Campbell University
Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
225 Hillsborough Street
Suite 401 
Raleigh, NC 27603
law.campbell.edu

 Law School Pro Bono Programs 

Contact Information

Beth Froehling, JD
Director of Student Life and Pro Bono Opportunities
Campbell Law School
225 Hillsborough Street, Suite 304
Raleigh, NC 27603
P: (919) 865-4696
Fax: (919) 865-5886
froehling@campbell.edu

Category Type

A Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by both a Referral System with a Coordinator and by Administrative Support for Student Group Projects

Description of Programs

There is a Pro Bono Council comprised of students that coordinates Campbell's Pro Bono and public service opportunities. In furtherance of Campbell Law School's mission and the acknowledgment that the practice of law is a profound calling, the overall objective of the Pro Bono Council at Campbell Law is to engage and educate students on the nature and importance of serving the underserved. Pro bono and volunteer opportunities provide students with hands-on opportunities to develop legal skills, provide much needed legal services to the community, instill a sense of professional responsibility early in the students' careers, affirm the legal profession as a profession of service, and enhance Campbell Law School's ties with the community and alumni.

Location of Programs

Campbell Law School
225 Hillsborough Street, Suite 304
Raleigh, NC 27603

Staffing/Management/Oversight

Pro Bono Council (student led)

Director of Student Life and Pro Bono Opportunities (Staff)

Pro Bono Council (student led)

Director of Student Life and Pro Bono Opportunities (staff)

Pro Bono Publico Committee (faculty led)

Funding

Office space and necessary office equipment is provided to student pro bono group projects.

The Pro Bono Council has dedicated office space at the law school and is provided with supplies and equipment. In addition, each pro bono project is funded to support project trainings and events and provide necessary materials and supplies.

Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects

Campbell Law Pro Bono Council

The Pro Bono Council consists of student members who are selected as part of a competitive application process each year. The mission of the Pro Bono Council is to educate students on the nature and importance of serving the underserved through:

• Creating a life-long commitment to pro bono work and volunteerism among Campbell Law students;
• Embracing volunteerism and community service partnerships in the Raleigh area;
• Developing alliances and volunteering with organizations providing legal services to those in need; and
• Assisting lawyers who provide high quality, low-cost legal services to individuals in need.

Campbell Law Innocence Project (CLIP)

Under the supervision of NC Center on Actual Innocence, students review case files to determine if a defendant's case demands further post-conviction review.

Domestic Violence Advocacy Project (DVAP)

Students are certified by the State Bar under the 3 semester practice rule to represent victims of domestic violence in domestic violence protective order hearings in Wake County. This project is in collaboration with Legal Aid of NC (Raleigh office) and the private bar who serve as supervising attorneys.

Reentry Project

The Reentry Project is a mobile initiative that interviews North Carolina citizens who may qualify for relief from the collateral consequences of having a criminal record. This project is in collaboration with Legal Aid of NC and the NC Justice Center.

Child Permanency Appeals Project (CPAP)

In collaboration with the County Attorney's Office of Wake County and Wake County Human Services, Campbell students have the opportunity to write appellate briefs that respond to child placement appeals from the Juvenile Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Court.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)

The VITA Project partners with the IRS to assist individuals who meet certain income qualifications to prepare and file tax returns. The program certifies Campbell Law students through an online certification course and exam.

Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono

The current law school Faculty Handbook includes as an element for evaluating faculty members for advancement in rank for service to the University, the School of Law, the Bar and the general community.

Each student organization has a faculty advisor.

Currently, law school faculty are evaluated on their annual service to the University, the School of Law, the Bar and the general community. Each Pro Bono Project has a faculty or staff advisor. Annually, one faculty member is recognized by the law school community for outstanding achievement in pro bono and public service.

Awards/Recognition

Outstanding Student Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service

Outstanding Faculty Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service

Outstanding Student Organization in Pro Bono and Public Service

The following Pro Bono Awards are presented annually at the Campbell Law Day Awards Banquet:

• Outstanding Student Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service
• Outstanding Faculty Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service
• Outstanding Student Organization in Pro Bono and Public Service

The faculty nominate a graduating student each year to receive the Pro Bono Publico Award presented at the commencement ceremony.

Campbell Law participates in the North Carolina State Bar's Annual Student Pro Bono Service Award by nominating one student each year.

Campbell Law participates in the North Carolina Bar Association's Certificate of Appreciation Program for students who complete 75 or more hours of pro bono service.

Community Service

Campbell Law students participate in community service projects and fundraisers to support local charities that are organized by student groups and the SBA Community Cares Committee. In addition, incoming first year students participate in a "1L Day of Service" to benefit the local community during orientation.

Recent examples of community service at Campbell Law School include:

• Men's Legal Caucus annual golf tournament fundraiser to support the First Tee of the Triangle
• Delta Theta Phi's "Canned Immunity" canned food drive to benefit the local food bank
• Hispanic Law Student Association's annual "Salsa Night" fundraiser to benefit students engaged in public interest work within the local Hispanic/Latino community in collaboration with Legal Aid of NC
• Delta Theta Phi and the Military Law Student Association's annual "Casino Night" to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project
• Black Law Student Association's skate night fundraiser to benefit My Goal, Our Mission, Inc.
• Volunteering at the Shepherd's Table Soup Kitchen in Raleigh
• Participation in the annual North Carolina Bar Association's Feeding Frenzy to fundraise and collect food to benefit the local food bank; Campbell Law came in first place in the law school competition in 2013 and second place in 2014
• Military Law Student Association's writing 600 holiday cards to send to our soldiers abroad
• Women in Law participation in the Color Me Rad 5k to raise money for the Special Olympics

Law School Public Interest Programs 

Contact Information

Beth Froehling, JD

Director of Student Life and Pro Bono Opportunities
Campbell Law School
225 Hillsborough Street, Suite 304
Raleigh, NC 27603
P: (919) 865-4696
Fax: (919) 865-5886
froehling@campbell.edu

Certificate/Curriculum Programs

None

Public Interest Centers

None

Public Interest Clinics

Senior Law Clinic

Founded in 2010, the Senior Law Clinic (SLC) champions Campbell Law School's mission of using the practice of law as a calling to serve others. The clinic was created to serve the legal needs of low-income senior citizens in the greater Raleigh area. Working under the supervision of the SLC director, students provide consultative, transactional, and advocacy legal services with issues such as powers of attorney and other advance directives, repossessions and debt collection, problems facing grandparents raising children, fraud and consumer issues, abuse, guardianship, landlord and tenant problems, Medicaid, food stamps, unemployment appeals, rights in nursing homes, and simple wills for property owners.

Juvenile Justice Project

The Juvenile Justice Project (JJP) is a collaborative effort of the Campbell School of Law and the Tenth Judicial District, which is comprised of Wake County. The program receives referrals from the juvenile justice system, the court system, and the school system for juveniles who are accused of criminal activity or disruptive behavior. JJP strives to bring victims and offenders together in an effort to foster collaborative healing, rather than specifically seeking punishment. Campbell Law students engage all involved parties in dialogue to address the specifics of a violation, how it occurred, why it occurred, and what happened as a result. The project aims to discover how people and communities are hurt as a result of crime, and seeks to find the best solution to repair the damage that has been done.

Externships/Internships

The Externship Program at Campbell Law School gives every student the opportunity to achieve meaningful educational experiences in the public-service environment, including nonprofit organizations, public organizations, law firms, and with corporate counsel.

Campbell law externs serve in a variety of areas:

Public service

• Nonprofit organizations
• Corporate counsel
• Private practice Pro Bono

Recent externship placements include:

• Federal judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and agencies
• State district attorneys, public defenders, and legal aid
• State trial and appellate courts
• State agencies, commissions, and boards
• Bankruptcy judges and courts
• City and county governments
• Medical / health care
• Corporate counsel, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations
• Pro Bono work with private law firms

Summer 2014 Externship Program statistics:

• Opportunities in three different states, and in 19 different North Carolina counties.
• From the 2013 class, 81% of students completed at least one externship, with 40% completing more than one.
• From the 2014 class, 75% of students have completed at least one externshiphus far, with 39% completing more than one.

Classes with a Public Service Component

Campbell Law offers a class/mission trip each spring semester entitled Panama: Study and Service . The course is broken up into two components: (1) a classroom portion conducted primarily at Campbell Law School; and (2) a travel portion in Panama during spring break. Topics covered during the classroom portion include:

• International law
• Civil Law
• Panamanian Law, History, and Political Structure
• Adoption Law and Policy (national and international)
• Foster Care Law and Policy (national and international)
• Orphan Care Law and Policy (national and international)
• Human Rights

During the travel portion of the class, students work with Heart's Cry Children's Ministry, a non-profit founded by Campbell Law alum Misty Hedspeth to create efficiencies for orphan care around the world, beginning in Panama, Central America. 

Public Interest Journals

None

PI Career Support Center

The Career Center and Campbell Public Interest Law Student Association host an annual Public Interest Law Expo to connect students with employers.

Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)

Campbell Law Graduates have been recipients of loan repayment assistance through the North Carolina Legal Education Assistance Foundation. (NC LEAF). For eligibility guidelines, see www.ncleaf.org.

Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards

Law School Funded:

None

Graduate Student Funded:

None

Other Funding Sources:

Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships

Law School Funded:

None

Graduate Student Funded:

None

Other Funding Sources:

None

Summer Fellowships

Law School Funded:

The purpose of Campbell Law School's Public Interest Law Summer Grants is to enable law students to practice public interest law by providing financial support to students who secure certain qualifying unpaid summer employment.

Funding support of the Public Interest Law Summer Grant Program is provided by two organizations. The first group is the Campbell Public Interest Law Student Association (CPILSA). This is a student organization that enables students to live out a spirit of service through the practice of law. The group raises funds year-round to support this grant program, primarily through an annual Silent Auction event.

In addition, the A.J. Fletcher Foundation has provided a generous grant to promote the Public Interest Law Grant program by providing summer fellowships to students. The Foundation supports not only the promotion of higher education, but also the care and support to those persons in underserved populations.

Graduate Student Funded:

None

Other Funding Sources:

None

Public Interest Law Initiative - student summer fellowship

Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs

The Career Center partners with the Campbell Public Interest Law Student Association on public interest initiatives and special events throughout the year. In addition, the Pro Bono Council and other student groups offer programs and events with a focus on public interest law and issues. For example, the Black Law Student Association hosts a lecture series each February for Black History Month.

Student Public Interest Groups

Primary:

Pro Bono Council

Campbell Public Interest Law Student Association (CPILSA)

Campbell Law Innocence Project (CLIP)

SBA Community Cares Committee

Student Groups with Significant Public Interest Focus:

American Civil Liberties Union

Black Law Student Association

Delta Theta Phi

Environmental Law Association

Hispanic Law Student Association

Lambda Law

Phi Alpha Delta

Men's Legal Caucus

Military Law Student Association

Student Animal Legal Defense Fund

Women in Law