Home Deans' Memos MEMORANDUM 98-13
February 26, 1998
| To: | Deans of Member and Fee-Paid Schools |
| From: | Deborah L. Rhode |
| Subject: | AALS Survey on Public Service Programs |
Despite considerable effort, I have been unable to construct some especially clever preface to this request. So I am forced to come straight to the point. The AALS needs you to complete another form. However, the enclosed questions are brief and your views are crucial.
My primary initiative as president of the AALS will be to foster opportunities for pro bono and public service by students in law schools and to identify ways that the AALS can assist these efforts. To this end, I have appointed a Commission and Task Force on Pro Bono and Public Service Opportunities. This Commission urgently needs information on current pro bono programs and requires your assistance.
The enclosed questionnaire asks about your school’s pro bono and public service programs. It does not ask about in-house clinics staffed by law school faculty, even though such programs provide important public service opportunities. Those programs have been well surveyed by our Clinical section and by the ABA's Consultant on Legal Education. Rather, it asks about all other public service projects and opportunities.
We would like you personally to complete the questions on the yellow page that follows this memo. It should not take more than ten minutes. We ask that you then forward the green and white pages to the person who works most closely with the public service and pro bono programs at your school. That person should complete the green page and one white page for each public service program, and then return them to us along with the yellow form that you complete.
We urge you to be candid in your responses. As is our usual practice, we will not reveal the name of any responding school in the report that is prepared. If the Commission decides that it would be useful to describe the experience at a particular school, we will seek your permission.
I am deeply grateful for your cooperation. Questions or concerns can be directed to me at Stanford Law School or to the Chair of the Commission, David Chambers, at Michigan.
Attachments [Not included on website.]
Home Deans' Memos