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Pro Bono at Notre Dame Law School was developed out of a desire to see law students at Notre Dame learn how to use their law degrees to help others. Administered by the Career Development Office, participation in Pro Bono at NDLS is open to all NDLS law students regardless of their chosen career paths, and it serves as a highly productive way to introduce students to the obligations they will face as attorneys in practice. The ultimate goal is to encourage participants to embrace their role in the legal profession and their responsibility to serve the public whenever possible. The Pro Bono program focuses on the need for those who have the ability to recognize and to serve the needs of those who are often under-represented in society. Students who participate are given the opportunity to serve in several different areas of law. With a grant provided by Baker & Daniels, Pro Bono at NDLS began in January of 2008, and since then literally thousands of hours of service has been given to individuals and organizations in need.

NDLS Projects:

Protective Order Project – As the very first project of Pro Bono at NDLS, the Protective Order Project began in the Spring semester of 2008. In conjunction with the Family Justice Center of St. Joseph County and the Women’s Legal Forum and with the help of Professor Judy Fox, pro bono volunteers were trained to assist victims of Domestic Violence to obtain Orders of Protection against their abusers. Each student set up a weekly schedule in which he/she would spend time at the FJC working with the Executive Director to interview new clients and draft petitions for Orders of Protection that the clients would then file with the court. Several students also performed legal research for the FJC in order to draft quick reference resources for the staff as well as clients.

Small Business Project – With the collaboration of the Microventuring Program of the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the Notre Dame Legal Aid Clinic, Notre Dame law students and local attorneys, this project provides transactional pro bono legal services to low-income and modest-income entrepreneurs in the South Bend area who need the expertise of business lawyers. The entrepreneurs are selected by the Gigot Center and then pro bono attorneys and law students provide a “legal diagnostic” for each entrepreneur. The process consists of a roughly two-hour meeting with each entrepreneur during which the attorneys and law students evaluate each business using a detailed checklist of potential legal issues.

Guardianship Project – Under the supervision of Professor Mike Jenuwine, Notre Dame law students are conducting the first ever empirical research project on adult guardianships in the state of Indiana for the Indiana Adult Guardianship Task Force. Students are taking their research and using it to compare Indiana’s guardianship statute to the uniform code and other states’ statutes to determine what are the best practices in guardianship law. The main purpose of this project is to ensure that wards are properly represented in guardianship proceedings and that the law protects their interests in the best way possible.

IRS VITA Project – Law students trained to become volunteer tax preparers under this program sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service. Over two days, students volunteered their time to prepare tax returns for low-income residents of the South Bend area under the supervision of IRS attorneys. The main goal of the project was to help low-income taxpayers take advantage of the Earned Income Credit on their tax returns. The faculty supervisor of this project is Professor Fox.

Pro Bono Clearinghouse Project – The intent of the Pro Bono Clearinghouse is to mutually benefit both attorneys and students by matching local attorneys doing Pro Bono work with Notre Dame law student researchers. Attorneys get the benefit of volunteer research and writing, while students receive the benefit of practical casework experience, honing their research and writing skills and networking with local attorneys. The faculty supervisor of this project is Professor Jones.

There are several organizations without which Pro Bono at NDLS might not be possible: Baker & Daniels; Notre Dame Legal Aid Clinic; Family Justice Center of St. Joseph County; St. Joseph County Bar Association’s Pro Bono Committee; Mendoza College of Business; Volunteer Lawyer Network; Internal Revenue Service; Indiana Adult Guardianship Task Force.

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