What is pro bono service?
The guidelines of the Pro Bono Policy at Stanford Law School (SLS) define pro bono service as “uncompensated volunteer activities that require legal skills.” This means that students cannot receive any financial compensation, academic credit or other benefit outside of the volunteer work itself. Consequently, this definition means that many laudable community service activities with very noble goals, such as volunteering for the Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation Auction and Shaking the Foundations Conference (events that are tangentially law-related, but which rely primarily on non-legal skills including fundraising, publicity, and administrative organizing), do not qualify as pro bono service under Stanford’s Pro Bono Policy. Please understand that credit exclusion from the Pro Bono Program does not imply that an activity or event is any less important or that its goals are less worthy. Credit exclusion from the Pro Bono Program merely indicates that the event or activity is not
Related Questions
- I performed pro bono service during my first year and never submitted the proper documentation. Can I still get voluntary pro bono credit for that work?
- I performed pro bono service a while ago and never submitted the proper documentation. Can I still get mandatory pro bono credit for that work?
- Is pro bono service mandatory for lawyers admitted to practice in Ohio?
