Stanford Law School’s Advanced Degree (“AD”) students play an important role in the school’s Pro Bono Program. AD students are invited to participate in most of the student-led Pro Bono Projects, all Alternative Break trips, and other pro bono opportunities made available at the law school. AD students are also eligible for Pro Bono Distinction upon graduation.

New York Pro Bono Requirement

AD students who are considering membership in the New York State Bar following graduation need to consider that state’s Pro Bono Requirement. The Director of the Pro Bono Program, Mike Winn, is always available to discuss how best to meet that requirement. You can reach him at mikewinn@law.stanford.edu.

There are a few things to consider as you plan to meet NY’s Pro Bono Requirement:

• New York’s definition of “pro bono” is different than SLS’s definition. For that reason, many of the student-led Pro Bono Projects do not provide opportunities that help meet New York’s requirement. (Furthermore, student-led Pro Bono Projects often do not provide 50 hours or more of work in one year.) Pro Bono Project websites include a note about whether or not we believe work for the project meets New York eligibility requirements. We cannot, however, guarantee that the work you do will be eligible. To ensure your work satisfies the New York requirement, you should review the New York State Bar’s FAQ page and, when appropriate, email the New York State Bar (ProBonoRule@nycourts.gov) and ask their opinion about specific work.
• New York allows LLM students to count eligible experience taking place up to 12 months before the start of their LLM program. Because New York’s definition includes paid work, many Advanced Degree students will have already met the Pro Bono Requirement either through full-time legal work at a nonprofit, NGO, governmental, or intergovernmental agency or through eligible pro bono work done while working at a private firm.
• New York also recognizes pro bono work done after graduation. For that reason, some students wait until they have graduated, taken the bar exam, and/or passed the bar exam before engaging in qualifying pro bono work.
• SLS’s Alternative Break trips are often a good fit for AD students looking to meet the New York requirement. The trips almost always engage students in work that is New York-eligible. Most trips usually engage students in around 40 hours of work, and host sites are often amenable to allowing AD students to do 10 more hours of remote follow-up work (upon request) to help get to 50 hours.