Latest News
May 2, 2012
UW Law Student Jennifer Cunha, Attorney Wes Taylor ‘09, and the Community Immigration Law Center received awards for outstanding pro bono contributions at the annual Dane County Bar Association (DCBA) Pro Bono Breakfast. Read more here.
March 21, 2012
Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson encourages attorneys to get involved in their communities during National Volunteer Week (April 15th-21st) and Law Day (May 1st). Read her letter, which references the UW Law School Pro Bono Program.
March 7, 2012
The Pro Bono Program has been granted $10,000 from the State Bar of Wisconsin to fund two separate initiatives - the newly-implemented UW Law School Pro Bono Society and the Dane County Legal Assistance Clinic for Veterans. Read more in these articles by the Wisconsin State Bar and UW-Madison News.For more Pro Bono Program news items, visit our News page here.
The mission of the University of Wisconsin Law School's Pro Bono Program is to provide its students and faculty with opportunities to deliver pro bono legal services to underserved members of our community.
What is Pro Bono?
The term comes from the Latin "Pro Bono Publico," which means "for the public good."
Commitment to Excellence
The UW Law School is committed to excellence in legal education, which involves offering substantial opportunities for student participation in pro bono activities. Students who participate in the Pro Bono Program are provided with hands-on opportunities to develop professional skills under the supervision of practicing lawyers, law faculty members, and other licensed professionals while exploring the ABA's ethical standards, which state that lawyers should aspire to provide 50 hours per year of pro bono legal services to people of limited means or nonprofit organizations that serve the poor.
"The Pro Bono Program is an excellent resource available to the
students here at the University of Wisconsin. It provided me with a
great opportunity to obtain real world experience beyond the lessons
learned in the classroom, writing memos, reviewing expert testimony,
providing research in a capital case, and assisting valued members of
the community to prepare their wills. This can be especially helpful to
students who do not have time outside of school and family to pursue a
full-time internship. A key part of our role as future lawyers is to
help people, and the Pro Bono Program helps you do just that."
