Loyola Law School has a strong tradition of supporting student interest in exploring career opportunities in public interest law. In October 1992, the law school faculty instituted a pro bono graduation requirement with the purpose of exposing students to their professional and ethical obligation to perform public service work. The pro bono graduation requirement reflects the commitment of Loyola's faculty and student body to providing legal services to those in need while adhering to the highest standards of the legal profession. Pro bono work is legal work provided without compensation as part of a lawyer's professional responsibility.
Before graduation, each student must perform 40 hours of uncompensated, legally related public service work under the supervision of an attorney in order to fulfill the Pro Bono Graduation Requirement.
All students must, without exception, complete the Pro Bono Graduation Requirement prior to the beginning of their last semester of law school before graduation.
Students may not commence satisfying the pro bono requirement until the first semester of studies is completed, after the last day of the fall final exam period. Upon completion of the first semester, students are eligible to earn up to ten (10) hours of pro bono credit during the time remaining in their first year. (Students cannot receive any credit for pro bono work performed before the end of the fall semester of the first year, and students cannot receive credit for more than 10 hours of pro bono work performed prior to the end of the spring semester.) Any remaining hours of pro bono work must be completed in subsequent semesters. All upper division students must complete the forty-hour pro bono requirement prior to the first day of classes of the last semester before graduation.
Legal services performed to complete the requirement cannot be work for which a student receives compensation. The pro bono requirement may be fulfilled by working with more than one approved qualified placement and may be completed in one semester or over the span of two consecutive semesters.
Unpaid work with government, judicial chambers, private placements, or entertainment agencies cannot be used and DO NOT QUALIFY for fulfillment of the Pro Bono Graduation Requirement.
3L Deadline to Submit Pro Bono Hours: Monday, January 11, 2027
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Students may satisfy the graduation requirement by:
- Providing forty (40) unpaid hours of legal services in an approved public interest agency from the approved Pro Bono Organizations List.
- Providing forty (40) unpaid hours of legal services through a “Special Placement” with a private attorney working on pro bono cases with advance approval from the Public Interest Law Department Director.
- Providing forty (40) unpaid hours of legal services through an approved Student-Led Pro Bono Project.
- Enrolling in and receiving a passing grade in an approved public interest field placement of 2 units or greater (no government, judicial chambers, private law firm field placement, or entertainment field placement can be used to fulfill the requirement).
- Enrolling in and receiving a passing grade in a 2-unit or greater clinical course or practicum that satisfies the Pro Bono Graduation Requirement.
Important: Legal services performed to complete the requirement cannot be work for which a student receives compensation.
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