Service & Public Interest Programs

The Moritz College of Law is fortunate to have a community of faculty, students, alumni, staff, and administration who continually develop new and exciting opportunities for community outreach and public service.

Moritz Law students are encouraged to become involved in one or more of the college's many public interest initiatives. Once classes begin, students can participate in organizations such as Street Law, an initiative in which law students teach area school children about the legal system; Moritz Law Community Outreach Project, formed to work with volunteer groups throughout Columbus in an effort to better the community and help those less fortunate; or the college's Pro Bono Research Group, a group dedicated to providing legal research assistance to Ohio attorneys who are engaged in public interest work.

To encourage law students to accept low-paying or volunteer positions with public interest organizations during the summer, the college's Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) annually offers several studentfunded fellowships. In the most recent year, more than $30,000 of aid was awarded to students by PILF.

Law students who contribute at least 50 hours of their time to a nonprofit organization in the course of their three years at Moritz Law are recognized as "Public Service Fellows" on their transcripts and at the time of graduation. In any given year, students contribute approximately 10,000 hours of volunteer time to various public interest and community organizations.