On July 14th, representatives from law schools across the region attended PILI’s Law School Roundtable, hosted by Hinshaw & Culbertson.
Participants shared ideas and spoke from their own experience about law school pro bono programs, and specifically about building programs and identifying pro bono partners for targeted law student populations with particular needs, like LLM students and recent graduates prior to admission. One law school representative also talked about her school’s experience with building a signature pro bono project, one separate from the law school clinics, to engage students in a service opportunity consistent with the larger university’s overall mission and goals.
PILI also shared preliminary data from a study we are conducting with recent PILI Interns about how law schools and PILI can best support students’ public interest law career ambitions. The study explored a list of services or types of support that a law school might offer, covering a range of resources, skills-building opportunities, networks, infrastructure and financial support. Roundtable participants explored the findings of the survey, and asked questions and shared from their own experience working with public interest-minded law students. A full report on the evaluation will be available from PILI later in the year.
See meeting notes and handouts from this year’s Law School Roundtable »
Interested in joining this discussion? PILI holds this and other Pro Bono Roundtable events every year. Learn more about our Pro Bono Roundtables and Forums »
You can also join us for our Illinois Forum on Pro Bono in Chicago on September 21st. Register now!