Nearly every Duke Law student contributes to public interest or pro bono work, whether by participating in the various programs and projects offered by the School or by creating a new public interest activity to fill an identified need. The wealth of student-led public interest and pro bono programs at Duke demonstrate students’ commitment to providing public and law-related service in a broad array of areas.
Public Interest and Pro Bono Board
Created in 2002, the Public Interest and Pro Bono Board works with the Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono to institutionalize Duke’s long-standing commitment to student leadership and service. Students assume leadership of the various pro bono projects or public interest activities available at the Law School, support each other on projects, and generally advise the work of the Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono. The 2006-2007 Board.
Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF)
Duke’s Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) undertakes a wide range of activities to encourage students to remain engaged in their communities as students and throughout their careers. The annual PILF Gala and Auction has raised thousands of dollars for PILF summer public interest employment. PILF also works with the Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono on many events and programs, co-sponsoring the fall Public Interest Kick-Off and the spring Public Interest Retreat.
Chartered Student Pro Bono Groups
Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Advocacy Project
The Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Advocacy Project (DVSAAP) addresses issues of violence against women. As part of its mission DVSAAP uses a holistic approach to raise awareness in the Duke Law community about domestic violence and sexual assault, foster student advocacy on behalf of domestic violence and sexual assault survivors and identify gaps in services available to domestic violence and sexual assault victims in the triangle.
Innocence Project
Sponsored by The North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence, the Innocence Project involves more than 60 students in cases of actual innocence. Working under the supervision of Duke law faculty, students assist the Center in reviewing the hundreds of inmate requests for help received each year.
Refugee Asylum Support Project
The Refugee Asylum Support Project, affiliated with Association of the Bar of the City of New York’s (ABCNY) asylum outreach center, got its start in the fall of 2002 under the leadership of John Bolin ’03, who first worked with the center as part of his summer firm’s pro bono effort. The center recruits and trains attorneys to represent immigrants who have suffered torture and other forms of repression in their native countries and are seeking political asylum in the United States. Under the supervision of an Asylum Project attorney in New York, students participating in the Refugee Aylum Support Project do case specific research, provide translation services, and promote awareness of refugee and asylum issues. In more recent years students have affiliated with additional asylum and immigration organizations.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
Duke’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides income tax assistance to low-income people in the Durham community, including elderly, handicapped, and non-English taxpayers in Durham. A long-standing community service project that was revitalized in 2004 under the leadership of Janna Lewis ’05, VITA student volunteers have helped hundreds of low-income taxpayers receive free tax preparation assistance, maximize their tax credits and refunds, and avoid paying excessive fees and interest charges to for-profit tax preparation companies. VITA student volunteers receive two days of tax preparation training from the Internal Revenue Service so that they are qualified to prepare and file tax returns electronically.
Other Pro Bono Groups
Guardian ad Litem
Street Law
Southern Justice Spring Break Trip
Teen Court
Duke Law Hurricane Relief Project
Duke Organizing
Duke Death Penalty Project
Duke Law Immigration Education Project
Duke Consumer Law Project
Legal Assistance for Non-English Speakers (LANES)
Duke Law Civil Liberties Project
Students Advocating Felony Murder Reform
Hispanic Intoxilyzer Rights Project