Across the nation, law school leaders, faculty members, and public service professionals are grappling with the consequences of New York’s adoption of a 50 hour pro bono requirement for persons seeking admission to the New York State Bar.
Panelists will explain: i) the elements of the requirement, ii) the impact of the requirement on students intending to pursue employment in New York, iii) the possibility that other states would adopt a version of the requirement, and iv) the other reform opportunities for reshaping aspects of the infrastructure supporting pro bono activities of law students.
Among the reform opportunities that the panelists will discuss are: a) modifying ABA accreditation standard 302(b) to give greater effect to its current requirement that law schools offer substantial opportunities to law students to participate in pro bono, b) developing a new software application that can be adapted by all law schools to track and support volunteer activities by students, and c) revisiting the Legal Services Corporation’s “private attorney involvement regulation” to enable local legal services programs to allocate a greater portion of federal LSC funds to the supervision of law students.