1. Home
  2. About UC Irvine Law
  3. Public Service
  4. Public Interest Programs
  5. Pro Bono Program
  6. Program Guidelines

Pro Bono Program Code and Guidelines

All students participating in pro bono projects at UCI Law must review the Pro Bono Code, and agree to maintain the highest levels of profesionalism when doing pro bono work, while prioritizing academic demands. 

Pro Bono Code

  1. While pro bono is strongly encouraged at UCI Law, first and foremost students must focus on their academics, learning to balance any pro bono work with class attendance and outside academic work.
  2. Students must review Tips on Professionalism prior to any volunteer work, and conduct themselves in a professional manner in all pro bono work.  This includes being timely and reliable.
  3. Prior to volunteering, all students must be familiar with the Pro Bono Guidelines.
  4. Students may not disclose, either verbally or in writing, any identifying facts regarding their pro bono work.  Identifying information goes beyond names of clients, and includes any facts that would identify the client, or person served, to someone that knows the person, or knows of them.
  5. Pro Bono hours must be submitted on PB Track within two months (by the last day of the second month) in order to be accepted. For example, any work completed in January must be submitted on PB Track by March 31st.
  6. Pro Bono service falls within the Academic Honor Code. Any violation of the Pro Bono Code is also considered a violation of the Academic Honor Code.

Program Operation

  1. Students wishing to participate in Pre-Approved pro bono projects offered each semester must submit a preference request through PB Track.
  2. Students having difficulties with a pro bono project must immediately contact the Director of Pro Bono Programs. Problems include a lack of supervision or inappropriate work requests from a supervisor. If your pro bono supervisor is unresponsive after multiple attempts on your part to communicate, you should inform the Director of Pro Bono Programs.

Summary of Pro Bono Guidelines

  • Suggested Hours: 120 total hours prior to graduation, 200 hours for elevated recognition.
    • 20 hours for 1Ls
    • 50 hours for 2Ls
    • 50 hours for 3Ls
  • Summer Hours
    • Legal work for an underserved community or cause = up to 20 hours of pro bono credit for work done during 11th week of a summer position.
    • Work done on a pro bono project in addition to your summer work (i.e. continuation of spring pro bono project) = credit for all pro bono hours
  • Non-Qualifying Work
    • Commuting: Volunteers may count up to 30 minutes per day for travel within Orange County for pro bono. Travel outside of Orange County can be counted up to 60 minutes per day. 
    • Externships
    • Compensated Work: Includes pro bono work completed on behalf of a law firm, if you are being paid by the firm
    • Community Service: Non-legal work
    • Clinics
    • Law Review & Journals
    • Political Causes
    • Academic Courses

Suggested Hourly Goals

Commensurate with the American Bar Association’s suggestion that practicing attorneys complete at least fifty (50) hours of pro bono work annually, but taking into consideration that first-year students do not have a complete calendar year to fulfill such a requirement, the Law School suggests that all first-year law students complete twenty (20) hours of pro bono service, and all second- and third-year students complete fifty (50) hours of such service each year thereafter.

All first-year students completing twenty (20) hours of pro bono service, and all second- and third-year students completing fifty (50) hours of pro bono service each year will be honored at an event in the Spring. Those students completing one hundred twenty (120) hours at the time of graduation shall receive a notation on their transcript and be recognized as having received Pro Bono Honors at graduation by wearing a gold cord. Those students completing more than two hundred (200) hours of pro bono work prior to graduation shall receive Pro Bono High Honors at the Spring Awards event and will wear a gold stole at graduation.

For purposes of pro bono computation, the first year of law school is defined as the first day of classes until one week after exams end in May.  The second and third years begin one week after final exams end in May until one week after final exams end the following May.

Back to Summary

Qualifying Work

Pro bono work shall be defined as any legal work completed by students for which they receive no credit and no compensation, and which is overseen by an attorney or law-related faculty. In order to qualify as pro bono, work must assist an underserved population or cause.

  • Previously Approved Projects: All legal work done on previously approved UCI Law Pro Bono projects shall count towards a student’s pro bono hours.
  • Student-Initiated Projects: Students are encouraged to seek out other projects for pro bono work. Those students wishing to do pro bono work that is not listed as a pre-approved project must make a written request to the Director of Pro Bono Programs, which may be done by email to adavis@law.uci.edu.
  • Summer Work: Summer pro bono work may count towards your annual pro bono goals in the following ways:
    • If your summer work includes legal work on behalf of the underserved, you will receive up to 20 hours of pro bono credit for all work completed after the first 10 weeks. For example, if you work for a legal services organization for the summer, you will receive up to 20 hours of pro bono credit for work done during your 11th week.
    • If you work on a pro bono project in addition to your full-time summer work, you may count all of those pro bono hours. In most cases, this will be a continuation of pro bono work from the academic year, or work on a pro bono project advertised by the Director of Pro Bono Programs during the summer. Please note that all other pro bono work must be approved by the Director of Pro Bono Programs.

Back to Summary

Non-Qualifying Work

Examples of some work that is noble and important, but which does not qualify for pro bono hours, are as follows:

  • Commuting (Partial): Time spent traveling to and from pro bono assignments will count on a limited basis towards pro bono hours. Please note that students can be reimbursed for travel outside of Orange County for pro bono. Travel within Orange County can count for up to 30 minutes per day. Travel for pro bono outside of Orange County can count for up to 60 minutes per day. 
  • Clinics and Externships: Students participating in clinical programs and externships through UC Irvine School of Law receive academic credit for such work, and therefore cannot receive pro bono hours during the semester for which they receive academic credit.  It may be possible for a student to do work with the clinics in a subsequent semester and receive pro bono hours, if they are not receiving any academic credit for the clinic that semester.
  • Summer Externships and Compensated Summer Positions: Students working in the furtherance of the public good during summer break shall not receive pro bono hours for such work if it is the student's primary summer work. Pro bono work completed by students working for a private law firm also does not count. However, any work done in furtherance of the public good, beyond the normal 10 weeks, shall count towards pro bono hours, but shall not exceed twenty  (20) of a student's pro bono hours for the year.
  • Community Service: Non-legal work on behalf of underserved communities is encouraged, but unfortunately cannot count towards pro bono hours.
  • Law Review or Journals: Writing and/or research for Law Review(s) or Journals is not considered pro bono work.
  • Political Causes: Fundraising and campaigning for political causes or elected officials does not count towards pro bono hours.
  • Academic Courses: Any work that receives academic credit, including clinical work, cannot count towards pro bono hours.
  • Judicial Clerkships: Work for judges and other judicial officers does not qualify as pro bono work.

Back to Summary

PB Track