Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
919 South Albany Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
www.lls.edu
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Sande L. Buhai
Executive Director and Clinical Professor
Sande.Buhai@lls.edu
(213) 736-1156
Christine Zeimantz
Assistant to the Director
Christine.Zeimantz@lls.edu
(213) 736-1059
Category Type
Public Service Graduation Requirement Program
Description of Program
The Public Interest Law Department oversees the pro bono program, which was instituted by the faculty in October 1992, along with other programs. Students are provided with an "Approved Pro Bono Organization List" and are responsible for contacting those agencies in regards to securing a placement and completing the 40-hour pro bono graduation requirement. This list is not exclusive; students wishing to satisfy the pro bono requirement with other verifiable public interest organizations can do so with the approval of the Director.
The Assistant to the Director is the Public Interest Law Program Coordinator responsible for tracking and clearing students who have satisfied the mandatory requirement before graduation. Students are asked to evaluate their experiences at their pro bono placement and offer any suggestions or comments about the evaluation portion of the Student Log/Supervisory Report form, which they must submit to document/verify the completion of their forty hours.
Students must complete a minimum of forty unpaid hours of legal services in an approved public interest agency or complete at least two units in approved public interest externship programs, which provide services to traditionally underrepresented groups.
Location of Program
Stand-alone – Public Interest Law Department
Staffing/Management/Oversight
The Director is a full-time clinical professor and is assisted by a full-time Department Administrator (Public Interest Law Coordinator).
Funding
There is no budget funding beyond staff salaries for the program.
The Assistant to the Director is the Public Interest Law Department’s Coordinator, who provides administrative support to pro bono group projects and to interested faculty.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
General Relief Advocacy Program (GRAP) (through Public Counsel) - The GRAP program aids Skid-Row individuals in receiving government benefits they have been denied.
Loyola Child Advocates- Loyola Child Advocates seeks to increase on-campus awareness of child advocacy issues, involve students and faculty in outreach efforts to neighborhood schools and strengthen ties to the legal child advocacy community. The organization identifies and helps coordinate pro bono opportunities in child and family law, runs a tutoring program for two local elementary schools and hosts speaker forums featuring family law professionals.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) - Students assist low-income persons with income tax forms.
Young Lawyers Program – The Young Lawyers Program mentoring initiative was established in 2000 by Loyola’s African American and Latino student organizations and is staffed by students of all races. Advised by professors, law students bring inner-city high school students to Loyola’s campus to teach them about the law, legal advocacy and the importance of a college education. Loyola students plan the program, recruit the high school students, teach the lessons, select the trial problem and coach the trial teams. The goal is to expose at risk youth of color to the benefits of obtaining an advanced degree.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Pro Bono by faculty is encouraged, recognized and counts towards tenure and salary as service to the school and community.
Awards/Recognition
Students are presented with a certificate of appreciation/completion documenting the total pro bono/public service hours performed. The Dean of the Law School distributes service awards at graduation to students who have demonstrated strong commitments to community service programs.
Awards given at annual luncheon or reception
Community Service
Faculty and students work together to create community projects including the donation of cellular phones, programmed to dial 9-1-1 and give them to domestic violence shelters/victims, as well as the food drives which are given twice a year during which time professors give students "passes" if they bring in food to be donated.
Law School Public Interest Programs
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Contact Information
Sande L. Buhai
Executive Director and Clinical Professor
Sande.Buhai@lls.edu
(213) 736-1156
Christine Zeimantz
Assistant to the Director
Christine.Zeimantz@lls.edu
(213) 736-1059
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
There is a public interest curriculum
Public Interest Centers
The Public Interest Law Department
Cancer Legal Resource Center
Center for Conflict Resolution
Center for Juvenile Law and Policy
Center for Restorative Justice
Disability Rights Legal Center
Public Interest Clinics
Cancer Legal Resource Center
Center for Conflict Resolution
Center for Restorative Justice
Civil Rights Litigation Course
Disability Rights Legal Center
Education Advocacy
Hobbs District Attorney Program
Housing Law Course
Juvenile Justice Clinic
Public Interest Law Practice Seminar
State Board of Equalization (SBE) Tax Clinic
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA)
Externships/Internships
Loyola Law School has an extensive externship program that places students in government agencies, public interest offices and judicial chambers. Professor Barbara Blanco, Director of the program is nationally known as an expert in this area of legal education.
Classes with a Public Service Component
Civil Rights Litigation Seminar
Housing Law
Public Interest Law Seminar
Public Interest Journals
37 Loyola Law Review - Social Justice Symposium
Public Interest Career Assistance
Students receive extensive counseling in regards to applying for public interest post-graduate fellowships and Equal Justice Works grants. Students also have full access to materials in the Public Interest Law Department such as PIES (Public Interest Employment Service) listings that are received monthly. The Career Services office also provides numerous workshops on interviewing techniques as well as resume preparation.Additional opportunities:
Annual UCLA Public Interest Career Day -- The Public Interest Law Department is an active participant in this career fair. Over 100 interviews are granted to Loyola Law School students to interview at this event with various public interest agencies.
Annual Government Careers Information Day
The Public Interest Fair, held every November, involves over fifty public interest organizations who visit the campus and speak with students on a one-on-one basis regarding employment, volunteering, and summer placement.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
Since July 1989, Loyola Law School has provided financial assistance to graduating students who accept lower-paying public interest employment, but who need help in repaying education loans. The Public Interest Loan Assistance Program (PILAP) is available to students who are employed by a qualified public interest program at an annual salary of less than $54,000. The maximum award an applicant can receive is $12,000 annually.
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Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
Law School Funded:
Loyola Post-Graduate Fellowships in Public Interest Law -- www.lls.edu (click on Public Interest Law Department/Post-Graduate Fellowship Opportunities).
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships
Law School Funded:
Public Service Corps Program, which began Winter 2002, was designed to give recent Loyola Law School graduates the opportunity to gain legal experience while awaiting Bar results. Fellows may work between 75-100 hours and will be compensated at the rate of $10.00/hour. Funding is provided by the law school.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
Summer Public Interest Employment Program (SPIEP)
Loyola Law School's federal work-study program supports 70 students (60 in public interest, 10 in government positions) working at local non-profits and government agencies. Currently, the maximum amount a student can earn on a summer work-study contract is $3,500.
PILF - Public Interest Law Foundation Grant The student run Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) offers supplemental funding for SPIEP applicants ranging from $1,000-$2,000. Fellows will be expected to work at least 300 hours at their approved public interest organization.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
PILF - Public Interest Law Foundation Grant - The student run Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) offers supplemental funding for SPIEP applicants ranging from $1,000-$2,000. Fellows will be expected to work at least 300 hours at their approved public interest organization.
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
The Public Interest Law Department is an active participant with the Alliance for Justice promoting First Monday campaigns (ex. Gun Violence). The Public Interest Law Department offers open forums and speaker presentations to discuss various public-interest topics during lunch sessions.
Social Justice Mondays
Student Public Interest Groups
Public Interest Law Foundation - PILF is a student-run, non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the careers of law students who choose to work in public interest law by promoting legal employment and involvement opportunities to combat social, political and economic injustices. Each year during the month of October, PILF organizes and sponsors the annual PILF Auction and Casino Night. All proceeds earned at the event are utilized to fund PILF Summer Interest Grants.
