Directory
Stetson University College of Law
Stetson University College of Law
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Ann M. Piccard
William Reece Smith, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law
Stetson University College of Law
1401 61st Street South
Gulfport, FL 33707
(727) 562 7883
[email protected]
Category Type
Pro Bono Graduation Requirement Program
Description of Programs
Stetson University College of Law requires our students to perform a total of 60 hours of pro bono service during their law school careers. Thirty of those hours must be law-related service, supervised by an attorney. The remaining 30 hours may be general community service, which is classified as volunteer work. There is faculty supervision with administrative support provided by the Office of Faculty Support Services.
Location of Programs
Stetson University College of Law
Staffing/Management/Oversight
Faculty member oversees student pro bono by answering students’ questions and monitoring submissions.
Funding
There is no additional funding allocated to pro bono.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Public Interest Fellows, a student organization which is open to all students and has historically served as a clearinghouse for non-legal community service opportunities. Stetson has many public service-oriented student organizations, including the Innocence Initiative, ACLU, Amnesty International, and the Florida Association of Women Lawyers. Student organizations receive limited funding from the Student Bar Association, and are overseen by the office of Student Affairs.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
Awards/Recognition
In honor of William F. Blews (JD 1966), Stetson University College of Law has established an award to recognize those students who perform at least twice the number of pro bono hours required for graduation. Awards are presented to students at the Honors and Awards Ceremony prior to graduation. Recipients also wear blue cords over their robes at Commencement.
Community Service
Students must complete, submit, and have approved a total of 60 hours of community service and pro bono work in order to graduate. Thirty of those hours may be community service. At least thirty hours must be pro bono work. Students may do sixty hours of pro bono and zero hours of community service, but most do thirty of each.
Law School Public Interest Programs
Contact Information
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
Stetson has a Social Justice Advocacy Certificate of Concentration program.
Public Interest Centers
Public Interest Clinics
Stetson has opportunities with the following clinics:
Immigration Law Clinic
Local Government Clinic
Prosecution Clinic
Public Defender Clinic
Tampa Prosecution Clinic
Veterans Advocacy Clinic
The only Clinic we have on campus is the Veterans’ Law Institute Clinic. The others send students out to area offices.
Externships/Internships
Stetson offers a multitude of Externships and Internships, some in the same offices that host our clinics.
Classes with a Public Service Component
Stetson offers Social Justice Advocacy as a course. One section of second semester Legal Writing focuses on Social Justice Advocacy. Stetson also offers seminars in Race and the Law, International Distributive Justice, and Elder Law.
Public Interest Journals
Stetson does not have a journal devoted to public interest. Several journals may occasionally touch on public interest issues, but none is dedicated to those issues.
PI Career Support Center
The Office of Career Development work individually with students who have specific public interest goals.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Stetson offers a third-year Public interest Scholarship to one student each year.
Other Funding Sources:
Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded
Other Funding Sources:
Many of our students are awarded fellowships from either Equal Justice Works or Florida Justice Works. Some are for summer stipends, others are for post-graduate Fellow positions in legal services offices.
The Public Service Fellow are students from varying backgrounds interested in participating and promoting public service law. Fellows receive a semester fellowship for a portion of their tuition. This Florida Bar Foundation sponsored program requires each fellow to work a minimum of 120 hours per semester in the public interest realm. Public Service Fellows projects span a variety of activities, including Street Law at local high schools; Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program; Courthouse projects; and the Guardian ad Litem Program. Students are selected by an application process, based on several criteria including prior public service.
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Equal Justice Works seeks to promote involvement in public interest law positions by interacting with the public interest community at large. EJW hosts an auction each year to raise money to send interested students to Washington, D.C., in the fall for a national job fair, and also raises money for students working in public interest jobs for little or no pay during the summer. Equal Justice Works also sponsors various guest speakers and clothing drives throughout the year.
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
Student Public Interest Groups
Public Interest Fellows, a student organization which is open to all students and has historically served as a clearinghouse for non-legal community service opportunities. Stetson has many public service-oriented student organizations, including the Innocence Initiative, ACLU, Amnesty International, and the Florida Association of Women Lawyers. Student organizations receive limited funding from the Student Bar Association, and are overseen by the office of Student Affairs.
3/12/2020