Pro Bono Scholars Program

About the Pro Bono Scholars Program

The Pro Bono Scholars Program (PBSP) allows students in their final year of law school to devote their last semester to performing pro bono service for the poor through a law school clinic or legal services provider.  Students who are admitted to the program take the New York bar examination in February of their final year of study, before they graduate.  Students who pass the February bar exam and all other requirements for admission (New York Law Exam, Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam) can expect to be admitted to practice by the end of June.

Students who are accepted into the Pro Bono Scholars Program will spend 12 weeks working full time in a pro bono placement, following the February bar exam.  Students who are placed at one of the qualifying client representations clinics will also attend that clinic’s weekly seminar.  Students who are placed at a legal services organization will participate in the Pro Bono Scholars weekly seminar.

Pro Bono Scholars have been placed at the Law School’s client representation clinics – the Criminal Justice Clinic, the Disability Rights Clinic and the Immigration Justice Clinic. Legal services placements have included Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, the Pace Women’s Justice Center, Legal Services NYC, Hudson Valley Justice Center, and Legal Aid Society of Rockland County.

For more information about the Pro Bono Scholars Program, visit the NY Courts website.

Additional Information

Course Information: LAW 805 Pro Bono Scholars Program
Student Applications