Penn Carey Law students are welcome to engage in pro bono through our many internal pro bono projects, through a TPIC-approved self-initiated placement, or through our wide variety of external and discrete opportunities. This area of our website is for external and discrete pro bono opportunities only. It is a working document that is updated regularly. TPIC will use a strikethrough to note which opportunities have been filled to ensure students are able to see the breadth of opportunities and to plan for the future as many of these opportunities will be available again in the following semester. All opportunities posted here meet the law school’s pro bono eligibility guidelines.

External Pro Bono Opportunities are defined as semester-long commitments of typically 5 to 8 hours per week. Students work directly with the partnering organization and supervising attorneys. Opportunities may be virtual, in-person or hybrid. Students should only apply for one external pro bono opportunity at a time.

Please review the list of external pro bono opportunities, here.

Discrete Pro Bono Assignments are defined as ad hoc assignments from a variety of partnering organizations and are received throughout the academic year. Assignments typically involve remote research/memo writing within a certain time period. Discrete assignments often fill quickly and will be removed once filled. Students will be connected directly with the supervising attorney to complete the assignment.

Please review the list of discrete pro bono assignments, here.

If you have any questions about external or discrete pro bono opportunities, please contact TPIC’s Associate Director for Pro Bono Impact, Sarah Egoville.

Clinics and Externships, with the exception of Judicial Externships, are eligible for a credit exchange.

If you are enrolled in a clinic or externship, you can elect to drop 1 credit in exchange for 35 hours of pro bono service. It is your responsibility to know if you do not need the credit for graduation. You may exchange a maximum of 1 credit per clinic or externship in which you are enrolled.

Please note: Academic credits earned in judicial externships may not be exchanged for Toll Public Interest Center pro bono credit.

Students who elect this option must submit this form to TPIC.

Students who have identified an external pro bono opportunity must fill out a Student-Initiated Placement Form and submit it to TPIC for approval. Students should not begin any self-initiated work prior to TPIC’s approval.

Eligible placement sites include:

• All government agencies and all non-profit organizations other than trade associations, regardless of the political orientation of the organization.
• Assisting private attorneys in pro bono cases.
• Pro bono work on behalf of non-profit community groups is eligible if it meets the above definition and is performed by the supervisor in his or her role as counsel to the organization.
• Work done for a faculty member (other than work on scholarship) may qualify if it meets all other criteria.
• Clerkships with an individual judge do not qualify; however, court projects assisting pro se litigants are eligible.