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 participated in a clinic during the fall semester or be approved for a spot in a qualifying Law School clinic during their final semester of study
• 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 
• 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). 

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 

Pro Bono Scholars must accrue 514 hours in their clinic placement, which is approximately 43 hours per week exclusive of time in the clinic seminar. 

Note: Students who participated in a Law School clinic in the fall semester and fulfilled the clinic seminar requirement don’t have to repeat the seminar. Instead, they participate in the Pro Bono Scholars Program Seminar, which requires the submission of weekly reflection papers and a 20-page research paper.

Pro Bono Scholars earn 14 credits as follows: 

Placement: 10 credits

• 6 credits: Graded pass-fail
• 4 credits: Graded by the placement supervisor

Seminar: 2 credits

• Clinic seminar taken and completed in the fall semester
• Pro Bono Scholars Program Seminar

Practice-Writing: 2 credits 

• Students build, edit, and revise a portfolio of documents based on their experience
• The practice-writing component is graded

PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT I (6 Credits) – The New York Court of Appeals’ Pro Bono Scholars Program allows selected students to sit for the bar exam in their final semester and then undertake 12 weeks of full-time pro bono service at a Law School clinic. Students receive a total of 10 credits for their work. 6 credits are pass/fail; they are taken as this course, PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT I. 4 credits are graded by the clinic supervisor; they are taken as the co-requisite course, PBSP PLACEMENT II. A total of 514 hours at the clinic is required (approximately 43 hours per week). Applications are accepted in the Spring semester preceding a student’s final year. Applications for this competitive program are then reviewed by a committee of faculty and administrators. Enrollment is limited. Pre-requisite – successful completion, by the end of the second-to-last semester, of all degree requirements except for total degree credits and/or the Advanced Practice Writing Requirement. Eligibility – (1) A student’s class rank after the third semester (full-time students) or fifth semester (part-time students) must be in the top 60% of the class, which must be maintained through the fourth semester; (2) students selected for the program may not serve on executive boards of co-curricular activities while participating in the program; and (3) students who have registered for, or completed, a practicum are ineligible to participate in this program. Co-requisites – PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT PART II; PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM SEMINAR; PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PRACTICE WRITING TUTORIAL.

PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT II (4 Credits) – The New York Court of Appeals’ Pro Bono Scholars Program allows selected students to sit for the bar exam in their final semester and then undertake 12 weeks of full-time pro bono service at a Law School clinic. Students receive a total of 10 credits for their work. 6 credits are pass/fail; they are taken as the co-requisite course, PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT I.   4 credits are graded by the clinic supervisor; they are taken as this course, PBSP PLACEMENT II. For pre-requisites and eligibility, see PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT I. Co-requisites – PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT PART I; PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM SEMINAR; PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PRACTICE WRITING TUTORIAL.

PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM SEMINAR (2 Credits) – For students who are selected for 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 PART I; PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT PART II; PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PRACTICE WRITING TUTORIAL.

PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PRACTICE WRITING TUTORIAL (2 credits) – For students who are selected for the New York Court of Appeals’ Pro Bono Scholars Program. Students in the program will build and refine a portfolio of documents, properly redacted, that they created during their clinical or field experience. Midway through the program, an individual conference will be held with a faculty member to review the students’ written work and to provide feedback. The final portfolio is due at the end of the program. Grades are based on the quality of the student’s portfolio. Satisfies the Advanced Practice Writing Requirement. Co-requisites – PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT PART I; PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM PLACEMENT PART II; PRO BONO SCHOLARS PROGRAM SEMINAR.

Applications for next year’s Pro Bono Scholars Program are now open to rising 3Ls and 4Ls. Apply by completing the 2024-2025 Pro Bono Scholars Program Application Form by Friday, April 19, 2024 at 11:59 pm ET.

You’ll need the following documents to complete the form: 

• Your résumé 
• 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 it 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].