The Public Interest and Pro Bono program underscores Duke Law School’s commitment to provide students with experiential learning opportunities that not only contribute to their professional development, but also stress the value of service. Students provide law-related services in a broad array of areas, including, criminal law, environmental law, and civil rights, and work with Legal Aid, non-profit advocacy groups, government, and private attorneys in their pro bono work.
Whether students opt to take on significant commitments with student pro bono groups such as the Guardian ad Litem program or the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, the public interest and pro bono program gives them a chance to enagage intellectually and reflect on the value of service.
News & Announcements
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Responding to Harvard's third-year tuition forgiveness plan
Associate Dean Carol Spruill comments on Duke Law's efforts to complement federal legislation that forgives debt entirely after 10 years of work in public service. » Law.com -
Duke Law students offer free tax assistance to low-income taxpayers
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program helped 218 Durham residents file their 2007 taxes. -
Amanda McRae '09: Human rights activist
McRae shares her passion for international human rights and public interest work. -
Poverty by the numbers
Associate Dean Carol Spruill discusses the numbers behind the Census Bureau's latest percentages related to poverty. » The News & Observer -
Fellowship recipients commit to public interest
Emilia Beskind '08 heads to Georgetown Law Center as a Prettyman Fellow and Leah Nicholls '07 joins the Public Citizen Litigation Group with the assistance of a Supreme Court Assistance Project Fellowship. -
Quest for Southern justice
Appreciation pours in from sites Duke Law students visited during Spring Break. -
David Esquivel ’97
Esquivel's pro bono case brings a measure of justice to El Salvadoran families. -
Leslie Cooley ‘05 discusses tenure as domestic violence prosecutor
Cooley gave insight into the challenges and rewards of working as an assistant district attorney in Mecklenburg County’s Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit . -
College Cost Reduction and Access Act an important development in public service law
The CCRAA allows students a broader choice of law schools, says Associate Dean Carol Spruill. » National Law Journal -
Michael Scharf ’88
Scharf, who has advised and trained judges for a number of war crimes tribunals, talks about his work on the Saddam Hussein trial. -
Bettina Roberts '10
Roberts, a JD/LLM student, tells how her summer internship with the Geneva-based nonprofit International Bridges to Justice led her to India.
Archives
See the news archives for a complete listing of past news and announcements.

Public Interest at Duke Law
PILF, Innocence Project honored
PILF Auction & Gala