Supporting public interest

The Office of Public Service has announced two new programs that will advance the tradition of public service at USC Law by increasing the community service and pro bono work performed by students and by enabling volunteers to better track the hours they contribute.

Public Service Pledge

USC Law student organizations are taking a pledge to complete 100 hours or more of community or pro bono service during the 2006-07 academic year, says Associate Dean Lisa Mead, who heads the Office of Public Service (OPS). This voluntary promise – and friendly competition between student groups – is open to any student group, excluding the Public Interest Law Foundation, which currently coordinates more than 30 pro bono clinics. Student organizations may choose to partner with one or more of the PILF clinics in order to collect hours. (Click here for a list of PILF pro bono clinics.)

In addition, several student organizations already have well-established service projects in which their members and other students may participate. (Click here for a list of current projects.)

Online Public Service Log

Along with the 100-hour challenge, OPS is launching an online log designed to record the many hours of service USC Law students are providing to the community.

The log has a three-fold purpose, Mead says. First, PILF will use the log to track student pro bono hours for summer grant eligibility; second, student organizations can track their members’ public service hours for the first annual Service Pledge competition; third, OPS will use it to more effectively collect and disseminate information about the law school’s public service efforts.

Please view the new log by signing in to the MyLaw portal: https://mylaw.usc.edu.

Visit the OPS web site here.

Organizations that would like to add or edit their entry on the service project list may contact Malissa Barnwell-Scott at mbarnwel@law.usc.edu.