Hamline University School of Law
Hamline University
Hamline University School of Law
1536 Hewitt Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55104
www.hamline.edu/law
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Sara Schwebs
MJF Staff Attorney
hamline@mnjustice.org
651-523-2081
Darrell J. Davis
Asst. Dean for Student & Multicultural Affairs
Ddavis07@hamline.edu
651-523-2966
Category Type
Pro Bono Graduation Requirement Program
Description of Program
Each J.D. candidate at Hamline University School of Law entering the law school in 2009 and thereafter is required to perform twenty-four (24) hours of pro bono service as a requirement for graduation with a J.D. degree. The completion of this requirement will be noted on the student’s transcript as follows: “Completed Hamline pro bono service requirement.” The current Minnesota Justice Foundation 50+ hour certification will also be noted the transcript. The 24 hours of service required by Hamline may be included in the hours for the MJF certification.
Definition of “Pro bono service”
Qualifying Clients or Recipients: For purposes of the definition below, qualifying “groups or individuals” to receive such service are the same as those listed in Rule 6.1 of the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct. Rule 6.1 defines pro bono services as services to
“persons of limited means” or
“charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental and educational organizations in matters which are designed primarily to address the needs of persons of limited means,” or
“individuals, groups or organizations seeking to secure or protect the civil rights, civil liberties or public rights,” or
“charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental and educational organizations in matters in furtherance of their organizational purposes, where the payment of standard legal fees would significantly deplete the organization's economic resources or would be otherwise inappropriate.”
- the provision of legal services under the supervision of a licensed attorney;
- counseling clients or participants in nonprofit or governmental entities and giving them advice on law-related matters under the supervision of an attorney;
- participation as a coach, judge or teacher in a non-law school moot court, mock trial, or legal education program;
- participation in dispute resolution activities, such as mediation, negotiation, arbitration, litigation, restorative justice practices, and others under the supervision of an attorney; or
- any of the following with prior approval of the dean or the dean’s designee:
- critical thinking (legal or professional problem analysis and generation of solutions and strategies);
- legal research, legal writing, critique or synthesis of legal argumentation;
- planning or implementing factual investigation of a conflict or legal problem;
- strategic analysis and project design for community issues facing nonprofit or governmental entities.
Students are encouraged to continue to provide pro bono service after completing their 24 hour requirement, working toward the 50+ hour certification of MJF.
Location of Program
MJF has a central administrative office off site, but has a staff member on site at Hamline 30 hours/week. That staff person shares space with the Student Bar Association in an area of high student traffic, and works closely with the Career Services Office.
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The MJF administrative staff is located at the University of Minnesota. MJF has a full-time staff of 6 attorneys spread across three law schools and various part time college and law students. The Board of Directors is made up of law students, private attorneys, legal services attorneys and client-eligible community members. Three students (from each school) sit on MJF's Board of Directors. Drawn from the membership of MJF's student chapters, these students help steer the agency and its programs - including its law school pro bono program. Each School also appoints several of its own law students to its own Public Service Committee. Students also serve on the Legal Assistance to the Disadvantaged Committee of the Minnesota State Bar Association, as well as its Law School Initiatives Subcommittee, where the law school public service program collaboration partners monitor and support the program.
Funding
HUSL underwrites the MJF staff attorney position with a substantial "donation" and in-kind office space, equipment and supplies.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
MJF Student Chapter – The Hamline Chapter sponsors activities that allow both students and practicing attorneys to meet, socialize, and discuss non-profit, pro bono, and public interest areas of law. The Student Chapter also sponsors Street Law courses which enable law students to teach fundamental legal rights, responsibilities, and resources to low-income, at-risk juveniles in Minnesota. Law students have an opportunity to reach out to young people at alternative learning centers, charter schools, or other educational or after-school programs.
Hamline has numerous other student groups which regularly engage in pro bono activities for the benefit of the community, including the Children’s Rights Association, the Hamline Women’s Legal Caucus, the Student Bar Association, and the Hamline Veteran’s Association.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Faculty and staff are encouraged to volunteer time on pro bono projects. Additionally, interested faculty formed the Public Law Community in 2005 which includes faculty, staff and students with an interest in public law, and is dedicated to offering speakers, panels, etc on public interest topics during the academic year.
Awards/Recognition
A reception is held annually by MJF to recognize students who have completed 50 hours of pro bono service. Each year it is held at one of the four law school members of MJF, and all students who have completed the 50 hours from the 4 schools are presented with a certificate. Each student who has completed 50 hours of pro bono service is recognized in the graduation program and receives a notation on his/her diploma.
Community Service
Many of the Hamline Law School student groups regularly engage in community service projects, such as clothing drives, Big Sister/Little Sister mentoring, etc.
Law School Public Interest Programs
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Contact Information
Sara Schwebs
MJF Staff Attorney
hamline@mnjustice.org
651-523-2081
Nancy Lochner
Director of Career Services
nlochner@hamline.edu
651-523-2470
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
Public Interest Centers
Minnesota Justice Foundation– The MJF administrative staff is located at the University of Minnesota. MJF has a full-time staff of 6 attorneys spread across four law schools and various part time college and law students. The Board of Directors is made up of law students, private attorneys, legal services attorneys and client-eligible community members. Three students (from each school) sit on MJF's Board of Directors.
Public Law Community– Though not a formal “center” the Hamline Public Law Community is a group of faculty, staff and students who share a commitment to public interest law, and meet regularly to present programming and opportunities to share experiences.
Public Interest Clinics
Mediation Clinic
Child Advocacy
Education Law Clinic
Employment Discrimination Mediation Representation Clinic
Innocence Clinic
Small Business/Non-profit Clinic
State Public Defender Clinic
Student Director Clinic
For more information, go to http://law.hamline.edu/clinics/clinical-programs.html
Externships/Internships
Hamline provides two practicums with public interest placements: the Public Interest practicum takes up to 8 students who are placed at legal services agencies (such as Legal Aid, Centro Legal, etc), and the Criminal Law Practicum which places about half of the students with public defender or county attorney offices.
Classes with a Public Service Component
In addition to the Clinics and Practicums offered at Hamline: students may participate in Equal Justice -- Applied Research” a seminar offered jointly by the four Minnesota Law schools. The class meets at a different law school each year (Hamline in 2009) and is open to students from all four schools. This class is not an internship, but rather a three-credit research course.
During the class, students choose research topics from the LSEJ research topic list and work singly or in small groups to produce research papers that advance equal justice. Classroom sessions focus on the development of project topics, research skills needed for equal justice issues, policy analysis and problem solving, working collaboratively, the role of the public interest lawyer, and additional topics of interest to the seminar participants. Class members are linked with the attorneys whose legal issues generated their projects. These attorneys serve as ”field contacts” to help supervise the project.
In addition, students spend approximately twenty hours on field work (either with their field contacts or other local public interest practitioners) to gain an understanding of public interest practice in general, the legal issues involved in their individual projects, and the real world implications of their topics.
Students' completed works are presented before a CLE audience of lawyers and are made available to practitioners, students, faculty and others on the LSEJ website.
Public Interest Journals
Hamline Journal of Public Law and Policy - http://law.hamline.edu/jplp/index.html
Public Interest Career Assistance
Hamline’s Career Services Offices offers assistance to those students interested in public interest positions after law school, including individual counseling, mock interviewing, resume review, etc. Additionally, the four local law schools collaborate to host a fair highlighting public interest careers and employers.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
For a description, see http://www.lrapmn.org/
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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:
Students who are eligible may work at public interest organizations being paid through Hamline's Federal work study money. Additionally, Hamline offers the following returning student scholarships in recognition of public service:
Elsie Leavitt Blackhurst Public Service Award
Justice James C. Otis Memorial public interest scholarship
http://law.hamline.edu/current_new_students/returning_student_scholarships.html
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
The student chapter of MJF annually raises money to support 1 to 3 clerkships at $4000 each. Hamline contributes a portion of another summer clerkship annually through its budget and Hamline uses federal work study funds to support other students working in public interest positions.
During the summer of 2009, the law school offered an additional 11 Dean’s Summer Fellowships to provide students with opportunities to clerk with judges and observe the legal process from the inside. The Fellowships came with small stipends.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
(Mid-Minnesota Legal Services or) Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), in cooperation with Hamline University School of Law, sponsors the Mansfield Fellowship.
The following criteria are considered:- Commitment to community work;
- An interest in a career in legal services;
- Ability to work well as part of a team;
- A preference (but not an absolute advantage) is given to those students who have taken poverty-law related substantive courses and/or clinics;
- A preference (but not an absolute advantage) is given to people of color;
- A preference (but not an absolute advantage) is given to those students who come from poverty backgrounds and low-income families.
This program is for 1L or 2L students, the clerkship is for 10 weeks in the summer, and the clerk receives a $6500 stipend.
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
The Hamline Public Law Community sponsors speakers and panels on public interest topics approximately 4-6 times per year open to all faculty, staff and students. Additionally, student groups frequently bring in speakers on public interest topics, and MJF offers training sessions for students interested in pursuing pro bono opportunities.
Student Public Interest Groups
