Directory
Rutgers Law School, Camden Location
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Jill Friedman
Associate Dean, Pro Bono and Public Interest
217 North Fifth Street, E315
Camden, NJ 08102
(856)225-6263
[email protected]
Pam Mertsock-Wolfe
Director, Pro Bono and Public Interest
Rutgers Law School
217 N. Fifth Street, E208
Camden, NJ 08102
856-225-6406
[email protected]
Category Type
Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by a Referral System with a Coordinator
Description of Programs
Rutgers Law School is committed to providing students with meaningful pro bono opportunities that instill an ethic of service, while providing much needed legal assistance to the broader community. Through the program, our students develop skills in professional responsibility, problem-solving, and leadership, while also internalizing an ethic of service that is central to the legal profession. Moreover, through their engagement in our pro bono program, our students enhance their legal knowledge and professional networks. The goal is for all Rutgers Law School students to develop the skills and inclination to work for social justice throughout their careers, whether in a public interest setting or through pro bono work.
Our home community of Camden, NJ is a perfect environment in which to learn and serve. By performing direct service and policy work, Rutgers Law School students develop an appreciation for structural inequities and help real people. Students perform pro bono work in a variety of settings. Most of our projects are in-house partnerships with legal services providers, focused on bankruptcy; community legal education; life planning (medical directives, etc.); income tax assistance; re-entry for returning citizens; research for government and public interest entities; and many other areas. In addition, students often gain approval to work with partner entities such as the ACLU, various innocence organizations, etc. Students also often organize winter and spring break service projects in New Jersey and throughout the United States.
Location of Programs
Pro Bono and Public Interest Program
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The Law School's Associate Dean and Director for Pro Bono and Public Interest oversee existing pro bono initiatives, support public interest programs, and develop resources and new opportunities for Rutgers Law students. Program professionals also support the Law School’s public interest student group APIL (Association for Public Interest Law) with its public interest programming and its annual fundraising efforts, including an auction, that provide funding for summer public interest stipends.
Funding
Law School; American College of Bankruptcy Foundation; New Jersey Bankruptcy Lawyers Foundation
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Faculty members provide supervision to and participate in several pro bono projects.
Awards/Recognition
Full-time/part-time students who accumulate hours from eligible pro bono efforts receive graduation pro bono awards.
Pro Bono Publico Award: recognizes 50 (full-time)/35 (part-time) or more hours of pro bono service
Dean's Pro Bono Publico Award for Exceptional Service: recognizes 100/70 or more hours of pro bono service Dean’s Pro Bono Publico Award for Exceptional Service with Distinction: recognizes 200/140 or more hours of pro bono service
Alternative Winter or Spring Break Projects
Law School Public Interest Programs
Contact Information
Jill Friedman (pro bono)
Associate Dean, Pro Bono and Public Interest
217 North Fifth Street, E315
Camden, NJ 08102
(856)225-6263
[email protected]
Joanne Gottesman (clinics)
Clinical Professor of Law and Chair for Clinical Programs
Rutgers Law School
217 N 5th St, E223
Camden, NJ 08102
[email protected]
856-225-6448
Sandra Simkins (practice externships)
Distinguished Clinical Professor of Law
Rutgers Law School
217 N 5th St, E219
Camden, NJ 08102
[email protected]
856-225-6646
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
Public Interest Centers
PI Career Support Center
The Pro Bono and Public Interest professionals provide public interest career counseling and post-graduate fellowship advice and support to students and alumni, as do members of the Center for Career Development.
Rutgers also encourages and supports students' attendance at the PILC Fair, the Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair, and other public interest job fairs. With the other area law schools, the Law School sponsors a Public Interest Public Service (PIPS) Job Fair each year in Philadelphia.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
The Loan Repayment Assistance Program provides financial assistance to help defray law school debt obligations for law school graduates choosing public interest and public service careers.
Fellowships