Directory
Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn Law School
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Jacqueline Cheney
Executive Director, Public Service Law Center
Brooklyn Law School
250 Joralemon Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Program Characterized by Administrative Support for In- house and Collaborative Student Group Projects
Description of Programs
Brooklyn Law School has 20+ student-run pro bono projects. Participation in pro bono projects allows students to give back to the community, gain valuable legal experience, and enhance their resume. Pro bono projects span a range of practice areas and populations, including working with alleged debtors, domestic violence survivors, entrepreneurs, immigrants, unemployed workers, NYC public school students, and people who are incarcerated. The Public Service Law Center also supports alternative spring and winter breaks where students engage in public service around the U.S.
Location of Programs
Public Service Law Center
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The pro bono program is run by two staff in the Public Service Law Center, which also provides career counseling for students, maintains relationships with public service employers, and holds workshops and other programming for students throughout the year.
Funding
The Public Interest Law Center is funded through the law school.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Brooklyn Law School does not have a faculty pro bono policy.
Awards/Recognition
The Public Service Law Center gives awards to graduating students each year who have performed a certain number of hours of public service and/or led a pro bono project.
Winter or Spring Break Projects
The Public Service Programs Office supports student trips to the U.S. Mexico border to provide legal assistance to migrants over winter break and trips to work in public defender and legal services offices in other parts of the U.S. over spring break.
Law School Public Interest Programs
Contact Information
Jacqueline Cheney
Executive Director, Public Service Law Center
Brooklyn Law School
250 Joralemon Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
Brooklyn Law School does not have a public interest certificate program but its curriculum includes many classes and clinics of interest to public interest students.
Public Interest Centers
Our Public Service Law Center, an independent office of three staff, serves as a hub of resources and information related to public service programs and initiatives. The PSLC advances the Law School’s dynamic tradition of service, offering myriad ways for students to use their legal education to engage in public service, from an expansive array of student-led pro bono projects to innovative fellowship programs. Whether or not students hope to devote their entire career to this field, engaging in public service is a great way to gain real-world legal experience and make a positive difference for individuals and communities. Students can participate in a skill-building program, intern with a government agency or nonprofit legal services or policy organization, or get involved in one or more of the Law School’s many pro bono projects. The PSLC offers individual public service career counseling to students and alumni; programming on public service-related topics, such as client interviewing workshops, career roundtables with practicing public service attorneys, and workshops on preparing for public service job interviews; and support for pro bono projects and public service-oriented student organizations.
PI Career Support Center
The Public Service Programs Office assists students in locating and applying to public service job/internship/fellowship opportunities. We also identify and maintain relationships with a wide range of public service employers, including an annual Public Service Recruitment Week, our public service version of OCI.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
The Brooklyn Law School Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) is available to graduates working in public interest organizations with an IRS 501(c)3 status. Upon graduation, students who enter qualified areas of public interest employment may be eligible for LRAP to assist them with repaying their law school tuition specific educational debt. LRAP provides loan repayment assistance on a semiannual basis to qualified graduates for up to five years.
Fellowships
In addition to helping students apply for external postgraduate fellowships, we have our own BLS Graduates' Fellowship program, which provides a modest stipend to students in the most recent graduating class to work part-time in public service while they look for permanent jobs.
Updated July 2023