Pro Bono Program
Students | Organizations | General Public
Michigan Law has a long tradition of serving the public in a variety of ways. That's part of our heritage as a public school, and it stretches back to our beginnings in 1859. To celebrate Michigan Law's 150 years of producing lawyers committed to public service, we launched the Voluntary Pro Bono Pledge in Fall 2009. We ask students to voluntarily commit to performing 50 hours of pro bono service while enrolled at Michigan Law.
The Pledge allows students to connect their developing knowledge to the world outside the Law School. In this way, they gain valuable legal skills while helping an organization in our community meet the needs of underrepresented individuals. In traditional Michigan fashion, our projects range from those that provide legal assistance to local residents to projects that spotlight events across the nation and around the globe.
To get involved, fill out the Student Interest Survey, indicating your intention to fulfill the Pledge and specifying the interest areas that appeal to you. Then visit the Pro Bono Project Listings to look for projects that interest you. If not, please check back as we regularly add new projects as they come in. We have a listserv to keep you informed regarding pro bono news; you are automatically added to the listserv if you fill out the Student Interest Survey. Finally, you keep track of your hours via the Student Hours Tracking Database.
For more information, visit our Student FAQ.
If you are a nonprofit organization or a government agency seeking more information, please contact Amy Sankaran at lawprobono@umich.edu.
If your organization is interested in law student assistance, please follow these three steps:
Step 1 - Create Your Organization's Account
To create an account go to https://friend.weblogin.umich.edu/friend/ and enter the e-mail address that you would like to use for your organization's account. An automatic e-mail will be generated and sent to the e-mail account you provide.
Open the e-mail and click on "Create friend account." Then re-enter your e-mail address and create a password for your account. (If you have any questions about friend accounts, you will find more information here: http://www.itd.umich.edu/itcsdocs/s4316/.) If you already have a University of Michigan login (a umich.edu e-mail address), you are welcome to skip this step and use your umich e-mail address for your organization's account instead.
Step 2 - Register your Organization
Go to http://www.law.umich.edu/probono/pages/OrgProjects.aspx and use the e-mail address and password that you just created to log in. Then, click on "Add Organization Information." Please enter your organization's information and then click "Save."
Step 3 - Create your Project(s)
Go to http://www.law.umich.edu/probono/pages/OrgProjects.aspx, log in using your friend account, click on "Add New Project Here," and fill in the form with a project; please click "Save" to submit the project to our office. If the project meets the criteria above, we will approve it, and it will be added to the online student database, where students will be able to select your project.
Please note that there is no guarantee that students will select your project. For more information, visit our Organization FAQ.
If you are an indivdual seeking legal assistance, please note that Michigan Law students cannot provide direct legal advice or services to members of the general public. Since they are not yet lawyers, Michigan Law students must be supervised by a licensed attorney working for, or on behalf of, an organization screened and approved by the Office of Public Service.
For assistance in locating an attorney, please visit the Michigan State Bar's web site regarding Michigan's various legal aid programs or the Michigan State Bar's Lawyer Referral Service.