Despite initial concerns throughout the legal profession over New York’s new pro bono requirement for bar admission, law schools say they anticipate few challenges in helping students meet the goal, according to a report by the New York County Lawyers’ Association.
NYCLA reports that New York’s 15 law schools have expanded opportunities for students to perform pro bono since Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman announced the rule change in May 2012. Under the rule, prospective lawyers must perform at least 50 hours of law-related pro bono in order to be admitted to the bar starting in January 2015. New York is the first state to introduce such a requirement.
