Directory
University of Georgia School of Law
University of Georgia
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
The University of Georgia School of Law does not have a general clearinghouse contact for its pro bono programs for legal assistance. Persons seeking legal assistance or referrals should reach out directly to the clinical program that best matches their issue area through the clinic websites and contacts listed within the clinic information provided below. For questions related to student employment in public interest positions during or after law school, contact the Career Development Office, Associate Director and Public Interest and Government Advisor, Sharon Gamble, 706-542-6893, [email protected]
Category Type
Independent Student Group Projects with no school-wide program.
Description of Programs
These programs are designed to assist the wider community, usually focusing on a particular group or service.They are usually run by the student organization; however, most organizations have a faculty or senior administrative advisor.
Location of Programs
Largely in the School of Law
Staffing/Management/Oversight
Usually run by the student organization; however, most organizations have a faculty or senior administrative advisor.
Funding
Typically funded through student organization fees and fundraising efforts.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Although not a requirement, many of the UGA School of Law faculty accept pro bono cases and serve actively in nonprofit legal service organizations.
Awards/Recognition
The UGA School of law annually presents the Ellen R. Jordan Award at graduation to a student who demonstrates exceptional commitment to and achievement in the practice of public interest law. The School of Law's chapter of the Equal Justice Foundation presents the Shelley Knox Award to an outstanding public interest student.
Alternative Winter or Spring Break Projects
UGA Law student run organization, the Public Interest Law Council, hosts an Alternative Spring Break
Law School Public Interest Programs
Contact Information
Sharon Gamble
Associate Director and Public Interest and Government Advisor
[email protected]
(706) 542-6893
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
http://www.law.uga.edu/clinics-externships-and-experiential-learning-programs
Public Interest Centers
UGA Law offers 11 in-house clinics and 7 externship programs currently offered allow students to deeply engage with real-world clients, cases and communities, with a particular focus on providing representation to legally-underserved individuals. Law students in the clinics work alongside experienced faculty and supervising attorneys, develop sophisticated lawyering skills, engage in collaboration and reflection, and grapple with the ethical and practical realities of service to clients and to the public. Through clinic seminars and one-on-one supervision, students develop practice habits that foster good judgment, careful practice, and commitment to access-to-justice principles throughout their careers. Additionally, the Dean Rusk International Law Center is a nucleus for global research, education, and service. Students are prepared for practice, through a rich, cutting-edge curriculum and overseas summer studies. The Center fosters the educational development, research, and scholarship among the law school’s internationally recognized faculty, staff, and students. The Center organizes lectures and conferences on topics like international criminal justice, international arbitration, intellectual property, nuclear proliferation, U.S.–Cuba relations, and environmental sustainability.
PI Career Support Center
The UGA Law School of Law's Office of Career Development has a dedicated public interest and government advisor who provides individualized career advising for students interested in public interest, public service or government careers. UGA Law’s Office of Career Development actively supports those seeking opportunities in the public interest path through targeted interview programs, forums with public interest lawyers, knowledge of finance options for public interest careers, public service mentoring, free access to PSJD, (a NALP Initiative, a subscription database of public interest organizations and job announcements) and Arizona Handbooks - Government Honors & Internships Handbook and Public Policy Handbook. It also pays for one bar association membership per year for each student. Specific programs include: • Career Day– Law practitioners in various fields, including public employers host information tables during this networking event. • Lunch and learn presentations- The Career Development Office sponsors and provides programming in the form of panel discussions and talks by practitioners , of public interest law who share their employment experiences with students. • Equal Justice Works Membership - The School of Law pays annual membership dues to Equal Justice Works so its students can partake in EJW events and initiatives to learn more about public service career opportunities. • Equal Justice Works Career Fair – The School of Law pays for student registration to this annual conference and career fair. The School of Law hosts a presentation to present information and tips on how to prepare for a successful career fair and apply for public interest positions. • Presentations include: Strategies and Deadlines for Government & Public Interest Summer Internships and Post- Grad Employment, Funding You Public Interest Work – Summer and Beyond, and What You Need to Know To Apply for the EJW & Skadden Fellowships • Georgia Public Sector Career Fair : Hosted by the Georgia Law School Consortium of which UGA Law is a member, the annual Public Sector Career Fair provides an opportunity for public interest employers to interview law students for summer and postgraduate jobs. • Mock Interviews with employers including public interest employers • Speed Networking with employers including public interest employers. The School of Law provides rising second- or third-year students who have accepted unpaid summer public interest and government positions with funding to defray the costs of their unpaid summer legal work. Specific summer funding include: • Bool Simkins Summer Fellowship for Public Interest • Milner S. Ball Fellowship • Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship • Edward Spurgeon Fellowship • Rural Justice Fellowship • UGA Public Interest Fellowship
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
The UGA School of Law is one of only a few public law schools offering loan repayment aid to alumni in public interest positions. The school provides annual awards to four or five recent graduates who have committed their careers to public service.
Fellowships
Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards Law School Funded: Bridge to Practice Fellowships: Recognizing that some public interest employers wait to hire until after bar licensure, the law school’s Bridge to Practice program provides stipends for students pursuing public interest jobs immediately after graduation. These funds enable students to forge connections and build credentials, in order to be ready for employment when they pass the bar.
Summer Fellowships Law School Funded: The School of Law provides rising second- or third-year students who have accepted unpaid summer public interest and government positions with funding to defray the costs of their unpaid summer legal work. Specific summer funding include: • Bool Simkins Summer Fellowship for Public Interest • Milner S. Ball Fellowship • Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship • Edward Spurgeon Fellowship • Rural Justice Fellowship • UGA Public Interest Fellowship
01/03/2024