Posner Exchange & Honor Society

Pro Bono Society Induction Event

Posner Pro Bono Exchange Events 

Marquette's Pro Bono Honor Society was formed for the purpose of recognizing the pro bono legal services provided by Marquette University Law School students.  Each year, students qualifying for membership in this honorary society will be invited to an induction ceremony and receive an official certificate from the Dean of the Law School. In addition, Pro Bono Honor Society members will receive an honor cord and will be specially acknowledged at the Law School graduation ceremony. Distinct recognition will be given to students who complete 50 and 120 hours of pro-bono service.

To qualify for membership in the Pro Bono Honor Society, law students must perform a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer legal services.  The following guidelines are used to determine whether particular volunteer service hours will qualify toward the Pro Bono Honor Society membership requirements:

  • Pro bono service must be legal in nature. A primary component of the work must involve the use of legal skills or legal knowledge.
  • Pro bono service must be supervised by a licensed attorney. When a supervising attorney is collecting client fees for their work, unpaid student work associated with the attorney's paid work is not pro bono work. 
  • Pro bono service must be voluntary. Work for which students receive compensation or academic credit is not pro bono work.  
  • Time spent traveling to and from a volunteer site should not be calculated as service hours.
  • A maximum of 6 hours of direct training may be credited toward service hours. The training must be related to the pro bono work being performed.
  • Pro bono service must advance equal justice. The primary constituency served should be persons or causes with barriers to accessing justice, or organizations which benefit such individuals or causes. The most direct purpose of pro bono service is the provision of legal assistance at no charge to those who cannot otherwise afford legal counsel.
  • Pro bono work is nonpartisan work. It is not affiliated with a political party.