Each year during Spring Break, law students and supervising law school faculty members volunteer their time and energy to legal aid organizations to help low-income Texans resolve their civil legal problems. Pro Bono Spring Break offers law students a valuable opportunity to put their classroom learning into action, honing skills such as advocacy, client interviewing, and supervised legal decision-making. The program also highlights the severe legal and financial challenges faced by low-income Texans, raising awareness about critical access to justice issues. Meanwhile, legal service providers benefit from having a team of trained and well-supervised volunteers who help maximize their time and reduce their caseload.
Law students receive training and supervision by both law school faculty members and legal services staff. Partcipating organizations in the past include: Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence, American Gateways, Catholic Charities of Dallas, Dallas Volunteer Attorney Project, Disability Rights Texas, Human Rights Initiative of North Texas, KIND Kids in Need of Defense, Legal Hospice of Texas, Lone Star Legal Aid, Mosaic Family Services, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, RAICES, and Texas Civil Rights Project. Choose from many legal aid host programs from across Texas; Hybrid and in-person options will be available. Current placement options can be viewed here, and this list will be updated as more options become available. The application period for the 2025 Pro Bono Spring Break is now open through November 29, 2024. The PBSB application can be found here.
All announcements regarding placements will be made mid-January.
FAST FACTS:
For the 2025 Hybrid PBSB Program, accepted PBSB Participants:
- must have access to the internet (Wifi), a cell phone/landline phone, and a laptop/desktop computer to connect and communicate with legal aid staff daily and throughout their spring break week (Monday through Friday);
- will need to attend an online orientation to participate no later than the week prior to their Spring Break week (Week I: March 10-14 or Week II: March 17-21) (Please note the online orientation dates will be set by the TAJC, and a poll will be sent to selected PBSB students to register for participation);
- must work at least 8 hours per day on projects Monday through Thursday and half-a-day Friday during their spring break week;
- are expected to write and submit a short essay (at least 800 words) or produce and submit a 3-5 minute video at the conclusion of their Spring Break week describing their experiences: the essay or video is due March 25 for Week I participants or April 1 for Week II participants (Please note these may be shared on social media);
- may submit a reimbursement request, as long as expenses are within the parameters of the PBSB program; reimbursement forms with detailed receipts must be submitted by March 25 for Week I participants or April 1 for Week II participants.
Don't miss this eye-opening and rewarding opportunity. The TAJC deeply appreciates our Texas law schools, legal aid programs, and interested law students who make the PBSB program possible. For more information about the Access to Justice Pro Bono Spring Break program, contact our office at atjmail@texasatj.org.
