California Law Students Could Face 50-Hour Pro Bono Requirement

California law students could soon be required to do 50 hours
of pro bono work.
Image: Shutterstock

The State Bar of California is considering a requirement for all law students to do 50 hours of pro bono legal work in an effort to serve the low-income population, which is in desperate need of legal advice.  This requirement would have law students providing free legal advice within one year of receiving their license.

Since the economic downturn that began in 2007, more and more California residents have found themselves in need of legal help…right when it was even more difficult to find.  Legal aid organizations had to be careful about how much assistance they offered, being understaffed and underpaid despite the massive need.  Even now, the state bar estimates that one million Californians seeking aid are turned away every year.

Supporters of the potential 50-hour requirement believe it will help provide services to this demographic, as well as providing young lawyers with the opportunity to get real-world experience at the beginning of their careers.

However, there is some concern about what sort of workforce is available to oversee the students, who can’t offer advice without the supervision of a licensed attorney.  Many organizations don’t have the staff to train or supervise large numbers of students.  This is due in part to the fact that people involved in civil cases are not required by law to have representation—which means that the legal organizations who deal with this kind of client don’t often get the funding they need to operate.

This means those facing eviction, restraining orders, and dealing with guardianships can’t always get the legal help they need.

For example, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, one of the largest of about 100 legal aid organizations in California, can only accept about 10% of the law students who apply to volunteer because they simply don’t have the staff to supervise them.

Dan Glaser, a second-year UCLA student, mentioned another concern in an interview with The LA Times.  While he enjoys the opportunity to work a legal clinic as part of his education—“It makes all my law school read, problems, and assignments seem petty,” he said—he also questions whether it’s fair to force students into working for free.

“The students that want to do this type of work have plenty of opportunities to do it," he said. "I'm not sure what can be gained by forcing them to do it if they don't have an interest."

Other potential requirements before the State Bar of California include a 250-hour practical skill requirement and a 10-hour continuing legal education requirement.