Pro Bono Honor Society

To acknowledge and reward those students who dedicate a significant portion of their time to helping others through the Law Student Pro Bono Program, GGU has established a Pro Bono Honor Society.

Membership in this society will signify that a student has performed at least 10 hours of pro bono work in his/her first year and at least 25 hours of pro bono work for each of the upper-class years. Any student completing more than 60 hours of pro bono prior to graduation will receive special recognition from Dean Ramey.

Students inducted into the Society will be honored at the Public Interest Graduation Reception in April. Inductees will receive a certificate stating their membership, and can note membership on their resumes. Graduating inductees will receive a gift to recognize their contributions.

The entire GGU community is excited about the new Pro Bono Program and Honor Society. GGU looks forward to motivating its students to volunteer and make justice accessible for society's most vulnerable members.

In Your Own Words:

Philip Batchelder (JD 09)

We keep hearing it: connections, and not Craigslist postings, are what will land us a job in this tight market. I'm not employed yet, so I can't swear that this is true. What is certain is that the more networking I do, the more I learn what I want to do and who is doing it (as well as what I don't want to do). I also meet interesting professionals, some of whom have taken time out of busy practices to answer questions over coffee and to recount their own triumphs and difficulties. This is a truly worthwhile way to inspire and clarify one's goals - and to keep gathering nuggets of legal knowledge while we await bar results.

That doesn't mean, though, that it's easy. Almost every letter I've sent, every call I've made, and every event I've attended has felt oddly risky, as if I'm asking too much or somehow getting overexposed. Also, if an interaction goes awkwardly or a request for an informational interview goes unanswered, it's not especially encouraging for the next round! It's a good time to tune up a personal "reset" button so we can forgive our stumblings and keep letting the world know we're interested.

Go to as many events as possible that relate to your professional interests. Send out requests for chats over coffee. Introduce yourself to the lawyer who just addressed the gathering. Contact your professor. When you put yourself out there and it goes well, it's nothing short of energizing - and sometimes it's the way to employment. So do it!

---

In Your Own Words is an opportunity for GGU School of Law students and alumni to share the wisdom you have gained from your experiences. If you would like to contribute a blog entry regarding your job and/or externship experiences or your job search, please email Amanda Vassigh Sigal.

Celebrating Pro Bono at GGU

by Elana Konstant
Assistant Director of Public Interest Programs

The Pro Bono Open House Celebration on October 27 was a great success! Thank you to all of the students who turned out to hear Dean Ramey, Julia Wilson and Steven MacDonald speak about the value of pro bono work. Over 100 students also came to mingle with twelve pro bono project representatives from various organizations, including Bay Area Legal Aid, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach and Volunteer Legal Services Program. The event was an impressive kick off to the new Law Student Pro Bono Program that we are running with the Public Interest Clearinghouse (PIC).

For those of you who were not able to make it to the open house, the pro bono program will connect GGU students with short-term and long-term volunteer projects all around the Bay Area. As volunteers, students can staff client intake clinics, engage in legislative advocacy and policy work, and represent low-income families in a variety of substantive legal areas. The diversity of available pro bono opportunities is designed to be flexible to fit your busy schedules. Performing pro bono work allows you to contribute to the betterment of your community while simultaneously developing your legal skills.

If you have any questions about pro bono projects or about PIC, please feel free to contact the coordinator of the Law Student Pro Bono Project, Doan Nguyen, who is also the Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow at PIC. You can reach her by email (dnguyen@pic.org) or telephone (415-834-0100, ext. 311).
To gain access to the online database of pro bono projects and sign up to receive the pro bono e-newsletter, please visit www.lawstudentprobono.org. Doan will be updating this site continuously and you can access the latest postings once you sign up. The site also provides a calendar of events and trainings.

Please get involved today to start paving the way for justice.

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:

Liz Winberry (JD 09)

I’ve heard people say they don’t like networking because it feels disingenuous, but this absolutely does not need to be the case. When I “network” I make a point of attending events (like fundraisers) for organizations I admire, and seek out conversation with people who I think will be able to teach me something, not instantly offer me a job. Many times, the information I pick up leads to opportunities to get involved, which I treat as working interviews. For me, expressing an interest to learn, and following up with notes and phone calls, has led to internships, informational interviews, and involvement in local associations.

---

In Your Own Words is an opportunity for GGU School of Law students and alumni to share the wisdom you have gained from your experiences. If you would like to contribute a blog entry regarding your job and/or externship experiences or your job search, please email Amanda Vassigh Sigal.

First Year Students:LCS Halloween Open House

Remember way back at orientation when we said that LCS would begin working with first year students around Halloween? That time is now! To get things started, LCS is hosting a Halloween Open House for first year students. We encourage ALL 1Ls to visit LCS, 62 First St. on the 2nd floor, on Friday, October 30. Stop by any time between 11:30 am and 3 pm.

When you arrive, you will receive treats, both edible and informational. You will also receive your personal account information to log in to LCSonline, which will give you access to all of our job listings, handouts, videos and online resources.

This party is always a highlight of the Fall semester and we look forward to greeting you (in our fabulous costumes, of course!).