Public Service Requirement

Goals of the Requirement

• To encourage students to do volunteer work while in law school
• To instill a pro bono and public service ethic
• To assist communities and organizations
• To provide a tool to assist students in making career choices
• To involve students in a positive way with other cultures and socioeconomic groups
• To tangibly incorporate into the School of Law's curriculum the Gonzaga mission of public service

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Summary of the Public Service Requirement

1. Thirty (30) hours of public service is required for graduation.
2. Students may begin to work toward completion of the thirty (30) hours at the beginning of their first year of law school. The public service requirement cannot be satisfied by hours for which the student also receives compensation, other monetary value, or academic credit. The student may satisfy the requirement with hours spent working in an in-house clinical law program or at an extern placement site, but only to the extent that such time is over and above the hours necessary to meet the requirements of such work for academic credit.
3. The term "public service" shall be broadly interpreted. It encompasses traditional pro bono legal work, but is not limited to it. A broad range of volunteer charitable and community work can also satisfy the requirement.

4. The requirement may be satisfied by any of the following activities, so long as the student receives no compensation:

   (a) volunteering at a nonprofit charitable, civic, or community organization (either law- or non-law related);
   (b) assisting an attorney or law firm (including University Legal Assistance) on a pro bono case; or
   (c) serving at a public agency.

5. The student may either choose to be placed with an agency approved by the Center for Community Action and Service learning, or they may seek approval for a placement from the law school liaison to the University Service Learning Coordinator. The place of service should be in Eastern Washington or North Idaho, with exceptions possible upon approval by the law school liaison, who will consult with the University Service Learning Coordinator (e.g., a student may fulfill the requirement while out of the area during a semester break).
6. Two forms must be completed and submitted to the Registrar's Office to satisfy this requirement: (i) Public Service Requirement Approval, to be signed by the public service liaison and the recipient; and (ii) Public Service Requirement Completion Certificate, to be signed by the student performing the service and the recipient of the service. Transcripts will reflect completion of the "public service requirement."

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