The Office partners with outside organizations and NYLS Centers and Institutes, such as the Wilf Impact Center for Public Interest Law, the Diane Abbey Law Institute for Children and Families, and the Center for New York City and State Law, to deliver a diverse range of programs, events and opportunities. In addition, NYLS offers a robust Public Interest Summer Funding program, which funds upwards of 100 students working in unpaid public interest internships at Public Defender and District Attorney’s Offices; advocacy organizations; nonprofits; and city, state, and federal government agencies each summer. Since NYLS is walking distance from New York City’s governmental and judicial centers, public interest employers are literally steps away.

Law students and other applicants seeking to be admitted to the New York State bar on or after January 1, 2015 need to demonstrate that they have completed 50 hours of qualifying pro bono work prior to submitting their applications for admission. For more information on this requirement and how to satisfy it, visit the Bar Admission Requirements page on the New York Unified Court System website, which includes a pro bono FAQ from New York State Office of Court Administration and a downloadable Form Affidavit of Compliance.

Created in 2014 by the New York State Court of Appeals, the Pro Bono Scholars Program (PBSP) is a unique program that students can join during their final year of law school.

PBSP students complete their first five semesters of law school normally. During their third year, students spend January and February preparing for and taking the February New York State bar exam. Following the bar exam, PBSP students work full-time, pro bono, at a public interest law placement for 12 weeks. Students earn 11 credits, graded pass or fail, from their placements while simultaneously completing a graded, 3-credit related seminar designed to expand upon the placement experience.

Students who pass the February bar exam are eligible for expedited admission to the bar.

This program is only open to Day Division students because it requires a full-time commitment. It is also only open to students whose academic record indicates that they can successfully pass the bar exam without taking regular classes in their sixth semester. Students apply to this course on the using the form found in Student Resources on the NYLS Portal. Applications open in late March each year. Director Seth Mills leads the program.

Learn more about the Court of Appeals’ Pro Bono Scholars Program.

One of students’ most common concerns is whether clinic work counts toward the pro bono requirement. The New York Court of Appeals has a pro bono FAQ, and questions 12 and 15 suggest that casework conducted within the framework of a clinical course may count toward the requirement. You and your supervising attorney should review the examples listed in the FAQs and determine whether your work qualifies.

Consult the Office of Clinical and Experiential Learning for a list of the clinics where we expect that you will be able to count casework towards the bar admission pro bono requirements. The ultimate determination depends on the Court of Appeals.

Students’ externships may also provide hours towards the pro bono requirement. Externships with government agencies, nonprofit legal services providers, and judicial externships will likely qualify. Find out more about externships and how to apply through the Office of Clinical and Experiential Learning.

A Pro Bono Opportunities Guide is posted on the NYLS portal under the “Career Resources” tab, and new opportunities are regularly posted in the Office of Academic Planning and Career Development e-newsletter, The Inside Track.