School of Law Celebrates National Pro Bono Week

U of A School of Law

Students and faculty members at the U of A School of Law are participating in the 2022 National Celebration of Pro Bono, Oct. 23-29. The week's activities were planned and organized by Josie Bates, the school's Rose Law Firm 200th Anniversary Pro Bono Fellow.

Events during the week include community engagement opportunities, a panel discussion of the ways pro bono service improves access to justice, a pro bono opportunities fair and supply drive to collect period and personal products for Flo Free Foundation. 

Monday, Oct. 24, law students are invited to the Pro Bono Opportunities Fair in the Norma Lea Beasley Entrance Hall of the School of Law. Representatives from non-profit organizations regularly seeking law student volunteers to assist with projects will be on hand to greet students and provide information.

Law students will participate in two service projects. During the week, Oct. 24-27, student volunteers will work with lawyers from Legal Aid of Arkansas and Peace at Home Family Shelter to staff a help desk at the Washington County Courthouse. Volunteers will assist with orders of protection and answer questions on eviction and divorce/custody matters. On Friday, Oct. 28, student volunteers will work with volunteer attorneys to provide written answers to civil legal questions submitted by low-income Arkansans. The project, Arkansas Free Legal Answers, is co-sponsored by Arkansas Access to Justice and the American Bar Association.

"Improving Access to Justice: A Panel Discussion on the Role of Pro Bono" is planned for Wednesday, Oct. 16, 12:10 -1:10 p.m. in the E.J. Ball Courtroom. Panelists include Jordan Bates-Rogers, executive director of the Arkansas Access to Justice Commission and Foundation; Greneda Johnson, director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at the School of Law; and Tony Jones, the school's inaugural Pro Bono Fellow who currently clerks for Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Robin Wynne. The discussion will be moderated by Sara Gosman, associate professor of law and the director of the Public Service and Pro Bono Program at the School of Law. 

A supply drive, organized in conjunction with the Women's Law Student Association (WLSA), for period and personal feminine hygiene products will be ongoing throughout the week. Donations will benefit the Flo Free Foundation, and collection boxes will be located throughout the School of Law building.

The School of Law recognizes the students who have completed the most pro bono hours for their dedication to those in need. The top pro bono students, in addition to Josie Bates, are Imogen Ryan, Sydney Weiskopf, Kristina Ranney, Amber Skinner, Elizabeth Green, Marquela McClellan, Chris Brown, Savannah Luna, Jissel Esparza Saucedo, Grace Faulkenberry and Lexi Robertson.

About the National Celebration of Pro Bono: In 2009 the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service launched Pro Bono Week because of an increased need for pro bono services. The nationwide celebration provides an opportunity for community legal associations across the country to provide quality legal services to those in need.

About the School of Law: The law school offers a competitive J.D. as well as an advanced LL.M. program, which are taught by nationally recognized faculty. The school offers unique opportunities for students to participate in pro bono work, externships, live client clinics, competitions, and food and agriculture initiatives. The school strives to identify, discuss, and challenge issues of race, color, ethnicity, and the impact(s) they have on students, faculty, and staff members to achieve a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community. From admitting the Six Pioneers who were the first African American students to attend law school in the South without a court order to graduating governors, judges, prosecutors, and faculty who went on to become president of the United States and secretary of transportation, the law school has a rich history and culture. Follows us at @uarklaw.