Directory
Ohio Northern Claude W. Pettit College of Law
Ohio Northern
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Melissa Kidder
Professor of Law; Director of Legal Clinics
419-772-1870
[email protected]
Category Type
Independent Student Pro Bono Group Projects with no school-wide program
Description of Programs
ONU encourages students to engage in pro bono work and to develop a sense of obligation to contribute as members of the legal profession. Students who complete 30 or more hours of pro bono work during their three years in law school receive a notation on their transcript of "Pro Bono Service." The Law School also annually recognizes a student, faculty member or graduate selected by the Law School’s pro bono/public interest committee for his or her outstanding pro bono efforts.
Location of Programs
Staffing/Management/Oversight
Director of Office of Career and Professional Development (Career Office)
Director of the Clinic and Externship Program
Funding
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Awards/Recognition
Students who complete 30 hours of pro bono work receive a special certificate and a notation on their transcript.
Winter or Spring Alternative Break Projects
None listed.
Law School Public Interest Programs
Contact Information
Amber Schumacher
Director of Law Career Services and Student Services
419-772-2220
[email protected]
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
None.
Public Interest Centers
None.
PI Career Support Center
The Career Office actively promotes public interest positions to students and provides students with information about summer and full-time positions with public interest organizations. The Career Office uses PSJD, an online clearinghouse for law students and lawyers to connect with public interest job listings and career-building resources housed and administered by the National Association for Law Placement, as a resource and guide for students as they seek public interest positions. The Law School is also a member of Equal Justice Works, a non-profit organization focused on public service careers, and actively promotes its activities and public interest positions to students.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
In addition to formal loan counseling through the financial aid office, the Law School offers students MAX by AccessLex (MAX), a personal finance education program created for law students that includes in-person workshops, online and virtual programming, and one-on-one counseling with MAX counselors. The Law School enters all students into MAX in the summer before their first year. The Law School requests, but does not require, that students complete two of the MAX lessons before starting school in the fall. Law students receive an in-person introduction to MAX at new student orientation. MAX counselors hold separate in-person workshops for each class of students every semester. Students also receive monthly newsletters, access to MAX podcasts, and other online programming. MAX also teaches third-year students how to manage their federal and private student loan debt after graduation, including by reviewing all available repayment, deferment, forbearance, and forgiveness options. MAX enters students into a drawing for multiple scholarships offered by AccessLex each time students complete an activity, which gives students an additional incentive to engage with the MAX programming.
Fellowships
As a means of encouraging interest in public interest law, the Office of Career and Professional Development offers summer stipends to students who work in a public interest setting for a summer while in law school. From 2012 through 2018, 62 students have been awarded a total of $77,390. The money is raised via an auction of items donated by faculty, staff, alumni, and students. The Law School also regularly brings a variety of public interest and government employers to campus for on-campus interviews, including the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and JAG Programs for U.S. Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
6/21/2024