BU Law Pro Bono Opportunities

The following opportunities are available to students participating in the pro bono program. Please contact the organization's contact directly to get involved. Be sure to complete the Pro Bono Pledge and notify us if you begin a project listed below. Check back often as new projects are added frequently.

Students may also initiate their own projects with any organization that qualifies under our definition of pro bono work. For help with creating your own please make an appointment online to see a CDO counselor.

Pro Bono Opportunities

Jewish Family & Children’s Service - Bet Tzedek Program

Bet Tzedek seeks a part-time law student intern to work in its Waltham office location.  This is an unpaid position. 

Bet Tzedek is a legal assistance and legal referral program housed within Jewish Family & Children’s Service.  Working with low-income clients, Bet Tzedek provides free advocacy, legal information and referrals to other agencies or private attorneys for pro bono legal services.  Bet Tzedek assists in range of civil issues including housing, consumer law, immigration, government benefits, probate and family law.  Clients who need additional social services are referred internally to other programs within the organization, thereby providing the client with a comprehensive approach to addressing a range of problems.

For over 140 years, Jewish Family & Children's Service has provided the people of Greater Boston with vital support at critical stages of their lives -- from newborns and their parents, to individuals with disabilities, to the elderly and families in crisis.  JF&CS is dedicated to meeting the needs of the community with programs that are effective, innovative, and built on a tradition of compassion and caring. No matter how difficult the problem and regardless of a person's background or ability to pay, JF&CS is ready and available to respond.

Responsibilities include:

  • Conduct initial client intake assessments;
  • Perform research on client issues in the areas described above;
  • Assist Program Director with programmatic issues, including researching policy changes to the program;
  • Create legal updates to be distributed to Agency staff through listserv;
  • Maintain Bet Tzedek intranet site;
  • Assist with grant applications;
  • Create booklets and handouts on specific areas of law;
  • Create standardized intake forms in certain subject areas;
  • Assist clients in application, recertification or other aspects of public benefits;

For more information, visit www.jfcsboston.org.

Send resume and cover letter via email to:
Rachel Pemstein, Esq.
Director, Bet Tzedek
RPemstein@jfcsboston.org

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ACCION International

ACCION International is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission of giving people the financial tools they need to work their way out of poverty. By providing "micro" loans, business training and other financial services to poor men and women who start their own businesses, ACCION helps people work their way up the economic ladder, with dignity and pride. ACCION's goal is to bring microfinance to tens of millions of people. That's why ACCION has created an anti-poverty strategy that is permanent and self-sustaining.

A world pioneer in microfinance, ACCION is now a partner with more than 30 microfinance organizations throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, as well as serving U.S. microentrepreneurs through the ACCION USA Network. ACCION seeks pro bono volunteers with a strong interest in international economic development, banking, microfinance and lending. Preference for law students with some related experience or study. Spanish skills a plus, but not necessary. For more information, visit www.accion.org.

Currently, ACCION is looking for 2 interns who could commit to coming to their office location one day a week for approximately 5-6 hours.  This is a much larger commitment than is required by the Pro Bono Program, but projects are a bit more intensive. Projects involve working with microfinance, international development, or non-profits.

Contact:
Kevin Saunders
Staff Attorney
ACCION International
56 Roland Street, Suite 300
Boston, MA 02129
617-684-0213
ksaunders@accion.org

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Boston University School of Law Young Alumni Council (YAC)

The Boston University School of Law Young Alumni Council (YAC) has a membership of over 700 lawyers in the Greater Boston area with chapters in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, DC and Miami.  These alumni/ae (who graduated from BU Law within the past 10 years), work in large and small firms, federal and state government and nonprofit organizations and engage in a wide range of exciting pro bono work.  The BU Law YAC is proud to partner with the Pro Bono Program to enable current law students to work on pro bono matters side by side with its members.  Members are involved in myriad pro bono matters including intellectual property, housing, family law, tax, domestic violence and immigration. Students will be matched with attorneys seeking assistance throughout the year. Work can be performed in person or remotely.

Please send an email of interest to:
Erin Elwood, Alumni Officer
Esdaile Alumni Center
Boston University School of Law
erine@bu.edu
617.358.4873

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Foreclosure Taskforce

The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau (HLAB), the Legal Services Center (LSC), and City Life have formed a coalition to address the foreclosure crisis. Through legal action and community mobilization, the Foreclosure Taskforce seeks to make it more costly and difficult for banks to evict the tenants in foreclosed properties, and in so doing pressure the banks to change their current policy of evicting everyone. To increase the number of people who stay in their homes until being evicted through court process (thus increasing the costs to banks), the Foreclosure Taskforce is organizing a group of volunteers to canvass neighborhoods and speak with tenants in person about their legal rights and option to refuse "cash-for-keys" move-out agreements (banks use these agreements to pressure tenants to leave quickly and at low cost) and to contact HLAB or City Life. The Housing & Consumer Protection Clinic will also be taking some of the post-foreclosure eviction cases to help in the effort. BU Law's Chapter of the Project is looking for student volunteers who are willing to canvass at foreclosed properties and provide tenants and former owners information regarding their rights and options. If you are interested in getting involved with this exciting, cutting-edge, important work, please contact buforeclosuretaskforce@gmail.com for more details.

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Neighborhood of Affordable Housing - Group Orientation Assistance Internship Program

The Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH), is an East Boston based community development corporation structured to collaborate and support residents in their pursuit of affordable housing strategies, environmental justice, community planning, leadership development, and economic development opportunities. Our home counseling department helps more than 200 first time homebuyers each year to get prepared to purchase their homes with certified first time homebuyer classes, financial literacy sessions, and individual counseling on credit and mortgage assessment. Due to the current foreclosure crisis in October of 2007 NOAH, with the help of Neighbor Works America and Mass Housing, started a Foreclosure Prevention program.

Description:

Students will work with supervision by a team of experienced Housing Counselors to provide counseling and guidance to low and moderate income homeowners at risk of or in the process of losing their homes. NOAH schedules weekly clinics to groups of homeowners who need orientation about the options available on avoiding foreclosure.

The Interns will be responsible for 1) production and distribution of educational and marketing materials that will be used at the clinics; 2) helping customers fill out required forms and complete a successful intake process; 3) helping customers complete a budget and advise them about how to improve their finances; and 4) conducting twenty minute individual sessions with families after the group orientation to review the intake package, design a work out plan and advice them on their next step.

NOAH will provide training with the assistance of the Boston Federal Reserve Bank, Division of Banks, Neighbor works and Mass Housing.  The minimum number of hours the intern should commit to participate in this internship is 4 hours a week per school semester.

Spanish and Portuguese speaking is a plus.

Please email a cover letter and resume to:
Carolina Trujillo
Home Counseling Director
Neighborhood of Affordable Housing
143 Border Street
East Boston MA 02128
trujillo.carolina@gmail.com

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Neighborhood of Affordable Housing Foreclosure Prevention Program Internship

NOAH, the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, is an East Boston based community development corporation structured to collaborate and support residents in their pursuit of affordable housing strategies, environmental justice, community planning, leadership development, and economic development opportunities. Our home counseling department helps more than 200 first time homebuyers each year to get prepared to purchase their homes with certified first time homebuyer classes, financial literacy sessions, and individual counseling on credit and mortgage assessment. Due to the current foreclosure crisis in October of 2007 NOAH, with the help of Neighbor Works America and Mass Housing, started a Foreclosure Prevention program. The homeownership department developed a method to help customers on an individual base with different solutions depending on their needs, either refinancing through the Mass Housing “Home Saver Program” or any other appropriate mortgage product, negotiating with their current lender to modify the terms of their loans, and even the sale of the property through a short sale as a last resource.

Description:

Work with supervision by a team of experienced Housing Counselors to provide counseling and guidance to low and moderate income homeowners at risk of or in the process of losing their homes. Interns participating in this internship will help manage the files during the individual counseling process. Some of the activities that they will be responsible for are:

1) Meet with customers and prepare loan restructure packages to be sent to the servicer. Including writing hardship letters.

2) Deal with mortgage lenders and brokers, loan servicers, final investors and real estate agents.

3) Stay current on issues relevant to the mortgage lending, changes in foreclosure laws, the availability of resources and special programs in the city of Boston and in neighboring jurisdictions.

4) Research activities in the real estate, lending and related markets that can be helpful for the customers.

5) Participate in policy recommendations.

6) Maintain and monitor clients’ files and database.

7) Write reports and correspondence as needed.

8) Assist the counselors to conduct homeownership post purchase and foreclosure prevention educational presentations to groups such as community organizations, PTAs, religious or social committees, etc.

NOAH will provide training with the assistance of the Boston Federal Reserve Bank, Division of Banks, Neighbor works and Mass Housing.

The minimum number of hours the intern should commit to participate in this internship is 15 hours a week per school semester.

Spanish and Portuguese speaking is a Plus.

Under no circumstances the interns should give any legal advice. If the case needs the advice of an attorney the intern should contact the counselor who will refer the customer to a professional attorney for their advice.

Please email a cover letter and resume to:

Carolina Trujillo
Home Counseling Director
Neighborhood of Affordable Housing
143 Border Street
East Boston MA 02128
trujillo.carolina@gmail.com

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