their legal skills to advance the public interest and increase access to justice. This duty begins in law school. Moreover, because Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law has a unique mission of service, all Catholic Law students are strongly encouraged to participate in the Pro Bono Program.

The mission of Catholic Law’s Pro Bono Program is to help students develop the public service ethos they will need as a future lawyers by facilitating pro bono opportunities and celebrating the pro bono contributions of the Catholic Law community.

Students who serve 50, 100, and 150-plus hours of pro bono will receive Pro Bono Honors recognition upon graduation. Two graduates (day and evening division) each year will also receive the Michael F. Curtin Pro Bono Award for honoring the highest ideals of the Columbus School of Law by voluntary pro bono service to others.

In general, to qualify as pro bono as part of Catholic Law’s Pro Bono Program, the student’s work must be:

  • Public interest/Public service;
  • Law-related;
  • Supervised by an attorney; and
  • Not for compensation or academic credit.

Students should prioritize providing pro bono legal services to people who otherwise would not be able to access or afford legal assistance and to organizations working to improve access to justice.

Please review the Catholic Law Pro Bono Program Guidelines for further details what work qualifies for the Pro Bono Program, how to report your pro bono hours, and more. Direct questions to Maria Ott, Assistant Director for Pro Bono and Public Interest Career Development ottm@cua.edu.  

  • Examples of Qualifying Placements for the Catholic Law Pro Bono Program

    Amara Legal Center
    Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain
    Animal Welfare Institute
    Bread for the City
    CASA de Maryland
    Catholic Charities Legal Network
    Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)
    Chemung County Court
    Christian Legal Aid of DC
    Circuit Court for Baltimore City
    Council of the District of Columbia
    D.C. Bar Landlord Tenant Resource Center
    D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center Advice & Referral Clinic
    D.C. Bar Small Business Legal Assistance Program
    D.C. Law Students in Court
    Environmental Council of the States
    Federal Aviation Administration
    Federal Bar Association
    Federal Communications Commission
    First Shift Justice Project
    Good Samaritan Advocates
    Hogar Immigrant Services
    Hope Border Institute
    Human Rights Defense Center
    Humane Society of the U.S.
    International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children
    Kids In Need of Defense
    Legal Aid Justice Center
    Legal Counsel for the Elderly
    Maricopa County Office of Public Defender
    Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault
    Maryland Court of Special Appeals
    Maryland Office of the Public Defender
    Maryland Volunteer Lawyer Service (MVLS)
    Mid‐Atlantic Innocence Project
    Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office
    Neighborhood Legal Services Program
    Orleans Public Defenders Office
    Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office
    Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
    Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
    Restoration Immigration Legal Aid
    Santa Clara County Superior Court
    So Others Might Eat
    Street Law
    Superior Court of the District of Columbia
    The Capital Area Immigrants' Rights (CAIR) Coalition
    The Humane Society of the United States
    The Innocence Project Clinic and Clemency Project
    The People's Law Library of Maryland
    The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program
    The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless
    U.S. Air Force
    U.S. Army
    U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia
    U.S. Court of Federal Claims
    U.S. Department of Justice
    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
    U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
    U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
    U.S. House Judiciary Committee
    U.S. Navy
    Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program
    Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs

  • Catholic Law Pro Bono News

    Catholic Law Honors Students, Faculty, and Staff for Pro Bono Service

    Catholic Law Students Participate in the DC Alternative Spring Break Pro Bono Project

    Catholic Law Pro Bono Coordinator Awarded D.C. Legal Hacker Award

    Catholic Law Students Participate in Veterans Pro Bono Initiative

    Catholic Law Pro Bono Coordinator Organizes Coding Justice Event

    Catholic Law Student, Jamie O'Donohue, Makes Time For Summer Pro Bono

    Catholic Law Student, Brittany McNurlin, Makes Time For Summer Pro Bono

    Catholic Law Student, Taliesin Gabriel, Makes Time For Pro Bono

    Incoming Students Conclude Orientation Week with Community Service Day

    Catholic Law Student, Christian Litwiller, Makes Time For Summer Pro Bono

    Catholic Law Student, Laura de la Torre, Makes Time for Pro Bono

    This April, Catholic Law Students Participate in Advice and Referral Clinic and Expungement Fair

    Catholic Law Students Participate in DC Alternative Spring Break Pro Bono Project

    Catholic Law Professor Malveaux and Pro Bono Coordinator Aoife Delargy Lowe Volunteer to Help Immigrants Under New Travel Ban 1L

    Catholic Law Student Makes Time for Pro Bono

    Catholic Law Alumna’s Pro Bono Client Granted Clemency

    Catholic Law Students, Faculty, and Staff Join Together for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

    Catholic Law Students Staff Veterans Pro Bono Pop-Up Clinic

    Catholic Law Students Participate in National Pro Bono Week

    Catholic Law Student Kate Heise's (2E) Pro Bono Client Granted Asylum

    Catholic Law Student Veda Rasheed (3E) Organized Record Sealing and Expungement Fair

    Kids In Need Of Defense (KIND) Conducts Pro Bono Training On Campus

    The Capital Area Immigrants' Rights (CAIR) Coalition Conducts Pro Bono Training On Campus