Summer internships at Biglaw firms get the lion’s share of coverage, but they aren’t the only way that law student spend their summers. Students frequently spend their summers giving back to their communities by doing pro bono work. It is hard to know the exact numbers and figures, but a recent survey came back with some hard numbers that will blow your mind. ABA Journal has coverage:
More than $178 million of legal services were contributed by the law school class of 2025 via legal clinics, experiential courses, externships and other pro bono activities, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Association of American Law Schools.
In December, the survey found that 22,336 law students in the class of 2025 worked more than 5.1 million hours in legal services—or about an average of 230 hours each—according to a Feb. 18 press release.
That’s a lot of time and value!
It isn’t uncommon to come across stories like law students helping folks file their taxes and protecting people’s civil rights, but to see a study looking at law student impact in the aggregate put into perspective how much good can get done when you aren’t cramming to prepare for your next final.
If there are any 2Ls out there reading this, consider doing some of the good work your 3L year! There’s a special place in my heart for the Marshall Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project that teaches high school kids constitutional law. Despite the complications, lecturing on the right to free speech during the Black Lives Matter protests was a highlight in my law school career. Teaching kids about how free speech works, at least how it is supposed to, is no less important for us to do today.
Thank you for your hard work!
3Ls Donated Over $178M Of Pro Bono Legal Work In 2025, New Survey Shows [ABA Journal]
Earlier: Law Students Help Community Members File Their Taxes
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
The post 3Ls Spent Millions Of Hours Doing Pro Bono Work In 2025 appeared first on Above the Law.
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