Legal Education Commons^™

Risks And Rewards Of Law Student Volunteer Service: A Supervisor’S Perspective, Julie E. Bennett, Sharon H. Fischlowitz

William Mitchell Law Review

During the 2002 academic year, law students in Minnesota contributed 16,078 pro bono service hours. This level of student pro bono activity is possible only because licensed attorneys take the time to supervise and guide students. Volunteer supervision, a task separate from the practice of law, requires time, patience, and teaching skills, and has no guaranteed outcome. One might conclude that the necessary investment is not worth the effort. However, year after year, supervisors and volunteers continue to give thousands of service hours, providing critical legal services to clients who would otherwise go unrepresented. This essay examines some of the …