Directory
Southwestern Law School
Southwestern Law School
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Michelle Takagishi-Almeida, Esq.
Director, Public Service Program, Southwestern Law School
Legal Clinics, Westmoreland Building, 3050 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90010
213.738.5737
[email protected]
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by a Referral System with a Coordinato
Description of Programs
Southwestern’s Public Service Program (PSP) is a voluntary program that encourages students to engage in a minimum of 75-hours of law-related service during their studies at Southwestern. Through community-centered collaborations in partnership with legal services organizations, community-based organizations and government agencies, students are connected with service and advocacy opportunities that further the public interest in addressing systemic inequities and responding to unmet legal need in indigent communities. Southwestern students meeting their 75-hour service pledge by their final year of study are recognized at commencement ceremonies and a notation of Public Service distinction placed on their academic transcripts.
Location of Programs
The Public Service Program is a standalone department program physically located alongside faculty-led clinical education programs in the Offices of the Legal Clinics located in the Westmoreland Building on the Southwestern campus.
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The Director of the Public Service Program is a full-time staff position administering pro bono, clinical and event programs in addition to student services with part-time administrative support. This position is overseen by Southwestern’s Dean of Experiential Learning.
Funding
Public Service Program is funded by the law school with a limited department budget. As a voluntary experiential program housed alongside faculty-led clinical education programs, the Public Service Program is able to provide students shared office space and equipment as well as funding for expenses associated with students’ pro bono or service initiatives on and off-campus.
The department budget also provides for costs in sponsoring an end-of-year award luncheon recognizing graduating students’ volunteer achievements as well as expenses related to providing specialized counseling needs in public interest recruitment and hiring practices.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
None.
Awards/Recognition
The Public Service Program Award Luncheon celebrates graduating students and selected recipients of: (i) the George and Katrina Woolverton Public Service Award; (ii) the Woolverton Family Public Interest Award and (iii) the Southwestern Public Interest Law Service Award. Each award category presents a selected graduating student with letters of recognition from local, state and federal elected officials, award certificates and a monetary award for their demonstrated commitment to pro bono or public interest career practice.
The Dean of the Law School also distributes letters of recognition for those continuing students who fulfilled a service pledge of a minimum of 25-hours in an academic year.
Alternative Spring Break/Winter Break Pro Bono
None.
Law School Public Interest Programs
Contact Information
Michelle Takagishi-Almeida, Esq.
Director, Public Service Program, Southwestern Law School
Legal Clinics, Westmoreland Building, 3050 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90010
213.738.5737
[email protected]
Julia I. Vázquez, Esq., M.Ed.
Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the Community Lawyering Clinic
Legal Clinics, Westmoreland Building, 3050 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90010
213.738.6608
[email protected]
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
https://www.swlaw.edu/curriculum/concentrations-and-customizations/public-interest-law-concentration
In registering for the law school’s Public Interest Law Concentration, students receive individualized academic counseling and advice on curricular emphases, course choices, and recommended chronology for course sequencing. The Public Interest Law Concentration also mandates a 75-hour minimum of pro bono or service hours by the April deadline in a student’s graduating year.
Public Interest Centers
None.
PI Career Support Center
Student Support Programs Include:
(i) Public Interest Law Committee Summer Grant Program: Students interested in working in public service, which includes public interest law organizations and government agencies, may apply for grant and summer fellowship opportunities. These programs provide sources of financial support to students seeking education and training in public service while offering agencies the valuable support necessary to increasing services for diverse, indigent communities.
Recruitment and Community Events Include:
(i) Equal Justice Works Career Fair: Happening every October, the Equal Justice Works Career Fair is the largest national recruitment event for public interest / public service career students and through which students can apply for academic-year, summer or postgraduate opportunities in regions from across the country – e.g. East Coast, Mid-West, South/Deep South, Pacific Northwest, and Southwestern states. More than 250 employers will conduct formal interviews for academic-year and summer clerkships as well as postgraduate and entry-level positions with public interest, civil legal aid, and government agencies in offices from across the country. Employers also will be available to meet with students in informal “table talk” discussions. Registered student attendees also take part in workshops on public interest / public service careers, networking, resume review, mock interviews, and more; Southern California’s Public Interest / Public Sector Career Day: Southern California’s Public Interest / Public Sector Career Day (PICD) is one of the largest regional recruitment events in the country with more than 130 employers from private-public interest firms, public interest / civil legal aid agencies, social justice nonprofit organizations, and government agencies participating to recruit law students for summer law clerk programs and other year-round opportunities.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
None.
Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
11/3/2023