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Vol. 24., No. 11 December 23, 1998

With Public Interest Programs, Law Students Seek Justice for All; 50 Percent of Columbians Exceed 40-Hour Pro Bono Requirement

By Hannah Fairfield

Dean Ellen Chapnick was hoping for at least a handful of students-maybe five or six-at the first informational meeting on Elder Law, a program for Law School students to do pro bono work for the elderly. At the meeting, however, the room nearly overflowed with 40 eager students.

Columbia's Center for Public Interest Law, which Chapnick directs, is a mecca for the growing number of law students who believe volunteer work is a valuable part of their education. The Center is also a leader among law schools: some students say there is no better place to experience public interest law than Columbia, one of the first schools to have a pro bono requirement. Columbia Law students must complete 40 hours in order to graduate.

"The faculty here believes that doing pro bono work is the professional responsibility of every lawyer," said Chapnick, who recently won a Legal Aid Society Award for her work. "With support from the school and outside donors, we're saying, 'the best and the brightest should be doing this.'"

To show their commitment to public interest law, some firms are working with the school to encourage this career path. Two law firms and a professor emeritus have reflected the students' enthusiasm and this fall announced gifts to establish fellowships for those pursuing public interest careers.

With $500,000, the law firm of Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann recently established a fellowship that will help to repay the loans of graduates who pursue public interest careers in the field of anti-discrimination.

"Columbia Law School has a rich history of providing its students with the tools needed to combat social injustice and prejudice of all kinds, and we are grateful to Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann for helping us to carry on this tradition," said Law Dean David Leebron. "The Fellows will be able to make a difference in our community and pursue their dreams of public interest work."

Other recent gifts include: Louis Lowenstein, the Simon Rifkind professor emeritus of law, gave $500,000 to set up a loan repayment program to cover loan payments for graduates while they work in public interest. The firm Sidley & Austin hires one second-year student for six weeks during the summer and then funds the student for an additional six weeks at a New York City public interest organization of his/her choice.

Student enthusiasm has been tremendous. In 1993, students proposed and oversaw the implementation of the pro bono requirement. Though students are required to contribute only 40 hours of their time, more than 50 percent of the students do more than that. Some students even start their own projects. Boaz Weinstein, L'00, founded Bright IDEA, which pairs students with attorneys in special education law to work with parents of disabled children to ensure proper educational services. "Pro bono work is important training for the heart and soul," Weinstein said. "It's important to realize that the decisions we so calmly proclaim in classrooms mean tremendous changes for many people. Pro bono work helps us expand our horizons and truly understand the difficulties our clients face and how blessed we are to be in the position to help."

These pro bono programs, like Elder Law and Bright IDEA, have been so successful that Columbia earned a national award in 1997 for its pro bobo service. Other in-house projects include: Campaign Finance Reform; Civilian Complaint Review Board; Community Lawyering (with The Legal Aid Society's Community Law Office); Domestic Violence Project Courtroom Advocates; Housing Law Workshop; Legal Outreach, Inc.'s Mock Trial Program for Harlem schools; Political Asylum; Rightslink: research for human rights grassroots organizations; Unemployment Action Center and its Chinese Outreach Hotline, and UN Habitat.

"There's an enormous need for public service in the New York City community," said Chapnick. "And we've got students who want to fill that need."

The Center for Public Interest Law also oversees the public service fellowships, career counseling and the law school's Human Rights Internship Program, which funds about 60 Columbia law students during the summer. The Human Rights Internships are so popular that they receive more than two applications for every space.

Phil Webb, L'01, received one of the internships and is waiting to be placed with a human rights organization overseas, in Tbilisi, Georgia or Strasbourg, France. "It's great that the Center for Public Interest Law invests in students who are committed to human rights work and organizations that need help," Webb said. "The program is an honor to be a part of because it's beneficial to everyone."