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Animal Law Project (ALP)
The Animal Law Project (ALP) focuses on protecting the interests of animals through the legal system.
What we do:
ALP works with various organizations on legal research and writing projects aimed at improving the welfare of animals, with clients ranging from local SPCAs to national organizations like the Animal Legal Defense Fund. ALP also organizes speakers, screenings, and other events to engage the law school and broader Penn community in open dialogue regarding the legal protection of animals.
How we do it:
Project volunteers conduct targeted legal research, write memos and briefs, and/or create educational materials for animal-focused organizations.
How and when can I join:
We welcome students who are interested in learning more about animal law. If you have questions, please reach out to Chair Nathaniel Edelheit-Rice and ask to be added to the email list to receive information about available opportunities.
What skills will I develop:
Community engagement, working with vulnerable clients, legal analysis, legal research, legal writing, collaboration, policy advocacy, and public speaking.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Civil Rights Law Project (CRLP)
The Civil Rights Law Project (CRLP) is a pro bono project committed to protecting and promoting civil rights and social justice.
What we do:
CRLP works with organizations supporting their litigation on issues such as school desegregation, discriminatory housing policies and hiring practices, the school-to-prison pipeline, and sex-based discrimination in prisons.
How we do it:
Work with the CRLP is project-based. Members have an opportunity to conduct legal research for our partner organizations dedicated to advancing and protecting civil rights, such as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, and Community Legal Services. Members will also complete multiple drafts of research memos used in impact litigation and direct service support.
How and when can I join:
In the fall semester, CRLP will have a mandatory research training for interested volunteers. Projects will be emailed to the CRLP listserv and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you have questions, please email CRLP Director Jacob Grover (jpgrover@pennlaw.upenn.edu).
What skills will I develop:
Legal research, legal writing, legal analysis, and policy advocacy.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Compassionate Release Collaborative (CRC)
The Compassionate Release Collaborative (CRC) is a new pro bono project that helps seriously ill inmates in Pennsylvania’s prisons file petitions for compassionate release.
What we do:
CRC’s process will be split into three stages: 1) intake, 2) legal representation, and 3) continued care. At the first stage, CRC screens potential clients and chooses to work with individuals whose cases seem appropriate for compassionate release. Second, CRC helps to collect the necessary paperwork and draft the compassionate release petition to be submitted on the client’s behalf. Finally, once compassionate release is granted, CRC works with the client’s loved ones to coordinate hospice care for the client upon release.
How we do it:
CRC partners with the Abolitionist Law Center (ALC), a public interest law firm and organizing project which provides free and low-cost legal services to individuals incarcerated in Pennsylvania. CRC volunteers may be asked to review potential clients’ intake information and draft memos assessing their appropriateness for compassionate release; correspond with selected clients to ensure the timely completion of necessary documents; and help draft compassionate release petitions under the supervision of ALC.
How and when can I join:
CRC is seeking interested collaborators and volunteers. To be placed on our mailing list, please email Tora Husar, thusar@penncareylaw.upenn.edu, Emma Needham, needhame@pennlaw.upenn.edu, and Sara Schuster saraschu@penncareylaw.upenn.edu.
What skills will I develop:
Criminal justice, interviewing & intake, memo writing, working with vulnerable clients, and drafting court pleadings.
This work (intake and legal representation) is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Criminal Record Expungement Project (C-REP)
The Criminal Record Expungement Project (C-REP) aims to reduce the negative effects of a criminal record on a person’s life, including limited access to employment, educational opportunities, housing, and public benefits.
What we do:
C-REP works with Philadelphians who have criminal records by conducting intake clinics for clients, processing intake applications, and filing petitions to expunge and redact non-conviction data from clients’ criminal records.
How we do it:
C-REP partners with Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (“PLSE”), a non-profit legal aid organization dedicated to improving the lives of low-income individuals who are affected by the Pennsylvania criminal justice system. There are three intake clinics per semester that take place on Saturdays in West Philadelphia. During these clinics, volunteers meet with clients, listen to their stories, and screen their criminal records for expungement-eligible (i.e. non-conviction) charges. Volunteers may be able to participate in more than one clinic depending on interest and availability. There are also opportunities for volunteers to draft expungement petitions.
How and when can I join:
Visit C-REP at the virtual pro bono sign-up fair (at 3:45pm in Room 2 - Civil & Political Rights, Criminal Justice, and Education projects) and look out for details regarding the mandatory trainings in the fall semester, which will occur on September 18 and September 19, 2023. The time commitment for this project is flexible. Interested volunteers may also email the Co-Chairs, Ty Parks (typarks@pennlaw.upenn.edu) and Leigh Bianchi (lbia@pennlaw.upenn.edu).
What skills will I develop:
Interviewing & intake, client counseling, drafting court documents, and engaging with the community by working with vulnerable clients.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Custody and Support Assistance Clinic (CASAC)
Advocates in the Custody and Support Assistance Clinic (CASAC) assist and counsel low-income pro se litigants on family law matters including custody, child support, and protection from abuse orders.
What we do:
CASAC provides volunteer advocates with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience working one-on-one with clients to prepare legal documents, provide advice for court appearances, and navigate the Philadelphia court system. In addition, 2L and 3L advocates also have the opportunity to become Certified Legal Interns and represent clients in Family Court.
How we do it:
CASAC advocates work alongside attorneys at Philadelphia Legal Assistance to work with pro se litigants in the Philadelphia Family Court system. Advocates conduct intake interviews with clients where they learn about the background and facts of the case, discuss statutory parameters with clients, and help clients craft legal arguments to best present their case before a judge or hearing officer in a custody, child support, or protection from abuse hearing. Often advocates will draft motions, assist in accessing criminal records or other relevant documentation, and help prepare exhibits for the court.
How and when can I join:
Students interested in participating in CASAC should apply in the fall semester by contacting this year’s Recruitment Chairs, Camille Awono (cawono@penncareylaw.upenn.edu) and Megan Bird (birdmeg@pennlaw.upenn.edu) with any questions. CASAC is a full-year commitment and we do not accept applicants in the spring semester.
What skills will I develop:
Client intake and communication skills, case management experience, practice drafting legal petitions for original filings, reconsideration, or modification to orders currently in effect. Additionally, advocates learn to work collaboratively with others to grapple with legal questions and formulate creative case strategy.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Decarceration Advocacy Project (formerly Prison Legal Education Project)
The goal of the the Decarceration Advocacy Project, formerly the Prison Legal Education Project, is to support the decarceration movement by empowering people who are currently incarcerated in Pennsylvania jails and prisons through legal education and post-conviction relief assistance. Through this work, we hope to give incarcerated individuals resources and support so they know and can fully pursue their legal rights.
Read more about the project and our impact.
What we do:
The Decarceration Advocacy Project is composed of two parts:
Legal Education: We work with incarcerated people in the women’s units at Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center (a jail) to create legal resources relevant to their current situation. We facilitate weekly discussions on Friday afternoons about these resources. Topics include, but are not limited to, steps of misdemeanor and felony criminal cases, court-appointed attorneys, family law, housing law, plea decisions and their consequences, resources for when they’re out (food, shelter, healthcare, etc.), search and seizure law, self-defense law, and tax law. We also translate our resources into Spanish.
Post Conviction: We work with individuals who are incarcerated on appeals and Post-Conviction Relief Act (PCRA) petitions. Incarcerated individuals have a right to pursue appeals of their convictions and submit post-conviction challenges after a conviction is finalized. We work with Phillips Black (a nonprofit, public interest law practice) to help prepare petitions pursuant to the PCRA for individuals identified as wrongfully convicted by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit. Work includes legal research, file review, and necessary work including digesting transcripts, discovery, police reports, and depositions.
How we do it:
Legal Education: Volunteers work with incarcerated individuals at the facility during each weekly lesson alongside other Penn Carey Law students. We disseminate our weekly resources and then talk with folks in small groups or one-on-one about the resources. We listen to people’s stories and write down any information that should be added to our handouts based on those conversations. We do not provide individual legal advice. Transportation to the jail is covered by TPIC.
Post Conviction: Volunteers assist attorneys on their clients’ PCRA petitions by conducting legal research, file review, and any other necessary assistance. Work will primarily be assigned as discrete projects with specified time commitments. A project can include digesting a transcript, reviewing police reports, or any other steps necessary to prepare a client’s PCRA petition. Work will be completed remotely on the volunteer’s schedule.
How and when can I join:
Interested volunteers should email Aleyah Hassan (aleyah@pennlaw.upenn.edu), one of the Post Conviction chairs, and Meagan Murray (mmeagan@pennlaw.upenn.edu), one of the Legal Education chairs, with any questions.
You can also visit us at the Pro Bono sign up fair to learn more!
What skills will I develop:
Working with incarcerated clients, community lawyering, legal research, legal writing, legal analysis, classroom management, public speaking, presentation skills, teaching and making legal jargon digestible.
This work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Democracy Law Project (DLP)
The Democracy Law Project (DLP) tackles crucial issues in democracy law, election law, and voting rights.
What we do:
DLP engages in democracy law issues, focusing on campaign finance reform, redistricting, legislative advocacy, and voting rights while seeking to locate discussions of democracy within broader conversations of racial, gender, environmental, and social justice. We work to ensure that every citizen has equal access to the ballot and casts a vote that counts, and to ensure that democratic institutions are responsive to and representative of citizen concerns.
How we do it:
DLP’s work is twofold. First, we partner with local and national organizations to assist with research, legal advocacy, and voter outreach. This includes projects that tackle new and changing issues around voting and election law. Second, we seek to deepen attention to and understanding of democratic issues on Penn’s campus through collaborative events and community building efforts.
How and when can I join:
Projects with DLP have flexible time commitments. Research projects are ongoing, and DLP supports nonpartisan voter protection efforts around the election calendar. If you have questions, please email democracylawprobono@gmail.com and/or click here to receive updates and volunteer opportunities.
What skills will I develop:
Legal research and writing, democracy law, and issues relating to elections, voting, and democracy issues.
The work is not likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Employment Advocacy Project (EAP)
The Employment Advocacy Project (EAP) works to protect the rights of workers by providing legal representation to low-income Philadelphians who were denied unemployment compensation benefits.
What we do:
We represent clients in trial-like administrative hearings and by writing appellate briefs to the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review.
How we do it:
We partner with Philadelphia Legal Assistance’s Unemployment Compensation Unit to represent clients who were denied benefits. This representation takes two forms. At the first stage of appeal, we represent workers at administrative hearings against their former employers in front of a referee, who acts like a judge. These hearings are akin to short civil bench trials and involve testimony and documentary evidence. In preparation for hearings, we interview clients and get them ready for direct and cross-examination. At the next stage of appeal, we represent workers before the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review by writing appellate briefs.
This involves research into employment law and identifying legal errors that occurred during hearings. Advocates can indicate a preference for hearing or appellate advocacy, or both.
How and when can I join:
Interested students can complete an application at the beginning of fall semester. Please email us at employmentadvocacyproject@gmail.com with any questions, and copy EAP’s Managing Advocate, Jeremy Stein (jstein@pennlaw.upenn.edu).
We ask 2L and 3L advocates to make a one-year commitment to EAP and to have space in their schedules to handle two cases per semester. 1Ls join to shadow hearings in the fall semester and, if approved by our attorney supervisors, can take on a hearing in the spring.
What skills will I develop:
Interviewing and intake, client counseling, trial prep, working with clients, legal writing, legal research, oral advocacy, and the rules of evidence.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Environmental Law Project (ELP)
The Environmental Law Project (ELP) is dedicated to environmental law and policy, fighting climate change, and advancing environmental justice.
What we do:
The Environmental Law Project applies an interdisciplinary focus to address the legal, scientific, economic, political, and social factors that are involved in environmental lawyering. Students engage in research projects to actively address the unmet needs of environmental preservation and justice on local, national and international levels through support for legislative advocacy, community lawyering, and policy research. Past areas of student research and work have involved public access to information, waterfront development and protected area status.
How we do it:
We work with local and national environmental organizations, such as the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and the Natural Resources Defense Council, as well as other groups at the University of Pennsylvania. We support their work for a clean and healthy environment through legal, regulatory, and policy research. We also hold events on Penn’s campus to help students learn about contemporary issues in environmental law and policy.
How and when can I join:
We host an information session and training at the beginning of each semester, describing our current projects and invite students to work on the projects of their choice, depending on availability. Ad hoc projects may arise during the semester. If you are interested in volunteering with ELP, sign up for the listserv here.
What skills will I develop:
Legal analysis, legal research, legal writing
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Financial Literacy Project (FLP)
The Financial Literary Project (FLP) aims to improve financial literacy in the local Philadelphia community through community education and assistance with tax filings.
What we do:
We provide community education on financial literacy topics and tax filing assistance to local communities.
How we do it:
Through community education with the Philadelphia Bar Association Business Sector and the Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project, volunteers present at local schools and youth organizations on topics related to financial literacy. During tax season, we also work with Campaign for Working Families and Ceiba Philadelphia to assist clients in marginalized communities with their tax returns at tax centers throughout Philadelphia.
How and when can I join:
Interested volunteers can sign up here or email FLP’s President, Josephine Phillips.
What skills will I develop:
Public speaking, tax training, financial literacy, community engagement
Health Law and Policy Project (HeLPP)
The Health Law and Policy Project (HeLPP) provides opportunities for students to gain practical experience in the field of health law and policy.
What we do:
We train and connect students with direct service opportunities addressing health-harming legal needs facing low-income Philadelphians and those with disabilities or chronic health conditions. We currently offer two direct service opportunities: the Administrative Advocacy Project and the Medical-Legal Partnership.
We also provide students with the opportunity to strengthen their legal research and writing skills by partnering with local organizations and conducting health-related legal research.
This year, we are offering two direct service projects:
Administrative Advocacy: Students will be paired with attorneys at Community Legal Services, one of the nation’s premier legal aid providers, to help clients access and maintain federal- and state-funded public benefits. Students will do this by assisting clients with navigating the processes of the Social Security Administration and PA Department of Human Services. Potential tasks include interviewing clients to develop evidence, reviewing medical and educational records, and communicating with administrative agencies.
Medical-Legal Partnership: Students will be embedded in healthcare sites in Philadelphia where they will work alongside attorneys from Legal Clinic for the Disabled, encountering a diversity of legal issues. Students will gain experience interviewing and counseling clients, preparing legal documents, providing brief legal advice and referrals, and other skills critical to working directly with vulnerable clients. Travel is required for this opportunity, but sites are accessible by SEPTA.
All direct services volunteers will receive training in the specific areas of law that they will encounter, as well as training on implicit bias and trauma-informed lawyering.
Potential Research Opportunities:
HeLPP partners with projects such as the Healthcare Quality Improvement Platform (HQUIP), Community Legal Services (CLS), Disability Rights Pennsylvania, Medicare Rights Center, Pennsylvania Health Law Project, and the Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative. In collaborating with these organizations, students research and write memos on various health law issues to support these organizations in their work.
How and when can I join:
HeLPP is always accepting volunteers! If you would like to join, please complete this form or email PennLawHelpp@gmail.com.
What skills will I develop:
Legal analysis, legal research, legal writing, policy advocacy, community engagement, client counseling, interview and intake, working with vulnerable clients, access to government/social services, community engagement, presentation skills, and public speaking.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice
Penn If/When/How strives to realize reproductive justice by engaging in pro bono projects, community building, activism, advocacy, and education “so all people have the power to determine if, when, and how to define, create, and sustain families with dignity and to actualize sexual and reproductive wellbeing on their own terms.” We are inspired by the work of Indigenous women, women of color, and transgender people who have long fought for reproductive justice, which is defined by SisterSong as “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.”
What we do:
As a chapter of the national If/When/How organization, we provide legal research and advocacy support to organizations and community partners throughout the country, who are fighting to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice. We also provide direct legal service to clients in the form of clinic escorting in Philadelphia. We strive to protect people’s reproductive right to access safe abortions and other necessary medical care.
In addition to our pro bono arm, we also host events aimed at educating the student body on what reproductive justice is and how to become better allies in the movement. We have recently hosted events about criminalizing reproductive decision-making, decriminalizing sex work, disability justice, the post-Dobbs legal landscape, and Professor Dorothy Roberts’s new book, Torn Apart.
How we do it:
We collaborate with the Defender’s Association of Philadelphia, Planned Parenthood, the Philadelphia Women’s Center, and the Women’s Law Project, on pro bono projects. We research and write public comments on proposed federal and state regulations that touch on a wide range of reproductive justice topics, such as education, food insecurity, healthcare, and gender identity. We work with people in Philadelphia seeking access to abortions and support the work of attorneys fighting to advance and protect reproductive freedom in Pennsylvania and beyond.
How and when can I join:
Students interested in clinic escorting must attend mandatory training before signing up for shifts. Training is held in the Fall and Spring semesters. Following the training, volunteers can sign up for shifts sent out by our community partner.
Research assignments are emailed to the If/When/How’s listserv as they become available and are assigned on a first come, first serve basis. Many research assignments focus heavily on constitutional law, and are therefore limited to 2/3Ls. A mandatory research training is held in the Fall.
Public comment assignments are also emailed to the If/When/How’s listserv as they become available and are assigned on a first come, first serve basis. No prior experience or knowledge is necessary for comment writing.
If you have questions or are interested in joining our listserv, please email If/When/How Co-Chairs Izzy Hernandez (ihern@pennlaw.upenn.edu) and Rae Fanella (rfanella@penncareylaw.upenn.edu).
What skills will I develop:
Working with vulnerable clients, legal analysis, legal research, legal writing, and policy advocacy.
The research work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Innocence Project
The Innocence Project partners with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and the Georgetown University Prisons and Justice Initiative to work to exonerate those convicted of crimes they did not commit and to prevent innocent people from being convicted.
What we do:
There is growing awareness that various deficiencies in our justice system have led to the incarceration of innocent people. After exhausting their appeals, exoneration organizations are often convicted the last chance for freedom. The Innocence Project works with convicted individuals who have exhausted all appellate proceedings, meaning that they are past the post-conviction relief stage and can take no further steps. Volunteers assess wrongful conviction claims, read through the evidence and transcripts from trials, write memos, and make recommendations regarding the merits of the case for the Project to begin advocating for the client.
How we do it:
New volunteers typically begin with a stage two review. The stage two review involves analyzing a potential client’s case and making a recommendation concerning his or her innocence and the likelihood of new evidence or testimony.
Who we work with:
The Innocence Project works with convicted individuals who have exhausted all appellate proceedings, meaning that they are past the post-conviction relief stage and can take no further steps.
How and when can I join:
Interested applicants can complete an application in the Fall semester. If you have questions, please email Innocence Project’s Director of Training and Recruitment Jessica Scoratow (jscor@pennlaw.upenn.edu) and Executive Director Leigh Bianchi (lbia@pennlaw.upenn.edu).
What skills will I develop:
Appellate advocacy, client counseling, criminal justice, draft court pleadings, interviewing & intake, investigation, legal analysis, legal writing, working with vulnerable clients.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
International Human Rights Advocacy (IHRA)
The International Human Rights Advocacy (IHRA) are passionate advocates for human rights within the United States and around the world
What we do:
International Human Rights Advocacy (IHRA) partners with international organizations to address human rights abuses and humanitarian crises across the world.
How we do it:
We do this through projects and respective project directors focused expressly on specific regions and issues. These projects provide tangible results for their community partners and clients, working across many continents and time zones to engage in a global movement to support human rights for all.
How and when can I join:
Find us at the pro bono fair or e-mail ihrapennlaw@gmail.com.
What skills will I develop:
Brief writing, legal research and writing, working with community partners around the world, and impact litigation strategy.
International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)
IRAP is a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. Everyone should have a safe place to live and a safe way to get there.
As an IRAP chapter, we are committed to effecting meaningful change in the refugee and immigration legal landscape. To that end, the Penn Law IRAP Chapter brings together law students interested in immigration and refugee work with various actors for volunteer opportunities. The scope of our work ranges from preparing materials to support ongoing refugee status applications to monitoring the experiences of immigrants and refugees within court proceedings.
Since its establishment in 2008, IRAP has played a pivotal role in resettling over 4,200 refugees and their families across 18 different countries. Additionally, IRAP has provided training to more than 4,000 law students and lawyers throughout this process. Notably, Penn Law proudly stands as one of IRAP’s 26 student chapters spanning the United States and Canada.
Examples of past projects:
Direct Client Work
Our volunteers have participated in numerous intake and naturalization clinics in the past. Additionally, IRAP volunteers have historically assisted clients in filing applications for refugee status and aided them throughout the relevant legal process.
Court Monitoring
Students participating in this project have researched immigration court policies and monitored their impact on immigrants and refugees. Two areas of particular focus for this project are (1) access to documents and materials in an immigrant or refugee’s native language; and (2) access to technology to attend their proceedings remotely.
Country Conditions Reporting
In collaboration with the Nationalities Service Center (NSC), our students have researched and compiled country conditions reports for immigrants seeking asylum, withholding of removal, or cancellation of removal. In weighing whether to grant these types of relief, immigration officials and judges consider country conditions. Our students’ research will assist NSC attorneys and clients in their claims by providing up-to-date information on various topics ranging from the treatment of LGBTQ individuals in Jamaica to health systems in Mexico.
Advocacy
The Penn Law IRAP Chapter hosts events to help raise awareness about issues facing refugees and immigrants. We also hope to host letter-writing workshops where volunteers write to local representatives advocating for refugee-friendly policies.
How can I join:
Interested students should apply here and contact Mehreen Usman (mehreenu@penncareylaw.upenn.edu) or Narintohn Luangrath (nluan@penncareylaw.upenn.edu) with any questions.
This work is likely to be New York bar eligible.
Law & Justice Mentorship Program
The Law & Justice Mentorship Program (LJMP) is a pipeline initiative aimed toward connecting high school students of color, historically underrepresented in the legal profession, to critical pre-law opportunities and mentorship. The program aims to increase high school students’ exposure to and enrollment in local law schools.
What we do:
LJMP operates through a partnership with the School District of Philadelphia, Heights Philadelphia, the Pepper Center for Public Service and local high schools.
LJMP’s structure has three components: In-School Sessions, Summer Internships, and Mentorship. In our In-School Sessions, LJMP volunteers lead problem-solving workshops and guide student discussion on key topics. Last year’s topics included mass incarceration, immigration and gun violence. These in-school sessions also feature workshops with local lawyers and advocates.
How we do it:
Law students lead classroom sessions every other week at Lincoln High School to guide discussions about current and meaningful legal issues and lead problem-solving workshops.
How and when can I join:
The in-classroom sessions begin in January 2024. Interested volunteers should sign up now to complete the background clearance process and orientation for the project. If you are interested in joining, email project leaders Zoe Stern and Joy Dartey.
What skills will I develop:
Community engagement, leadership, group management, education and public speaking.
Pardon Project
The Pardon Project is committed to reducing the collateral consequences of criminal convictions by assisting Philadelphia residents with pardon applications.
Mission Statement:
The Penn Law Pardon Project empowers people to move past their prior convictions. Despite having already paid for their crimes in bail, jail time, and court costs, formerly convicted persons continue to face discrimination when they try to get jobs, go back to school, apply for housing, and register to vote. In Pennsylvania, the only way to remove a felony or non-summary misdemeanor conviction from a record is by receiving a Pardon from the Governor. The Penn Law Pardon Project pairs students with client-partners to complete the pardon application process.
What we do:
We work with Philadelphia residents with criminal convictions that are seeking a pardon from the Governor. We work in collaboration with our client-partners in every aspect of the pardon application including helping secure court files, writing the required essays, and filling out the required forms.
How we do it:
The Pardon Project is a year-long pro-bono project where students are paired with at least one client-partner and work in collaboration with Community Legal Services and Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity. Students will work with the client-partner over the course of the year to complete the pardon application.
How and when can I join:
Our application is live until September 21. Participants must attend training in the Fall and commit to the project for the full academic year. If you have questions, please email the Pardon Project Co-Directors, Alejandro Ashworth, Olivia Heffernan and Tora Husar.
What skills will I develop:
Client counseling and interviewing skills, legal analysis skills, legal writing, and advocacy skills.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Penn Housing Rights Project (PHRP)
The Penn Housing Rights Project (PHRP) supports low-income Philadelphia tenants. Students represent tenants in Fair Housing Commission cases, conduct legal and policy research for housing justice organizations, staff Know-Your-Rights workshops, and provide information for tenants trying to resolve issues with their landlords through the Philly Tenant Hotline.
What we do:
We connect trained Penn Law students with attorneys at partner firms or organizations such as Philadelphia VIP, Public Interest Law Center, and Community Legal Services. Our projects include, or have included, pairing Penn Law students with local attorneys to prevent evictions, having students affirmatively represent tenants suing their landlords for lack of repairs at the Fair Housing Commission, helping tenants solve issues over the phone with the Philly Tenant Hotline, providing research support to organizations such as the Philadelphia Rent Control Coalition, and creating and presenting Know-Your-Rights workshops for tenants at locations across the city.
How we do it:
At the beginning of each year, we host a training session to prepare students for our various projects.
For the Fair Housing Commission Hearing Team, we pair several volunteers together, supervised by a practicing attorney, to prepare cases for hearings. Our work includes initial interviewing of the client and prepping them for trial. Student volunteers have the opportunity to directly question their client and cross-examine witnesses during the hearing. Students learn important client management skills that come with sustaining a more long-term attorney-client relationship. This year, we are also expanding our outreach to allow students to help with FHC intake, filing in small claims court for security deposits, and helping our attorney supervisors with memo drafting for eviction cases.
Our Research Project connects students with opportunities to work with local and national housing advocacy organizations. Students work in teams supervised by our attorney partners to perform legal and policy research. Potential topics for this year include protections for medical marijuana users in federally assisted housing, social housing models, and tax increment financing for housing.
In our Tenant Callback program, we collaborate with CLS attorneys to provide information for clients through the Philly Tenant Hotline. Once students are trained on the Hotline to speak with tenants about potential legal issues. Students provide information about tenants’ rights and available resources. We also provide an opportunity to assist CLS attorneys who are staffing the Lawyer of the Day program at Philadelphia Municipal Court.
Through our Know Your Rights project, students create and lead workshops in partnership with housing advocacy organizations across the city. Students will collaborate with public interest attorneys and community leaders from various organizations in Philadelphia to research, plan, and present workshops for tenants. Topics include protection against unlawful landlord actions, addressing habitability issues (including lead paint and bedbug laws), and forming tenants’ unions. Students will present the workshops. Following the presentation, students and attorneys meet with tenants individually to discuss concerns.
How and when can I join:
Interested volunteers may complete the volunteer survey at this link. We will follow up with assignments and more detailed information from project leaders. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at pennhousingrights@gmail.com.
What skills will I develop:
In-court advocacy, negotiation, trial prep, trial strategy, legal research, memo-drafting, legal analysis, collaboration, conflict resolution, client counseling, working with vulnerable clients.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Penn Law Immigrant Rights Project (PLIRP)
The Penn Law Immigrants’ Rights Project (PLIRP) is dedicated to providing legal services to people from around the world seeking to secure or adjust their immigration status in the United States.
What we do:
PLIRP partners with legal service organizations in Philadelphia and beyond to accompany immigrants through various immigration processes including asylum, permanent residence, naturalization, DACA, U visas, and others. PLIRP members also conduct research on immigration legal issues for our partner organizations and participate in discussions about immigration law and policy.
How we do it:
We partner with major immigration organizations in the Philadelphia area and beyond—including HIAS, Nationalities Service Center, and Innovation Law Lab—to assist clients in navigating immigration legal process. Depending on the needs of the partner and the project, PLIRP members might meet with a client several times over the semester to gather information and fill out a visa application, spend a few hours in a clinic setting giving a know-your-rights presentation, or research country conditions on behalf of an asylum-seeker.
How and when can I join:
Students can join our listserv any time filling out this form. Opportunities to volunteer are sent out via the listserv as they become available. Students can email questions to plirp.info@gmail.com.
What skills will I develop:
Client counseling, interviewing and intake, working with vulnerable clients, policy/advocacy, legal research and writing, community engagement.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Penn Law’s Walk-In Legal Assistance Project (WILA)
At a weekly clinic, WILA provides accessible civil legal services to people who are experiencing homelessness or are housing insecure.
What we do:
Students complete intake services and assist with birth certificate applications, SSI/SSDI screenings, tax returns, landlord/tenant disputes, issues with public benefits, and other civil legal issues at a weekly meal program. Students may also complete work outside of the regular times of the clinic as required for cases or outreach projects.
How we do it:
People who are attending a weekly meal program come to the legal clinic’s station when they are looking for legal assistance or advocacy. Students conduct an intake interview and assist with completing the applicable civil legal services while working closely with the supervising attorney.
Who we work with:
We work with clients who are housing insecure or experiencing homelessness at a weekly meal program, run by the University City Hospitality Coalition (UCHC). Additionally, WILA partners with the Homeless Advocacy Project, an organization that delivers legal services directly to people experiencing homelessness where they live and eat.
How and when can I join:
Students should complete WILA’s volunteer application during the first few week.s of the Fall semester. Upon acceptance, WILA volunteers must attend a Homeless Advocacy Project training, offered at the law school, before they can begin assisting clients. After the application period has closed, interested students should email Volunteer Coordinator Megan Bird.
What skills will I develop:
Interviewing and intake, client counseling, access to government and social services, community engagement, legal analysis.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Trans Empowerment & Advocacy Project (TEA)
What we do:
The Transgender Empowerment and Advocacy Project (TEA) helps low-income transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people in the greater Philadelphia area to navigate the name change process and supports litigation and policy efforts to improve outcomes and opportunities for TGNC communities across the country.
How we do it:
For name-change projects, we currently work with Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania (LASP). In pairs of two, volunteers work with their client and supervising attorney over a several month period to write and submit name-change petitions and perform judgment searches.
Research projects are project-based and come from impact litigation and policy organizations working to improve the lives of TGNC people, and we expect them to vary widely in both size and the nature of the work. Students are invited to volunteer for research projects as they become available throughout the academic year.
How and when can I join:
Because the name-change work requires specific training, we recruit student volunteers for that part of the project once per year in the fall. Research tends to be more fluid and requires less specific training. If you are interested in joining TEA for name-change or research-based projects, please complete this form or send us an email at pennlawtea@gmail.com.
What skills will I develop:
Name-Change Assignments: Client counseling, interviewing, judgment searches, and drafting court petitions.
Research Assignments: Legal analysis, research and writing, and policy advocacy.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Youth Advocacy Project (YAP)
The Youth Advocacy Project (YAP) brings together law and social work students to support young people charged as adults in the Philadelphia area. Under the supervision of the Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project, YAP direct service fellows draft comprehensive, strength-based reports to minimize each young person’s contact with the carceral system. Know Your Rights fellows visit young people facing adult criminal charges and aim to equip them with the necessary tools to navigate the criminal legal system by communicating information about their rights, the judicial process, and available resources. We situate our work within the broader movement for a more humane approach to responding to community harms.
What we do & How we do it:
Direct Service Fellows
Teams of law and social work students work with young people (“client-partners”) in Philadelphia County, Delaware County, and Montgomery County who are criminally prosecuted as adults. Law and social work students collaborate to develop a mitigation report of a young person’s experience, or humanizing narratives, to present to prosecutors or judges. Teams meet with family and community members, visit the client-partner, and analyze records to draft a report that communicates a fuller picture of the client-partner’s life, highlighting their strengths, resiliency, and goals. Each team develops a specific strategy to support and advocate for a young person based on their case, needs, and hopes for reentry. Ultimately, we work to transfer client-partners’ cases to the juvenile system and out of the adult criminal legal system, as well as to connect them with community resources providing education, healthcare, housing, and employment.
Know Your Rights Fellows
A team of law and social work students visit incarcerated young people in the adult criminal legal system, typically in groups, and provide them with information about their legal rights, the judicial process, and available resources. The team also educates young people about mitigation and encourages them to discuss how their attorneys might incorporate mitigation in their own cases. The team visits incarcerated young people once every other week equipped with resources, but students also provide support by consistently showing up to share space with the young people and allowing the young people to take what they need from the experience. By providing young individuals with the tools to navigate their legal challenges, the team aims to safeguard young people’s rights and enable them to make informed decisions, fostering a sense of agency and self-advocacy. This project addresses a critical gap in our current legal system, which often fails to adequately inform young individuals of their rights and responsibilities. This lack of information can lead to misunderstandings, unfair treatment, and prolonged legal entanglements, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities.
How and when can I join:
Interested volunteers should email YAP’s Co-Directors, Rheem Brooks (rheemrb@pennlaw.upenn.edu), George Kunkel (gkunkel@penncareylaw.com), Brian Thomas (brthom@pennlaw.upenn.edu), and Mikaela Wolf-Sorokin (mwolfsor@pennlaw.upenn.edu) for an application. You can also visit us at the Pro Bono sign up fair! Please note that YAP only accepts new volunteers in the Fall semester and requires at least one academic year’s commitment.
What skills will I develop:
Working with young peopl
e and incarcerated people, mitigation writing, interviewing, collaboration, and project management.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Youth Education Program (YEP)
The Youth Education Program (YEP) introduces high school students to the basics of law through weekly lessons and preparation for a moot court or mock trial competition.
What we do:
We teach Philadelphia high school students basic constitutional principles and provide an opportunity for enrichment in the social sciences. We also help students develop public speaking skills and build arguments so they can effectively perform in mock trial or moot court competitions in the Spring. Broadly, this program is intended to get students excited about legal principles and ideas.
How we do it:
Penn Law students teach in various Philadelphia public high schools and prepare high school students to participate in either Mock Trial or Moot Court competitions. Following basic legal lessons, in the fall semester Penn Law volunteers educate all high school classes on a Constitutional amendment. We will also be hosting a new symposium for students in the first semester. In the spring, volunteers will prep their students on either (1) a fact pattern that focuses on a legal issue that highlights all the learned principles for the Moot Court Competition or (2) the assigned case for the Mock Trial Competition. The program culminates with the students competing against their peers from all the participating high schools in either a Mock Trial or Moot Court Competition.
How and when can I join:
Keep an eye out for an application in the Fall semester! We’ll be at the Pro Bono sign up fair as well. If you have any questions, please email YEP’s Director Joe Stuever (jstuever@pennlaw.upenn.edu).
What skills will I develop:
Community engagement, appellate advocacy, trial strategy, trial prep, classroom management, public speaking, presentation skills, education