Pro Bono Scholars Program

To be eligible to participate in the Pro Bono Scholars Program, St. John’s Law students:

• Must have a class rank after the third semester (full-time students) or fifth semester (part-time students) in the top 60% of the class, which must be maintained through the fourth (full-time) or sixth (part-time) semester;
• Must have already participated in a clinic or will participate in either an in-house or partner Clinic during both the Fall and Spring semesters of their 3L year, and so must demonstrate acceptance to (or a pending application with) a Clinic at the time of application; 
• May not serve on co-curricular program executive boards while participating in the Program; 
• May not have registered for, or completed, a Law School practicum; and
• Should successfully complete, or anticipate completing by the end of their second-to-last semester, all degree requirements except for the Advanced Practice Requirement and total degree credits. 

St. John’s Pro Bono Scholars fulfill the Program’s requirements through placements in one of the Law School’s in-house or partner clinics. Students apply for their clinic placement in the spring of their 2L year (full-time students) or 3L year (part-time students) or must have already participated in a clinic where they want a placement.

With the Clinic director’s approval, students can be placed in any of these St. John’s Law clinics:

• Bankruptcy Advocacy Clinic
• Child Advocacy Clinic
• Consumer Justice for the Elderly: Litigation Clinic
• Defense and Advocacy Clinic
• Domestic Violence Litigation Clinic
• Economic Justice Clinic
• Prosecution Clinic
• Refugee and Immigrant Rights Litigation Clinic
• Tenants’ Rights Advocacy Clinic 

Please note that the Securities Arbitration Clinic is not a qualifying clinic placement.

Updated May 2024

Pro Bono Scholars may be awarded between 13 and 14 credits total. There are two placement components (each 6 credits): 

• First component: Graded pass-fail

• Second component: Letter grade by the faculty supervisor

If placed at a partner Clinic for the full year, students must also participate in the Pro Bono Scholars Program Seminar (2 credits). If the student participated in an in-house or partner Clinicpreviously and attended the seminar, students are required to take Directed Research for 1 credit.

If the student takes the two placement components and the Pro Bono Scholars Program Seminar, the student will receive 14 credits and must complete a total of 540 hours over the 12 weeks of the placement, inclusive of the time attending the Seminar. If the student takes the two placement components and Directed Research, the student will receive 13 credits and must complete a total of 518 hours over the weeks of the placement, inclusive of the time spent on the Directed Research paper.

PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT I (6 Credits) – This Course is part of the required curriculum for students participating in the New York Court of Appeals’ Pro Bono Scholars Program. Students will be placed with a partner or in-house Clinic, and will be given the opportunity to learn vital practice skills while helping those unable to afford counsel. Faculty supervision will include weekly meetings with students to discuss casework and further development of skills. Students will have the opportunity to refine the skills they have learned in prior semesters in the Clinic and acquire new skills. Additionally, students will draft documents and memos related to the client matters to which they are assigned. Students will be graded pass/fail for Placement I. Co-requisites – PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT PART II; PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM SEMINAR OR DIRECTED RESEARCH 

PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT II (6 Credits) – This Course is part of the required curriculum for students participating in the New York Court of Appeals’ Pro Bono Scholars Program. Students will be placed with a partner or in-house Clinic, and will be given the opportunity to learn vital practice skills while helping those unable to afford counsel. Faculty supervision will include weekly meetings with students to discuss casework and further development of skills. Students will have the opportunity to refine the skills they have learned in prior semesters in the Clinic and acquire new skills. Additionally, students will draft documents and memos related to the client matters to which they are assigned. Students will be graded by the faculty supervisor for Placement II. This course satisfies the Advance Practice Writing Requirement. Co-requisites – PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT I; PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM SEMINAR OR DIRECTED RESEARCH 

PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM SEMINAR (2 Credits) – This Course is available to students participating in the New York Court of Appeals’ Pro Bono Scholars Program. Students in the seminar build upon the skills and professional values they learned up until that point in law school, including the skills most relevant to their pro bono experience: identifying and resolving ethical issues, client/witness interviewing, client counseling, legal research, writing, advocacy, negotiation, mediation, case/project management, and working with teams and supervisors. They will also reflect upon their clinical experience, with special consideration of access to justice issues. Grades are based on in-class exercises, weekly reflection papers, class participation, and an oral presentation on a relevant legal, professional, or justice issue. Co-requisites – PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT I; PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT II. 

Applications for the 2024-2025 Pro Bono Scholars Program are now closed. Please check back for an update for next year's Program. 

Applicants need the following documents to complete the application form: 

• Your résumé and 
• A statement of no more than two pages, typewritten and double-spaced, describing your commitment to public interest law and public service before and during law school

Note: While St. John’s Law manages the application process for its students, the New York Office of Court Administration makes the final decision on admissions to the statewide Pro Bono Scholars Program.

You can review the official Program Guide and other information on the Pro Bono Scholars website. For clinic-related questions, please contact Professor Ann Goldweber at [email protected]. Direct all other questions to Public Interest Center Director Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz at [email protected].