USC v UCLA: Pro Bono Challenge

Students compete for most volunteer hours during spring semester

—By Maria Iacobo

Red Sox versus Yankees. East Coast versus West Coast. USC versus UCLA. Historic rivalries with a passionate following.

Hoping to build off their universities’ long-time rivalry, the law schools at USC and UCLA have challenged each other to a contest off the playing field and into the Los Angeles community they share. The schools will compete for the highest percentage of pro bono hours during the 15-week spring semester.

USC Law students, including SBA Pres. Aly Parker, center, are ready for the Cross-Town Challenge.

“We’re looking to promote pro bono work within the legal profession as well as improve our surrounding communities,” Parker said. “If we engage students in pro bono work now, we hope they will be inspired to continue this tradition after they graduate.”

Parker says that while some students don’t come to USC Law to pursue a legal career in public service, many are introduced to public service through the academic and Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) clinics and are personally moved by their positive experiences. This past summer, Parker came up with the “challenge” idea to reach out to students who have not engaged in pro bono work as well as those who simply can’t participate because of significant course work.

Parker approached PILF President Laura Riley ’10 to help cement the plan.

“In addition to supporting students already committed to public service, we’re always looking to reach students who haven’t yet done any public interest,” Riley said.  “The American Bar Association recommends lawyers contribute 50 hours of pro bono work every year, so we’re trying to instill an ethic of public service while they’re still students.”

Riley says PILF is designing public interest opportunities that will run as brief as five hours so that even the most overworked student can participate.

 The Cross-Town Pro Bono Challenge is looking to alumni and faculty to enhance the participation. By registering as student mentors or guides, alumni and faculty can ensure that students have their performance supervised and supported throughout the course of their work.

 Parker and Riley kicked off the challenge at the Nov. 8 alumni tailgate event, handing out information and signing up alumni.

 “The alumni were really enthusiastic about the goals and receptive to mentoring students at their alma mater to become more well-rounded attorneys,” Parker said. “And they were also competitive. They said they’d never miss a reason to beat UCLA.”

 The spring semester begins Jan. 12 and runs through April 28. The law school with the highest percentage of student participation will be deemed the winner.