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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. Interested students should attend the annual training session at the beginning of the semester. If you have questions, please reach out to Co-Directors Celina Antonellis and Jeni Norwalk 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, completing 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 Co-Directors Kellen McCoy and Matthew Jerrehian.
What skills will I develop:
Legal research, legal writing, legal analysis, and policy advocacy.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Criminal Record Expungement Project (CREP)
The Criminal Record Expungement Project (C-REP) aims to ameliorate the negative effects of criminal records on the Philadelphia community as it is increasingly difficult for individuals with a criminal record to pursue employment, housing, benefits, and educational opportunities.
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. C-REP has also been working to expand the ability of 2Ls and 3Ls to appear in court on behalf of our clients.
How we do it:
C-REP partners with the Philadelphia Lawyer’s 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, which take place on Saturdays in West Philadelphia. During the clinics, volunteers meet with clients, listen to their stories and experiences, and screen their criminal records for expungement-eligible (i.e. non-conviction) charges. Volunteers may sign up for one or more clinic, depending on interest and availability. Volunteers who attend the relevant trainings may also draft expungement petitions, and 2Ls and 3Ls may litigate cases in court.
How and when can I join:
Visit C-REP at the fall pro bono sign-up fair, and look out for trainings in the fall semester. The time commitment for this project is flexible. Interested volunteers may also email the Co-Chairs, Casey Stewart and Noah Schoenholtz.
What skills will I develop:
Criminal justice, interviewing & intake, client counseling, working with vulnerable clients, draft court pleadings, in-court advocacy, community engagement.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Custody and Support Assistance Clinic (CASAC)
Custody and Support Assistance Clinic (CASAC) advocates 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 low-income pro se litigants in the Philadelphia Family Court system. Advocates meet with clients to conduct in-take interviews, during which time they learn the background and facts of the case, explain the statutory parameters to clients, and help clients craft their legal arguments to best present their case before a judge or master in a custody support, 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 the CASAC clinic should apply in the fall semester by contacting this year’s CASAC Executive Director, Emily (Brincka) Deliz. 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.
Democracy Law Project (DLP)
The Democracy Law Project (DLP) tackles crucial issues in election law and voting rights.
What we do:
DLP engages in democracy law issues, focusing on campaign finance reform, redistricting, 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, but also that democratic institutions are responsive to and representative of citizen concerns.
How we do it:
The DLP’s work is threefold. First, the DLP partners with local and national organizations to assist with research and legal advocacy. Second, the DLP partners with local hospitals in carrying out the Penn Votes project to ensure that hospital patients can participate on election day via the use of emergency absentee ballots. Finally, DLP seeks to deepen attention and understanding of democratic issues on Penn’s campus through collaborative events and community building efforts.
How and when can I join:
The DLP’s time commitment is flexible. Research projects are ongoing (1-2 each semester) and the Penn Votes program is concentrated around the local and state 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 likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Employment Advocacy Project (EAP)
The Employment Advocacy Project (EAP) aims to provide legal representation to low-income Philadelphians who are unfairly denied unemployment compensation benefits.
What we do:
We represent low-wage workers who have been unfairly denied unemployment compensation benefits.
How we do it:
We partner with Philadelphia Legal Assistance’s Public Benefits Unit to assist clients with their unemployment compensation cases. This representation is done through in-person administrative hearings in front of a referee and through written appeals to the Unemployment Compensation Review Board. Advocates conduct intakes before hearings and prep their clients for direct and cross examination.
How and when can I join:
Interested students can complete an application at the beginning of fall semester. If you have questions, please email EAP’s Managing Advocate, Lauren Kelly.
What skills will I develop:
Interviewing and intake, client counseling, trial prep, working with vulnerable clients, legal writing, legal research, oral advocacy.
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 issues such as 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 and the Natural Resources Defense Council, as well as other groups at the University of Pennsylvania, to 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 have questions, please email ELP’s Co-Chair, Colin Dobell.
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, volunteers present at local middle schools on basic financial literacy topics. We also work with Campaign for Working Families to become trained to assist clients with their tax returns at VITA tax centers throughout Philadelphia during tax season.
How and when can I join:
Interested volunteers can sign up during Pro Bono fair or email FLP’s Director, Audrey Youn.
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 currently host three main projects: Medical Legal Community Partnership; the Pennsylvania Health Law Project; Know Your Rights Clinic.
How we do it:
Through the Medical Legal Community Partnership, students partner with Philadelphia Legal Assistance to work with clients and provide legal assistance in a medical setting. Through the Pennsylvania Health Law Project, students research and write memos on various health law issues to support the Pennsylvania Health Law Project. Through the Know Your Rights Clinic, students present healthcare rights to local community members with the Sayre Clinic.
How and when can I join:
If you have questions please complete this form or, email PennLawHelpp@gmail.com.
What skills will I develop:
Client counseling, interview and intake, working with vulnerable clients, access to government/social services, legal analysis, legal research, legal writing, policy advocacy, community engagement; presentation skills, public speaking
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice
Penn If/When/How engages in pro bono projects, community building, activism, advocacy and education aimed at ensuring access to reproductive healthcare for all individuals. Our work is greatly informed and influenced by the work of advocates of color in the reproductive justice movement, who advocate for “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:
Penn If/When/How provides direct legal service to clients in the form of judicial bypass counseling and clinic escorting. 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.
How we do it:
We collaborate with Women’s Law Project, the Defender’s Association, Planned Parenthood, and the Philadelphia Women’s Center on pro bono projects to ensure access to safe, comprehensive, and affordable reproductive healthcare. We work with young people in Philadelphia seeking access to abortion and support the work of attorneys fighting to advance and protect reproductive rights in Pennsylvania.
Penn Law If/When/How offers direct client experience through our judicial bypass project. In Pennsylvania, individuals younger than eighteen must get parental consent to obtain an abortion. If they do not have a parent able or willing to consent, they must petition a judge to issue a court order allowing them to get an abortion. Our volunteers help these young people at clinics fill out the necessary judicial bypass paperwork and schedule a meeting with their attorney for the hearing. Through Penn Law If/When/How, law students can volunteer as clinic escorts at a local abortion clinic in Philadelphia. Penn Law If/When/How also offers legal research assignments to support Women’s Law Project’s research and advocacy efforts.
How and when can I join:
Students interested in volunteering with judicial bypass or clinic escorting should attend a mandatory training before signing up for shifts. Trainings will be held in the Fall semester and potentially in the Spring semester, depending on capacity and interest. Following the training, a spreadsheet is emailed out with available shifts (which are one to two hours long), and volunteers can select shifts depending on their schedule (no minimum). Research assignments are emailed to 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. If you have questions, please email If/When/How Co-Director, Rachel Zacharias.
What skills will I develop:
Client counseling, interviewing & intake, working with vulnerable clients, legal analysis, legal research, legal writing, and policy advocacy.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible (judicial bypass & research).
Innocence Project
The Innocence Project partners with the PA Innocence Project 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, the Pennsylvania Innocence Project is often their last chance at gaining their 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 & Recruitment, Jacob Burnett.
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 Advocates (IHRA)
The International Human Rights Advocates (IHRA) are passionate advocates for human rights within the United States and around the world
What we do:
We work with community partners through four different multi-year projects aimed at addressing human rights abuses and building rule of law infrastructure.
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)
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) brings together law students and supervising attorneys to aid individual clients and their families at various stages of the refugee and resettlement process.
What we do:
IRAP volunteers perform both intake screenings and assist in refugee applications, appeals, and interviews. Volunteers will learn to navigate the domestic and international refugee systems, advocate for their client(s), and counsel their client through the process. IRAP volunteers also participate in ad-hoc community service events with refugee and immigration centered organizations in the Greater Philadelphia area as well as policy advocacy projects on related topics.
How we do it:
Volunteers are assigned casework and placed on a team with other volunteers, a case manager, and a supervising attorney. Volunteers will spend time learning about their client’s specific legal needs, counseling their clients through interviews and the application process, and collecting documentation and information to ensure that the application is as thorough as possible. Penn Law IRAP volunteers collaborate with IRAP National attorneys, supervising attorneys, government agencies, and other Penn Law students, with the possibility of ensuring the safe arrival of our clients to the United States.
How and when can I join:
Interested students can complete an application in the fall semester to volunteer. If you have questions, please email the IRAP Co-Directors, Cassandra Dula and Cordelia Mikita.
What skills will I develop:
Client counseling, community engagement, interviewing and intake, working with vulnerable clients, collaboration, policy advocacy, legal analysis, investigation, legal research, project management, legal writing, access to government/social services.
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Pardon Project
The Pardon Project is committed to reducing the collateral consequences of criminal convictions by assisting Philadelphia residents with pardon applications.
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. Students will work with the client-partner over the course of the year to complete the pardon application.
How and when can I join:
Applications are available in the Fall semester. 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, Adrianna Vallee and Grace Leppanen.
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) connects Penn Law students with local attorneys to support low-income tenants in disputes with their landlords.
What we do:
We pair trained Penn Law students with Philadelphia attorneys at Dechert, Philadelphia VIP, and Community Legal Services, who are representing low-income clients in housing court disputes with landlords.
How we do it:
At the beginning of each year, we host a training session to prepare students for taking on a case. Once assigned a case, students work closely with tenant’s counsel to prepare the client for housing court. Students will often go into housing court with counsel, and can become a certified legal intern once a second semester 2L to take a more active role in representing the client in court.
How and when can I join:
Interested volunteers may complete a volunteer application that will be distributed at the beginning of the academic year. If you have any questions, please reach out to pennhousingrights@gmail.com.
What skills will I develop:
In-court advocacy, negotiation, trial prep, trial strategy, investigation, legal research, 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 who hope to call the United States their home.
What we do:
PLIRP organizes several direct clients services projects in areas such as adjustment of immigration status, visa applications, and know-your-rights trainings to immigrants in the Philadelphia community. Additionally, PLIRP takes on various research projects from its partner organizations and participates in discussions of policy and legislation involving immigrants’ rights in the United States.
How we do it:
We partner with major immigration organizations in the Philadelphia area such as HIAS and the Nationalities Service Center to assist them with cases that they are working on. This could mean having your own client that you meet with several times over the semester to gather information and fill out a visa application, or simply spending a few hours in a clinic setting speaking with a small group of clients to educate them of their legal rights.
How and when can I join:
Come see us at the Pro Bono Sign-Up Fair in the fall or email the project leaders at plirp.info@gmail.com to join the listserv, where you can find out about upcoming projects. Additionally, in the early fall there will be one or two trainings which last no more than an hour and explain the basics of our projects and prepare you to participate in them.
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 weeks 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 WILA’s Volunteer Coordinator, Mackenzie Libbey.
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.
Prison Legal Education Project
The goal of the Prison Legal Education Project is to work together with incarcerated people to jointly lead a seminar on legal research and writing skills.
What we do:
The Penn Law Prison Legal Education Project works with people who are currently incarcerated in Pennsylvania state prisons to jointly lead a seminar on legal research and writing, at the prison facility. A goal of our curriculum is to help incarcerated people develop their legal research and writing skills so that they can successfully file pro se documents. The curriculum will build the fundamental building blocks incarcerated people need to interpret and craft legal arguments.
How we do it:
Volunteers work with incarcerated individuals at the prison facility during each lesson alongside 5-6 other Penn Law students. The class is collaborative and student-directed: volunteers will work together with the student-partners to review key aspects of legal research and writing and discuss relevant legal issues. Volunteers will make a year-long commitment, with 3-4 Friday sessions per semester. Transportation for the one-hour trip is provided.
How and when can I join:
Interested volunteers should email the Co-Leaders, Claire Samuelson and John Santoro, for a volunteer application. You can also come see us at the Pro Bono sign up fair!
What skills will I develop:
Working with incarcerated clients, community engagement, criminal justice, legal writing, legal analysis, classroom management, public speaking, presentation skills, education
School Discipline Advocacy Service (SDAS)
The School Disciplinary Advocacy Service (SDAS) advocates for students facing suspensions and disciplinary transfers from the School District of Philadelphia.
What we do:
We represent the interests of students, their families, and underrepresented communities in disciplinary proceedings where they have traditionally lacked advocacy. We deter processes of school pushout and work toward educational stability for students so that they may continue to learn and develop as individuals.
How we do it:
We partner with students and their families to learn their stories and prepare them to control their narrative. We accompany students to informal disciplinary hearings and assist them in navigating their hearings. In addition to working with students and their families, we partner with fellow law students from Temple, Villanova, and Drexel.
How and when can I join:
Interested students must attend an initial fall training. The time commitment for this project is flexible and can vary according to your schedule. If you have questions, please email SDAS’s Director of Training & Recruitment, Madeline Feldman.
What skills will I develop:
Community engagement, interviewing/intake, client counseling, working with vulnerable clients, project management, conflict resolution
The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.
Youth Advocacy Project (YAP)
The Youth Advocacy Project works to keep children out of adult prisons and jails by providing comprehensive mitigation and support to youth prosecuted as adults.
What we do:
Teams of law and social work students partner with clients and their families to develop mitigation reports or humanizing narratives of a person’s experience to present to prosecutors or judges. We work to transfer clients’ cases to the juvenile system and out of the criminal legal system, and make crucial connections to community resources providing education, healthcare, housing and employment.
How we do it:
In partnership with the Youth Sentencing and Reentry Project (YSRP), we work with youth in Philadelphia and surrounding counties who are criminally prosecuted as adults. Law and social work students work together to develop a mitigation report or humanizing narrative of a young person’s experience by meeting with family members, visiting the client, reading and analyzing records, and communicating a fuller picture of the client-partner’s life, so as to highlight their strengths, resiliency, and capacity to change. Each team develops a specific strategy to support and advocate for a young person based on their case, their needs, and their hopes for reentry.
How and when can I join:
Complete application in the fall semester, express interest by emailing YAP’s Co-Directors, Anna Malone and Sadye Stern.
What skills will I develop:
Working with vulnerable clients, legal writing, collaboration, 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 preparing students for a Mock Trial or Moot Court competition.
What we do:
We teach Philadelphia high school students the basics of the rules of evidence, trial procedure, and basic Constitutional principles. We help students develop public speaking skills and build arguments so they can effectively perform in mock trial or moot court competitions.
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. In the spring, volunteers will prep their students on either (1) a fact pattern that focuses on a legal issue that highlights all of 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:
Complete an application in the Fall semester. If you have any questions, please email YEP’s Co-Directors, Emily Nowlan and Michael White.
What skills will I develop:
Appellate advocacy, trial strategy, trial prep, community engagement, classroom management, public speaking, presentation skills, education