Directory
Wake Forest University School of Law
Wake Forest University School of Law
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Attorney Hazel Mack
Director of Outreach
Wake Forest University of Law
P: (336) 758-4268
E-mail
Faculty Profile:https://law.wfu.edu/faculty/profile/mackhm/
Rachel Pender (JD '17)
Executive Director
Wake Forest University School of Law
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by a Referral System with a Coordinator
Description of Programs
The Pro Bono Project's mission is to provide legal information to members of the community who meet the ABA defined eligibility requirements for pro bono assistance. The project seeks to create a life-long commitment to pro bono work among Wake Forest Law students.
Wake Forest launched the Pro Bono Project and Public Interest during the 2009-2010 academic year. The Pro Bono Project fills placements with attorneys in non-profit organizations, private practice, and North Carolina's legal services organizations. There are five core goals of the Wake Forest University School of Law Pro Bono Project:
- Increase the availability of legal information to North Carolina residents in need;
- Empower working attorneys to accept more pro bono cases with student assistance;
- Enhance legal education by offering students with pre-clinical opportunities to develop practical legal skills;
- Encourage greater participation in pro bono work among the local bar; and
- Create a life-long commitment to pro bono work among law school students and alumni.
For further information, see http://probono.law.wfu.edu/
Location of Programs
The Pro Bono Project and Public Interest Initiative are located in the Wake Forest University School of Law. The office of the Director of Outreach is located in the Smith Anderson Office of Community Outreach of on the second floor of the law school.
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The program is administered by a student run executive board with the support and assistance and oversight of the law school administration, Director of Outreach, and partnerships with local attorneys and legal services organizations. The Pro Bono Project is the central point for all pro bono activities at the law school and maintains a database to keep track of student pro bono work.
Funding
Funding for the Pro Bono Project, Director of Outreach and Public Interest Law Organization is primarily provided through the Office of the Dean. Student fundraising helps support the Public Interest Organization's summer public interest and public service grants.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
- Health Care Advocacy
- Expungement
- Ad Hoc Immigration Project
- Know Your Rights
- Naturalization Project
- Lawyer on the LIne
- Prison Letters
- Teen Court
- Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
- Wills Workshops
- Domestic Violence Awareness Coalition (DVAC)
- LGBTQ Legal Services Clinics sponsored by OUTLaw and Health Care Advocacy
- Girl Scout Mock Trial sponsored by Women in Law
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
None listed
Awards/Recognition
- American Bar Association Judith Weightman Award (2012)
- North Carolina Bar Association Law School Pro Bono Award (2013)
- American Bar Association Day of Service Award (2016)
- Smith Anderson Award (Given each year for great community service)
Community Service
Phi Alpha Delta Co-ed Legal, Social, and Service Fraternity
Law and Medicine Society Sponsors the Red Cross Blood Drives
Domestic Violence Awareness Coalition Volunteer Days at local battered women's shelter
Domestic Violence Awareness Coalition Fundraising Raffle for local battered women's shelter
Hispanic and Latino Law Student Association Project Pumpkin
Black Law Student Association Earth Day Park Clean Up
Black Law Student Association MLK Center Halloween Carnival
Black Law Student Association MLK Center Weekly Tutoring
Black Law Student Association Second Harvest Food Bank Food Drive
Black Law Student Association Salvation Army Coat Drive
Black Law Student Association Salvation Army Christmas Toy Drive
Youth Advocacy Group Tutoring at Hanes Hosiery Community Center
Youth Advocacy Group Community Cares Days
Youth Advocacy Group Hanes Hosiery Community Center Youth Basketball Coaching SBA and NCBA Food Drive
Simmons Memorial Foundation: Professor Omari Simmons's foundation that provides educational support programs for high school students from vulnerable at risk groups.
Outlaw Benefit Event for Human Rights Campaign
Public Interest Law Organization Fundraising campaign and Auction to fund public interest and public service summer grants for law students
Public Interest Law Organization Kickball for Kids
Public Interest Law Organization Angel Tree
Student Animal Legal Defense Fund Animal Shelter Fundraiser
VALOR Canned Food Drive
VALOR Veterans Workshop
Law School Public Interest Programs
Contact Information
Attorney Hazel Mack
Director of Outreach
Wake Forest University of Law
P: (336) 758-4268
E-mail
Faculty Profile:https://law.wfu.edu/faculty/profile/mackhm/
Jacqueline Canzoneri (JD '20)
Executive Director, Public Interest Law Organization
Wake Forest University of Law
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
None
Public Interest Centers
None
Public Interest Clinics
Appellate Advocacy Clinic
Child Advocacy Clinic
Community Law & Business Clinic
Elder Law Clinic
Innocence & Justice Clinic
Litigation Clinic
Washington DC Metropolitan Externship Program
Externships/Internships
Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Externship Program (some placements)
Judicial Externship Program
Litigation Clinic (some placements)
Public Interest grants for summer internships with Public Defenders, District Attorneys, Legal Aid, and other public interest organizations.
Classes with a Public Service Component
Clinical courses only.
Public Interest Journals
Students interested in promoting the public interest through academic scholarship can compete for a spot on the Journal of Law and Policy, which is an interdisciplinary publication that explores the intersection of legal issues with public and social policy. Consistent with Wake Forest's motto of "Pro Humanitate," the Journal's mission is to introduce, maintain, and advance discourse so as to uncover policies that will engender equality and the true administration of justice. The Journal seeks submissions that, among other goals, address various societal needs through legal doctrines and systems and hosts dynamic and engaging Symposiums on campus.
For further information see, http://lawpolicyjournal.law.wfu.edu/
PI Career Support Center
The Public Interest Initiative promotes Wake Forest's tradition of training "citizen lawyers" who serve not only their clients, but also their community, states and nation. The Initiative works with Career Services to create an easy-to-access repository of information for students seeking public interest internships, externships, and fellowships. The Public Interest Initiative also promotes connections between Wake students and professionals working in public interest through a mentorship program and an annual Public Interest Retreat that brings alumni to the university to discuss their work in public interest and non-traditional career paths for attorneys.
Many students also attend the Equal Justice Works Job Fair, of which the law school is a sponsor.
For further information, see http://publicinterest.law.wfu.edu/
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
Wake Forest University School of Law Loan Repayment Assistance Program
Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
Law School Funded:
None.
Graduate Student Funded:
None.
Other Funding Sources:
None.
Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships
Law School Funded:
Public Interest Research Fellowships (Community Law & Business Clinic)
Graduate Student Funded:
None.
Other Funding Sources:
None.
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
None.
Graduate Student Funded:
None.
Other Funding Sources:
PILO grants – Usually $2,000 for a 10 week summer placement or $1,000 for a summer placement that is less than 10 weeks. Grant amounts or the number of grants available may vary if funding sources fluctuate from year to year.
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
Public Interest Retreat
Student Public Interest Groups
Primary:
Public Interest Initiative
Public Interest Law Organization (PILO)
Student Groups with Significant Public Interest Focus:
Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF)
Youth Advocacy Group (YAG)
Teen Court
Phi Alpha Delta
Innocence Project (works on projects with the Winston-Salem-based Darryl Hunt Project for Freedom and Justice)
Guardian ad Litem (GAL)
Domestic Violence Advocacy Center (DVAC)
Civil Liberties Union
Environmental Law Society
March 10, 2020