Case Western Reserve University Law School
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University Law School
11075 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44106
lawwww.cwru.edu/
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Sarah McFarlane Polly
Associate Dean for Student Services
Sarah.polly@case.edu
216-368-5139
Category Type
Independent In-house and Collaborative Student Group Projects
Description of Program
Student groups, faculty, administrators, and the Center for Social Justice sponsor and collaborate on many pro bono projects throughout the year. Examples include research collaboration on aspects of the foreclosure crisis; participation in the Housing and Community Development Roundtable; leadership in and the hosting of several diversity pipeline programs; organizing and facilitating pro bono opportunities for law students to work with the Cleveland Legal Aid Society, the Cuyahoga County Witness/Victim Center, and other agencies; Street Law; Big Buddies; and more.
Location of Program
Staffing/Management/Oversight
Funding
The law school expends about $800 a year on the Street Law program.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Street Law -- This is a practical program of law-related education aimed at engaging high school students in a critical examination of their rights and responsibilities. It involves law students in discussions surrounding practical legal problems, contemporary legal issues, and the ramifications of breaking the law. The underlying goal of the program is for the young students to gain a sense of belonging to society. The law students, working closely with the teachers, teach at least one to two hours a week for six weeks at a local high school.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Awards/Recognition
Community Service
The Mary Bethune Service Organization is dedicated to enriching the lives of the students at the local Mary Bethune Elementary School. Law students tutor fourth- and sixth-graders, conduct law day classes, organize recreational events, and participate in activities sponsored by the elementary school.
The Big Buddies program allows law students (big buddies) to act as mentors and tutors to elementary and junior high school children (little buddies) in urban Cleveland. The program is sponsored by the Student Bar Association, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland, and the Mary Bethune Elementary School. Each law student who joins the program is paired with a child. Once a week, the little buddies are bused to the law school, where they and their big buddies take part in a group activity for about an hour, then spend time on school work. Group activities are varied and have included kickball, arts and crafts projects, visits to museums, and bowling.
Law School Public Interest Programs
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Contact Information
Sarah McFarlane Polly
Associate Dean for Student Services
Sarah.polly@case.edu
216-368-5139
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
JD/MSSA (Social Work)
JD/MNO (Nonprofit Management)
JD/CNM (Certificate of Nonprofit Management)
JD/MPH (Public Health)
Public and Regulatory Institutions Concentration
Individual Rights and Social Reform Concentration
Public Interest Centers
Center for Social Justice
Public Interest Clinics
Criminal Justice Clinic
Community Development Clinic
Civil Litigation and Mediation Clinic
Health Law Clinic
Urban Development Lab
Externships/Internships
Access to Justice (Legal Aid)
City of Cleveland Law Department
U.S. Attorney: Civil and Criminal
Federal Public Defender
Internal Revenue Service
Federal Trade Commission
International Criminal Tribunal
Classes with a Public Service Component
Public Interest Journals
Public Interest Career Assistance
Case Western Reserve University School of Law encourages students to explore the public interest as a career choice that serves a vital role in our country’s justice system. To assist students interested in the public interest, the law school offers several summer funding opportunities that are available only to CWRU Law students. The School of Law’s Career Services Office actively develops and promotes public interest opportunities for students and graduates.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
The school also offers a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) to graduates who accept employment in the public interest.
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Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
To assist students interested in the public interest, the law school offers several summer funding opportunities that are available only to CWRU Law students.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
Student Public Interest Groups
The Student Public Interest Law Fellowship (SPILF) is a non-partisan student organization that aims to encourage students to consider careers in public interest law; to support and advocate for students who have chosen public interest careers; and to raise money to provide grants to law students who accept summer internships with public interest employers in lieu of more lucrative summer employment.
