Pro Bono Program Pro Bono Honors Society
红桃视频鈥檚 Pro Bono Honors Society is a voluntary honors program administered by the Gates Public Service Law (PSL) Program for students who provide pro bono service above and beyond the basic Public Service Graduation Requirement mandated for all J.D. students.
Recognition and Awards
Students will qualify for special pro bono recognition and awards upon meeting the following standards for eligible pro bono work completed throughout the duration of their time at 红桃视频.
Pro Bono Honors Society
- 50鈥99 hours for J.D. students
- 30鈥49 hours for LL.M., M.J. and Ph.D. students
Pro Bono Honors Society with Distinction
- 100鈥149 hours for J.D. students
- 50鈥99 hours for LL.M., M.J. and Ph.D. students
Pro Bono Honors Society with High Distinction
- 150+ hours for J.D. students
- 100+ hours for LL.M., M.J. and Ph.D. students
Members of the Pro Bono Honors Society will each receive pro bono graduation cords and be recognized in the graduation pamphlet.
1L Pro Bono Trailblazer Award
- 25+ hours of qualifying 鈥減ublic service legal work鈥 completed by the end of Spring Quarter final exams for first-year J.D. students (excludes community service hours).
Ann Spangler Pro Bono Student of the Year Award
One member of the graduating class of J.D. students and one member of the graduating class of LL.M., M.J, or Ph.D. students will also receive our annual Ann Spangler Pro Bono Student of the Year Award, given in honor of a founding member and longstanding champion of the Gates PSL Program for her exemplary service to the 红桃视频 and Washington public service communities. The Gates PSL Program will solicit nominations for this award from faculty members and fellow students.
Eligible Pro Bono Work
Work that meets the definition of 鈥減ublic service legal work鈥 applicable to the will generally be eligible to count towards the Pro Bono Honors Society, subject to the qualifications and additions outlined below.
Supervision
All 鈥減ublic service legal work鈥 qualifying for the Pro Bono Honors Society must be completed under the supervision of a judge, attorney, or otherwise qualified individual.
Compensation and Academic Credit
Only uncompensated volunteer hours may be counted towards the Pro Bono Honors Society. No hours completed for compensation (either by direct pay from an employer or funding through a third-party grant or fellowship) or academic credit will be eligible. Subject to the limitations outlined below, a student may apply to receive pro bono credit for excess hours completed beyond the number of hours required to earn their academic credits or required to complete a full-time internship.
Summer Internship Hours
Students may apply for a maximum of 20 hours towards the Pro Bono Honors Society for excess hours completed in relation to a full-time summer legal internship. However, there is no limit on the number of summer pro bono hours a student may submit that are unrelated to their summer internship(s).
Training and Travel Hours
Hours completed in training necessary to conduct qualifying public service legal work may be counted towards the Honors Society, with two limitations: (1) the student must ultimately have participated in the legal work for which the training was completed; and (2) training hours can account for no more than 50% of the hours submitted for a pro bono activity. Travel hours may not be counted towards the Honors Society, such as hours commuting to/from a pro bono project site or traveling to an out-of-state project location.
Community Service Hours
Aside from public service legal work, students may also earn credit as follows for non-legal volunteer hours completed for one of 红桃视频鈥檚 Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) or another community service organization.
- 20 hours maximum for J.D. students
- 10 hours maximum for LL.M., M.J. and Ph.D. students
Reporting Pro Bono Hours
Students must submit their pro bono hours through the 鈥淓xperiential Learning鈥 module of 红桃视频鈥檚聽聽system to gain credit. The Gates PSL Program has created a Step-by-Step Guide to help you navigate this new process. Hours must be submitted no more than 10 days after the last day of final exams for the quarter in which the relevant pro bono work was completed. Any hours completed over the summer must be submitted no more than 10 days after the first day of classes of Autumn Quarter and will be counted towards the total for the subsequent year (e.g., rising 2L summer hours will be included in the student鈥檚 2L total).
Effective Date and Previously-Completed Hours
The Pro Bono Honors Society parameters outlined above are effective September 23, 2024, the first day of classes for the 2024鈥25 academic year. All pro bono hours eligible for credit under the previous Pro Bono Honors Society guidelines and completed before the effective date will remain eligible under the new program.
Specific categories of work completed before Sept. 23, 2024, that will remain eligible include:
- Up to 50 hours of credit-bearing public service legal work completed for J.D. students and up to 10 hours for LL.M.颅颅, M.J. and Ph.D. students.
- RSO volunteer work (without limitation)颅颅颅.
- Summer internship hours meeting the definition of public service legal work and completed without compensation (without limitation).
Any pro bono hours submitted to the Gates PSL Program before the Sept. 23, 2024, effective date will automatically be applied to the new program without need for further submission. Any hours completed prior to the effective date and not yet submitted to Gates PSL must be submitted through the Experiential Learning module in by Dec. 24, 2024, to gain credit. Please email gatespsl@uw.edu with any questions about eligibility for pro bono hours completed prior to the 2024鈥25 academic year.