Students give back 100,000+ hours
School reaches milestone of providing free legal help across state, nation
Columnist lauds school's serviceOCT. 27, 2009 -- Post and Courier columnist Ken Burger today praised the law school for living up to its motto for giving back more than 100,000 hours of public service over the last five years. Here is his commentary in full: "The next time you tell a lawyer joke, you might want to consider the other side of the story. "In the five years that the Charleston School of Law has been in existence, its students have donated more than 100,000 hours of free legal service to people all across South Carolina and the nation. "That's equivalent to 50 people working full time for a year. Which is what the Charleston School of Law is all about. It's motto, in fact, is "pro bono populi," which means "for the good of the people." "Each law student at the Charleston school is required to complete at least 30 hours of pro bono service in order to graduate. But most of the 600 future lawyers enrolled here contribute much more than that, according to Michelle Condon, director of public service and pro bono at the school. 'Win-win-win' "'Our pro bono program is a win-win-win situation for everyone involved," Condon said. "Our students get valuable legal experience; the sites win because they get much-needed legal help; and the community wins because it gets an increased amount of services.' "The milestone of more than 100,000 hours includes 55,000 hours of free legal service through the Pro Bono Program and more than 45,000 hours through the school's Externship Program. "Each student can choose from a list of 100 approved charitable and nonprofit organizations, ranging from the guardian ad litem programs to the Crisis Ministries to local public defenders. "But students also can choose their own areas of interest. "'We have some pretty dedicated, creative students who come to us with ideas about projects they really care about," Condon said. "So we always try to work those out so they can pursue their passions.' Punch line "One such student is Alissa Collins, a native of Trumbull, Conn., and graduate of the College of Charleston. "Now in her third year, she has completed more than 125 hours of free legal services with the state attorney's office in her home state as well as work with Judge James C. Williams in St. George. "'I currently work for (Stuckey Law Offices) that does government defense work, but I wanted to see what else was out there,' Collins said. 'So I took my pro bono hours to figure out what other kinds of law I might be interested in.' "Turns out, she loved prosecuting, and it's now something she's considering upon graduation. "In her spare time, she's also active in creating a program called "Street Law" for kids at the local Boys & Girls Clubs. "So before you hit the punch line on that next lawyer joke, ask yourself this question: How much have you given back lately?" |
"The motto of the Charleston School of Law is 'pro bono populi,' which translated means, 'for the good of the people,'" noted Dean Andy Abrams. "For our students at the Charleston School of Law, this is more than a motto. It is a way of life.
"Attaining this significant milestone in only five years is a direct reflection of the depth of the commitment of our students to use their legal education to impact positively the lives of others and of their communities. We could not be more proud of what they have already accomplished and more excited for what they will accomplish in coming years."
Charleston School of Law students provided free legal service in South Carolina and beyond through the school's pro bono and externship programs.
In the Pro Bono Program, students can pick among 100 sites to provide free legal work under the supervision of a licensed attorney. To graduate, all students have to perform at least 30 hours of pro bono service, but many exceed the requirement, according to program director Michelle Mensore Condon.
The Charleston School of Law's Externship Program gives opportunities to students to work at one of 118 off-campus sites. Through the program, they earn academic credit while receiving practical legal experience for their public service work.
Students contributed almost 55,000 hours of free legal service through the Pro Bono Program and more than 45,300 hours of free legal service through the Externship Program.
For more information on the school's externship opportunities, contact the program's director, Professor Elizabeth McCullough (emccullough@charlestonlaw.edu). To learn more about the Pro Bono Program, contact Michelle Condon (mcondon@charlestonlaw.edu).