Above and Beyond: College of Law Pro Bono Program

Two years ago, the University of Idaho Law School mandated that each student complete 40 hours of uncompensated pro bono work. Students have stepped up to the task and run with it, garnering legal experience while promoting justice for those underrepresented.

The program hopes to instill a sense of community in the lawyers that graduate, and expand the interest of public interest work in today’s workforce.

“The pro bono program provides access to skills that are hard to come by in law school,” said John McMahon, former pro bono program coordinator. “To actually have a client, hear their story and strategize a response, students begin thinking about solving a problem, not just doing an assignment.”

The graduating class of 2009 will be the first class to have the pro bono hours as requirement for graduation. While the class of 2008 wasn’t required to participate in public service law, most students still participated with 39 students going above and beyond the 40 hours. McMahon reported that six out of the eight students graduating summa cum laude or magna cum laude this past spring were very active in pro bono work.

“This shows that the University of Idaho sees the importance of the well-rounded student,” said McMahon. “Not just a scholar, but someone who cares about society.”

As a first year law student, Lewiston native Jordan Taylor joined the Public Interest Law Group (PILG) and attended Alternative Spring Break. He was one of 14 members that made the original trip to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. Under his watch as president of PILG, the Alternative Spring Break participation has more than doubled.

Taylor said that the required pro bono service hours are responsible for the increased participation. The required service generated more hours for PILG, creating room for more projects and events. The increase in service hours also reflects the original purpose of the pro bono program.

"The pro bono program expanded everyone's interest in public work," said Taylor. "I think more students want to become involved in public interest law in their future."

Taylor has continued his work in public interest law. This summer, he is working at the Capital Post-Conviction Project of Louisiana, which handles most of the death penalty appeals for the state of Louisiana. He will return to his final year of law school his fall and will work at the College of Law's Immigration Clinic. Taylor said that pro bono work definitely will be a part of his future career.

Amanda Ulrich, a 2008 College of Law graduate, has been studying for the bar exam in her hometown of Idaho Falls this summer. While she has been turning to the books for test preparation, it was the service-learning experience that expanded her education while studying in Moscow.

“Pro bono work has influenced my studies greatly,” said Ulrich. “I would say that it had the most influence on my decision to participate in the College of Law Legal Aid Clinic, which provides free legal services to those with a need for them. My pro bono work also influenced me to take courses in Human Rights and International Law, areas of law which are conduits for improving the human condition.”

Ulrich was given the Above and Beyond Award by the college for her impact on the pro bono program. “Getting the Above and Beyond Award was such a great honor because there were so many people in our class who did amazing pro bono work,” she said.

With students working in China on farmer’s property rights, in Cambodia on women’s issues, in Boise with refugee children or in nearby Lapwai with the Nez Perce Tribe, it seems the first two years of the program are only the beginning of a long tradition of service.