Pro Bono Pledge

What is the HUSL Pro Bono Pledge?

As part of its commitment to producing social engineers, the Howard University School of Law (HUSL) encourages all students to engage in pro bono work for those in need. 

The HUSL Pro Bono Pledge is a voluntary pledge to complete at least 50 hours of pro bono work while a student at HUSL. Pro bono work is voluntary, uncompensated legal work done on behalf of low-income or underrepresented individuals, or for the public good, for which students receive no academic credit or compensation. “Compensation” includes salary, wages, stipends, fellowships and/or funding received for work. 

When Can I Start Doing Pro Bono Work?

Students can begin completing pro bono hours during their first year of law school. Students who fulfill the pledge will be acknowledged at graduation in the commencement program. Students must submit their pro bono hours by March 31st of their 3L year. 

The HUSL Pro Bono Pledge recognition levels are:

• Friend of Justice (50-149 Hours)

• Social Engineer (150-249 Hours)

• Elite Pro Bono (250-349 Hours)

• Future Houstonian Lawyer (350+ Hours) 

What Work Counts for the HUSL Pro Bono Pledge?

Pro Bono work should benefit low-income or underrepresented individuals, or serve a government or public interest purpose. For volunteer work to count for the HUSL Pro Bono Pledge the work must meet the following criteria: 

        Qualifying Organization

Pro bono hours must be completed with a non-profit or not-for-profit organization, government agency (federal, state, local, or tribal), courts, or an official HUSL program (e.g. Alternative Spring Break). 

Unpaid pro bono work at a private law firm may count only if a student is not being paid by the law firm. However, working on pro bono matters for a firm as a paid summer associate at a law firm does not count toward the HUSL Pro Bono Pledge.
 
Pro bono work (including community service) must be for the benefit of those external to Howard University. Volunteer work benefiting Howard University, for example, work as a research assistant, teaching assistant, or student worker, or general participation in student group activities do not count toward the HUSL Pro Bono Pledge.

Some student groups arrange pro bono volunteer opportunities with external organizations. These opportunities can qualify for the pro bono pledge if they otherwise meet the eligibility criteria for the HUSL Pro Bono Pledge.

        Law-Related and Supervised by A Licensed Attorney 

In general, students must complete law-related community service, i.e., work that involves legal skills or legal issues. The work must be supervised by a licensed attorney. 

Students may count up to 25 hours of non-legal community service, which does not need to be supervised by a licensed attorney. The remaining 25 hours must be law-related work supervised by a licensed attorney.

        Unpaid and Uncredited

Pro bono work must be voluntary, unpaid, and uncredited. Students cannot receive academic credit, salary, wages, stipends, fellowships, or other financial benefits for their pro bono hours. 

If a student receives a salary, wage, stipend, fellowship, or other financial support for their summer work and it only covers part of their work, the student can report the uncompensated portion of their work. For example, if a student receives a stipend or grant that covers 8 weeks of work and the student works 12 weeks, the student can report the 4 weeks of uncompensated, uncredited work.

Clinic Hours: Clinic hours accumulated during the academic year cannot be used to fulfill the HUSL Pro Bono Pledge. If a student continues their clinic work on a volunteer basis after the semester ends (i.e., after the HUSL final exam period for the relevant semester) and their clinic professor has finalized and submitted their grade to the Office of Academic Affairs, the student may submit those additional hours with permission of their clinic professor and the Director of Externships and Public Interest Programming. A student requesting such hours to count should first request permission from their clinic professor via email. If the clinic professor provides the requisite permission, the student should forward the email from their clinic professor to HUSLProBono@howard.edu.

Externship Hours: Externship hours worked beyond the hours required to receive credit for the externship may be counted toward the HUSL Pro Bono Pledge, as long as a student does not receive any compensation for the externship. Students should only submit the excess hours for the HUSL Pro Bono Pledge. For example, if a student is in an externship course that requires that they complete 110 hours to receive 3 academic credits and the student works 135 hours at their externship, the student may submit 25 hours for the HUSL Pro Bono Pledge.

No Partisan, Political Activity

Students cannot submit hours for partisan political activity, campaign activities, or lobbying. Otherwise qualifying work for a legislator's office (not their election campaign or campaign office), or for a legislative body or committee is permissible.

Where Can I Find Pro Bono Opportunities?

The HUSL Pro Bono Program shares pro bono opportunities via email. Students can also review the current Pro Bono Opportunities list and sign up for experiences of interest. Students may also identify and/or create their own opportunities so long as those opportunities meet the eligibility criteria outlined above. 
 

How Do I Report My Pro Bono Hours?

Students must enter their hours for the HUSL Pro Bono pledge via 12Twenty. To record pro bono hours for the HUSL Pro Bono Pledge, please log in to 12Twenty and navigate to the “Experiential Learning” link in the left-hand sidebar. 

Detailed instructions are available in the Resource Library on 12Twenty (login required). When entering hours, students will need to provide their supervisor’s name and contact information for verification purposes. Please note that the supervisor should be a contact at the external organization, not another student. Please only submit qualifying hours. 

Students who need access to 12Twenty should contact the HUSL Office of Career and Professional Development.

          New York Bar Pro Bono Requirement
          For students applying to the New York Bar, please review New York Bar’s
          pro bono requirement. There are differences in the types of activities that count towards the 
          New York Bar’s admission requirement.