FAQ for Organizations
Michigan’s Pro Bono Pledge asks students to perform 50 hours or more of "qualifying" pro bono work over their three years in law school. To qualify, students’ work must be:
- law-related
- supervised or approved by an attorney;
- provided to the client free of charge or at a substantially reduced rate
- not for credit and uncompensated
- at least 10 of the 50 hours must be completed while classes are in session
- provided to underrepresented persons, interests, or communities on behalf of a nonprofit or government organization approved by the Office of Public Service
We have three requirements: (1) you must agree to provide ongoing oversight of the student volunteer during his/her work on the project, (2) you must complete the Organization Evaluation at the conclusion of the project (though, if the project is an internal one run by a MLS professor or student group, the Organization Evaluation is not required; we will follow up with the supervisor(s) separately); and (3) students must be covered under your organization’s malpractice insurance because Michigan Law is unable to provide malpractice insurance for law students doing pro bono work. Please note that there are no guarantees that students will select your project.
The Office of Public Service has created a password-protected online database where organizations can post projects and students can log in to select a project. The first time you use our online system, you create a username and password and then register your organization. To add additional projects in the future, you skip steps one and two, and go directly to step three, using the username and password you created.
Step 1 – Create Your Organization’s Account: To create an account go to https://friend.weblogin.umich.edu/friend/ and enter an 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 that 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 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.
Yes, by logging in with the e-mail address and password that you used to post the information originally. To change the organization information, click on "Edit Organization Information." To change something about a particular project, click on that project and then scroll to the bottom and click on "Edit."
Neither the organizational information, nor the project listings are visible to the public. Rather, each organization will only be able to see its own information. Only our office and our current students will have access to the information you provide.
The project must be law-related and would ideally expose the student to an area of law or provide a chance to develop some legal skills. For example, you can request student help for a one-time research project, such as a brief or a memo, or you can request students come to your office every week for recurring projects throughout a semester (or beyond). Please do not hesitate to contact our office if you would like help crafting an appropriate project.
There are two ways that students will find out about available projects. First, students can log into the password-protected database to view pro bono opportunities. Second, students have completed forms expressing their main areas of interest. While our office will often contact students when a project in their expressed interest areas is added, please note that there are no guarantees that students will select your project.
When a student finds a project he or she is interested in, she selects it from the database by sending our office an e-mail. The student will then be responsible for contacting your organization’s contact person directly to get started on the project.
You are welcome to create special requirements if the project so dictates. That is, if you need someone who speaks Spanish, has taken a course in refugee and asylum law, has a car, and so on, just say so on the project form. Only students who are qualified will respond to your posting.
The most important thing to keep in mind is the students’ academic schedule, as many of our students leave Ann Arbor during breaks, between semesters, and during the summer. Also, they are much less responsive during finals. Here is our academic calendar, which may help you structure your project accordingly. Our program is likely best-suited for less time-sensitive projects since it may take a student longer than it might take an attorney to do the same task.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you have any concerns about a student; don’t wait for the Employer Evaluation at the end of the project. We’d love to know about a problem as soon as possible so we can help address it.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Public Service if you have any questions. Amy Sankaran is coordinating the program, and she can be reached at 734.764.7787 or lawprobono@umich.edu.