Pro Bono Opportunities

Public Interest Center staff can assist you in finding public interest opportunities, will track any hours you accrue, and will honor such work at its annual Public Interest Awards ceremony in the spring. Those who complete at least 50 hours of volunteer service during their time at Chicago-Kent receive a Certificate of Service; those who complete at least 250 hours receive the Dean’s Distinguished Public Service Award; and those who complete at least 400 hours receive the Dean's Exemplary Public Service Award. In addition, one graduating student with the most volunteer service receives the Pro Bono Leader Award. 

To be eligible to receive these awards, you must take the following three steps:

1. Find
   • Take the Pro Bono Pledge in 12twenty, and we will send volunteer opportunities to you. To take the Pledge: in your 12twenty profile, click on the check box next to the Pro Bono Pledge. In taking the Pledge, you express your intent to complete 50 hours of service during law school.
   • You can find opportunities in Paladin, Chicago-Kent’s database of pro bono and community service opportunities.
   • Select pro bono and community service opportunities will be included in the Public Interest Center newsletter, sent out to students several times a month.
   • PIC staff can also assist you in your search.
2. Volunteer
   Volunteer hours and activities must meet the criteria below in order to count towards these awards:
   • You cannot be receiving any financial compensation or school credit.
   • You cannot be engaged in for-profit, private sector activities.
   • You cannot be engaged in partisan, political campaign activities.
   • Training time required for volunteering may be included in your hours.
   • Hours accrue between your first day of orientation as a first-year law student and the deadline date for submitting hours prior to the Public Interest Award ceremony in the spring semester, dates inclusive.
   • Generally, time spent on Chicago-Kent student organization activities, for example, preparing for speaker events or bake sales, does NOT qualify. However, volunteering with outside organizations in conjunction with a student organization does qualify, for example, volunteering at the Daley Center Self-Help Resource Center, at a food pantry as a Kent Justice Foundation (KJF) project, or legal observing through the National Lawyers' Guild (NLG). 
     If you are uncertain whether your particular volunteer work qualifies, please email us for clarification.
3. Submit your volunteer hours
   • If this is an External Opportunity
     • First, login to Paladin where you can find pro bono and community service opportunities!
     • Second, scroll down to "My Participation" on the home page and click on "New External Opportunity."
     • Third, fill out the prompted information, including opportunity title, a brief description of what you did, and the contact person for the opportunity.
     • Fourth, indicate if this is an ongoing experience or completed, then add your hours and the date that you volunteered.
     • Fifth, hit continue and select up to four categories for each categorization.
     • Sixth, save opportunity! If you ever need to change any information or add another date, you can go back to the opportunity under "My Participation" and edit it.
   • If this is an opportunity through Paladin
     • First, login to Paladin where you can find pro bono and community service opportunities!
     • Second, go to the opportunity you are interested in and press "I'd Like to Attend."
     • Third, After the opportunity is complete, return to the homepage and scroll to "My Participation" and toggle to the "Review Required" tab.
     • Fourth, click on "Yes, I did participate" and fill out the information of the contact person.
     • Fifth, under "Contributed Hours," click on "Add another date," and fill out your hours and the date you volunteered.
     • Sixth, update opportunity! If you ever need to change any information or add another date, you can go back to the opportunity under "My Participation" and edit it.
   • In addition, there is a video tutorial with helpful information here.