Pro Bono Opportunities

The School of Law provides for-credit pro bono opportunities, and will identify not-for-credit opportunities available in the Western New York region.

Any questions about not-for-credit opportunities should be directed to Vice Dean Melinda Saran.

For Credit

Clinics – The School of Law’s clinical offerings provide diverse and sophisticated practice opportunities to second- and third-year students, who work closely with skilled supervising attorneys. Clinical courses provide students with an understanding of the essential relationship between thinking about legal problems and dealing with client problems. Rather than focusing on routine legal services, our clinical offerings involve complex matters in which creativity and innovation play key roles in serving clients effectively.

Externships – Externships and judicial externships provide law students with unique legal and public service experience as they work in a variety of government and non-profit organizations. Opportunities continue to be added to a list that includes dozens of possible judicial externships (3Ls only), legislative externships, and other non-profit and government work. Most are in Western New York, but students have also had summer externships in Rochester, Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, Seattle and overseas.

Practicums – A practicum combines study of a substantive area with service learning. Students participating in a practicum spend about 10 hours a week observing and assisting practitioners. Only those hours a student spends providing law-related assistance count toward satisfying the pro bono requirement.

Select Other Courses – From time to time, professors offer courses that may satisfy the pro bono requirement as part of the course work.  To find such courses, review the Registrar's Course Descriptions for the semester in which you are interested, and search for the phrase "pro bono".

In all such courses, only those hours a student spends providing law-related assistance count toward satisfying the pro bono requirement.

Not-for-Credit Opportunities

These opportunities fulfill your fifty-hour pro bono requirement through volunteering with one of these agencies.  You could also learn valuable skills to enhance your ability to become practice-ready.  These opportunities are not credit-bearing nor are they paid positions.  Some of these legal service offices have limitations on the number of law students they can accommodate and others require you to make a commitment of a certain amount of time.

The opportunities below are listed geographically: