Hours Required

All students are required to perform a minimum of 50 hours of pro bono service to graduate. Students can begin performing pro bono service in the second full-time semester of the first year of law school and must complete all 50 hours by the last day of classes of the final semester of law school. A maximum of 50 hours of pro bono work completed during the summer semester can be counted towards the requirement.

Qualifying Work

In order to qualify for credit towards the requirement, the pro bono service must be law-related. In addition, students may not receive financial compensation or academic credit for providing pro bono service. Moreover, a licensed attorney or other qualified supervisor must adequately supervise and review any and all work. The service must be:

• On behalf of people who cannot afford to pay for legal services, have limited access to legal services, or are underserved by the private bar, or
• Aimed at protecting the rights of an individual or individuals in situations raising important public interest concerns and/or important rights belonging to a significant and underserved segment of the public.

Government work, including working for the district attorney or public defender (or their federal/local equivalents) qualifies for credit towards the Pro Bono Service Requirement under our definition of pro bono. Judicial internships, however, do NOT qualify for credit towards the Pro Bono Service Requirement because they do not fall within the parameters of pro bono service for Drexel's program.

Pro Bono Service Requirement Completion Date

The 50 required hours of pro bono service, as well as submission of all required time sheets and evaluation forms, must be completed, at the latest, on the last day of classes of the student’s final semester of law school.

Written documentation of completed pro bono service must be submitted to the Pro Bono Director within 60 days of completion of a service project. Students interested in receiving pro bono honors at graduation must submit must submit documentation of all qualifying hours by the first Friday in April prior to the commencement ceremony.