Under the New York State Pro Bono requirement, persons applying for admission to the New York State Bar must file an affidavit showing that they have performed fifty hours of pro bono service.
NYSBA is currently recruiting attorneys for pro bono work to help Veterans in the Restoration of Honor Project. If you need a pro bono attorney, please visit lawhelpny.org for a civil legal service organization that may be able to assist you. Looking to volunteer?
Lawyers can be very expensive. They are highly trained professionals with in-demand skills that make them able to charge increasingly high fees for their time, knowledge, and services. But, some attorneys are willing to offer at least a portion of their time to help the less fortunate. So, how do you get pro bono legal representation?
If you do more than one project to make up the 50 hours, you will need to file affidavits for each project. It is recommended that you complete the form (s) at the time you complete the pro bono work.
If you need a pro bono attorney, please visit lawhelpny.org for a civil legal service organization that may be able to assist you. Looking to volunteer? Click here to find a pro bono opportunity that is tailored to your specific requirements.
Under the new rule (22NYCRR 520.16), pro bono is broadly defined, though the work must be law-related in nature and supervised by an attorney or judge.
2021 Federal Poverty Level Guidelines based on Family Size and Annual IncomeFamily Size100%125%1$12,880$16,1002$17,420$21,7753$21,960$27,4504$26,500$33,1252 more rows
Pro bono legal service by attorneys admitted in New York is completely voluntary. Only the reporting of such services and contributions is mandatory.
Documentation: As proof of completion, applicants will need to file an Affidavit of Compliance for each pro bono activity used to satisfy the 50-hour requirement. Each Affidavit must be certified and signed by the appropriate supervising attorney or faculty member.
At least 64 of the 83 credit hours must be earned in classroom study. At least 2 credit hours must be earned in a course in professional responsibility. A minimum of 700 minutes of instruction time, exclusive of examination time, must be required for the granting of one credit hour.
The City Bar Justice Center's free Legal Hotline offers legal information, advice, referrals, and in some instances, brief services, to low-income New Yorkers. The Legal Hotline phone number is: 212-626-7383.
You qualify for legal aid if: You are on a low income or receive income-related benefits, such as income support, income-related ESA or JSA. If your monthly income, excluding PIP or DLA is above £2657 you will not be eligible for legal aid.
Toll Free: 1-877-777-6152. Legal Services NYC: Legal Services NYC Access Line serves low income residents of NYC and is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 4pm. Call 917-661-4500 to speak to an intake officer in any language.
o Note that law-related employment is defined broadly and includes internships, externships, teaching assistant or research assistant positions, law school clinics and private employment, whether or not you received pay or law school credit.
What counts: Pro bono work must be law-related and supervised by an attorney, judge, or law school faculty or instructor in order to qualify. Internships with a broad range of organizations including legal services providers; public defender and prosecutor offices; not-for-profit organizations; state, local, or federal government agencies ...
A fter you have completed the qualifying pro bono work, you will need to do the following in this order: (1) Download and fill out the form affidavit (found here ); (2) Sign the affidavit in the presence of a notary public; and (3) Have your supervisor fill out the supervisor certification at the end of the affidavit. Your assigned Judicial Department will contact you after the Bar exam, asking you to submit the pro bono affidavit along with all other admission application materials. Only original, hard copy versions of the pro bono affidavit may be submitted (not electronic versions or photocopies).
If you do more than one project to make up the 50 hours, you will need to file affidavits for each project. It is recommended that you complete the form (s) at the time you complete the pro bono work. You can find the affidavit form, Rule 520.16 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals (which explains the requirement), and Frequently Asked Questions, on the NY Courts website. We strongly suggest that you review the rule and Frequently Asked Questions before completing the affidavit to ensure that your work qualifies.
All of NYU Law-sourced opportunities will come up labeled as "Pro Bono Placement" or "LLM Pro Bono Placement" (LLMs are eligible for both).
Qualifying pro bono work, under the New York Rule, must be legal or policy related and supervised by an attorney or law school faculty member. ( FAQ No. 11) *LL.M. students may count qualifying pro bono hours performed outside of the U.S. during the year immediately prior their LL.M. course of study. ( FAQ No. 4)
projects that do not necessitate the use of legal skills such as completing tax forms (see FAQ No. 19) or mock trial programs (Street Law) for high school or college students;
The New York Bar’s definition of pro bono differs from that of Pro Bono Program. Some pro bono hours may count for one program, but not for the other. For example, under the New York Rule, you can receive academic credit or summer funding for pro bono work and judicial internships count as pro bono. However, while volunteer hours done for Street Law to prepare and teach legal education classes can be logged for the Pro Bono Program, these hours are not eligible pro bono under the New York Rule.
Complete the affidavit as soon as you end your pro bono project. It can be difficult to locate a supervisor months or years later. The staff of the Pro Bono Program cannot sign Affidavits of Compliance.
We invite you to submit articles showcasing excellence in pro bono service for upcoming editions of the Pro Bono Newsletter. Articles can be sent to probono@nysba.org
The Pro Bono Appeals Program provides pro bono representation for selected civil appeals to the Appellate Division, Third and Fourth Judicial Departments. Visit the Pro Bono Appeals program page for more information.
The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) has a long and proud tradition of advocating for equal access to justice for all New Yorkers in civil matters through a combination of government-funded legal services programs and voluntary pro bono service by private practitioners. The Department also provides assistance and educational training programs for attorneys employed by legal services organizations and oversees a number of attorney recognition programs that promote, recognize, and honor pro bono service by individual attorneys and law firms. The Department works with many of the Association’s sections and committees to encourage their voluntary participation in pro bono projects.
NYSBA is currently recruiting attorneys for pro bono work to help Veterans in the Restoration of Honor Project.
The New York State Bar Association does not guarantee it will find an attorney who will accept your case and does not guarantee the outcome or results of that representation.
The Department works with many of the Association’s sections and committees to encourage their voluntary participation in pro bono projects. NYSBA does not generally provide direct legal services to the public. NYSBA is currently recruiting attorneys for pro bono work to help Veterans in the Restoration of Honor Project.
This section requires the reporting of voluntary pro bono services or contributions described in Rule 6.1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct, that is, legal services provided to the poor and contributions to legal service organizations serving the poor.
ALL attorneys admitted to practice law in New York, whether resident or non-resident, or active or retired, MUST file the Anonymous Report.
Attorneys who register online must complete an electronic version of the Anonymous Report.
IMPORTANT: While all attorneys admitted to practice law in New York must report their voluntary pro bono services or financial contributions, there is no mandatory requirement to perform pro bono or make financial contributions. The goals as outlined in Rule 6.1 are aspirational.