The College of Law offers students numerous opportunities to get hands-on experience, from the service project at orientation to clinics. One of the most fulfilling ways for students to practice classroom concepts is through pro bono work. Since its founding in 2017, students in the College of Law Pro Bono Program have given more than 3,000 hours of service. Below, first-year law students share how their volunteer experiences have made an impact thus far.
Leah Ritter (J.D. ’23)
Hometown: Centralia, Illinois and Dallas, Texas
Where she is volunteering: AVLF Saturday Lawyer Program and Atlanta Legal Aid Society Estate Planning Project
The experience: “As a part-time evening student, GSU’s pro bono program has given me my first opportunities to work directly with clients, developing interviewing and other soft skills, and narrowing down the types of public interest work I might want to pursue as a career. Every time I work with a client, I get the feeling of fulfillment that motivated me to come to law school in the first place.”
Dan Wingate (J.D. ’23)
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Where he is volunteering: Legal Aid, AVLF, and Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
The experience: “It has provided a practical, real-world focus to the book learning of law school. It helps me to remember that law school is not an end unto itself, but rather a place to get some of the training and tools to more effectively help people, and work to bring about positive change in my community.”
Arielle Lewis (J.D. ’23)
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Where she is volunteering: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
The experience: “Pro bono work has complemented some of my academic experience at GSU. Since I am mostly working with documents, I feel that it somewhat mirrors what I have learned in Civil Procedure. It is nice to see the petitions, because it helps me understand how to format my assignments for Lawyering Foundations.”
Jordan Price (J.D. ’23)
Hometown: Lexington, South Carolina and McDonough, Georgia
Where she is volunteering: The Transgender Name Change Project, The Family Law Information Center, The Legal Needs Survey Project and The Estate Planning Project
The experience: “I had the opportunity to process a woman’s petition to correct the gender marker on her birth certificate. Although I am well-adjusted now, at the time I took her case I was only one month into my first semester. I felt completely overwhelmed by the workload and doubted my ability to succeed. Yet, when I heard the sheer joy and appreciation in her voice, that it when I knew for certain – I can do this.”
Interviews by Alex Resnak