The Law School’s Hub for Pro Bono

Our school was among the first in the nation to enact a pro bono requirement. All Penn Carey Law JD students must complete at least 70 hours of eligible pro bono work prior to graduation. In 2000, the Law School was the inaugural recipient of the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publica Award.

Through its oversight of the pro bono program, TPIC has the opportunity to work with all law students. Penn Carey Law offers a broad array of pro bono opportunities that focus on impactful service and professional skill development. In addition to administering the pro bono graduation requirement, TPIC is home to all of the Law School’s public interest programming, including the Toll Public Interest Scholars & Fellows Programs and the Public Interest Experience (PIE).

Launching Public Interest Careers

TPIC prioritizes forging close relationships with students and learning about their passions and interests. We want to know what brought a student to law school and how to best support students in pursuing their long-term goals. TPIC works in close collaboration with the Office of Career Strategy (OCS), ensuring public interest-minded law students are holistically supporting during law school, as they launch their careers, and as alumni. OSC public interest career advisors counsel students on how to identify their career goals and map a clear route to them while also educating students about the many ways one can pursue a public interest career. TPIC and OCS regularly partner on events and various initiatives throughout the academic year and summer. 

Uniting the Law School’s Public Interest Community

From the Edward V. Sparer Symposium, to Public Interest Week, to the Public Interest Retreat - and much, much more - TPIC works hard to provide service-minded students with timely, relevant opportunities to build knowledge & skills while also fostering community and furthering conversations about the most important issues of our time.

Through the Public Interest Experience (PIE), all interested students can take part in TPIC’s impressive roster of tailored programming.

To read more about the work that the TPIC Community engages in, we invite you to read our latest edition of Experience Service, our semesterly magazine.