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 lawyer 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 on what work qualifies for the Pro Bono Program, how to report your pro bono hours, and more. Direct questions to Rachel Lawrence, Associate Director for Pro Bono & Public Interest Career Development, lawrencera@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