Pro Bono Clinics

Hone Your Legal Skills

Throughout the year, PILF coordinates a multitude of volunteer clinics at local non-profit organizations. PILF's pro bono clinics provide USC Law students with the opportunity to garner and hone professional skills essential to a successful legal career. These skills include client interaction, community development and the interpretation and application of legal principles. In some instances, students may have the opportunity to develop "practice area specific" knowledge and skills. Additionally, the skills students gain from volunteering at the clinics are things not always taught in the law school classroom, and the experience can provide students with topics to discuss in job interviews.

Help Your Community

PILF clinics provide an important service to both the Los Angeles community and the Los Angeles non-profit legal community. The pro bono clinics address issues like disability rights, children’s rights, immigrants’ rights, and gay/lesbian rights to name a few. Many non-profit organizations depend on your volunteer work for survival. Some of the organizations USC Law students volunteer with include:

  • Bet Tzedek Legal Services
  • First A.M.E. Church Legal Clinic
  • Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
  • Neighborhood Legal Services
  • Public Counsel
  • ACLU of Southern California
  • Alliance for Children’s Rights
  • Barristers-Los Angeles County Bar Association Domestic Violence Project
  • BASTA, Inc.
  • California Women’s Law Center
  • Catholic Immigration Legal Network
  • Disability Rights Legal Center
  • Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law
  • Inter City Law Center
  • Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice
  • Mental Health Advocacy Services
  • The Wage Justice Center
  • Learning Rights Law Center
  • LA Gay and Lesbian Center

Log Your Pro Bono Hours

To log PILF Hours, please login to the USC Law Portal Login and follow instructions under the link "Public Service Log" found under the left hand options list.

Fulfill Your Ethical Duty As A Legal Professional

Pro bono (i.e., volunteer) work is a critical element of any legal practice. The Model Rules of Professional Conduct encourage practicing lawyers to perform at least fifty hours of pro bono legal work per year. You should begin your commitment to this professional obligation now.

Ensure Eligibility For Summer Grants

In order to be eligible for a PILF summer grant a student must log a minimum of twenty-five hours of volunteer work before the summer grant application deadline. Most successful grant applicant's volunteer hours far exceed this amount.