Stipend Process Explained

Part One: Eligibility

Requirements for stipend recipients:

• Lewis & Clark Law School student with a 2.0 GPA or higher.
• Completed at least one year of law school by June 2012.
• Will be in school or in the Portland area for the 2012-2013 school year.
• Completed 15 hours of volunteer work for the 2012 PILP Auction.
• Completed 20 hours of volunteer work for a public interest organization between June 2011 and March 2012. Both pro bono and community service (non pro bono work) count toward this requirement, but hours toward the PILP auction do not. This work need not be legal. Any work that qualifies for either the Pro Bono Honors Award or the Community Service Honors Award through Career Services will qualify. Law review, SBA, and many other student groups do not qualify. Please check with PILP’s Director of Stipend Board Relations or Career Services to ensure that your volunteer hours will qualify.
• Cannot be a previous recipient of a PILP stipend.
• Stipend recipients are required to chair an auction committee the year following the receipt of the stipend and must submit a photo and one-page essay in September describing their work over the summer.

Part Two: Application Criteria

The PILP Stipend Decision Committee will evaluate applications based on:

   The job:

• Is the position well-defined?
• How great is the public interest need the position is filling?
• Will the project make a measurable contribution to the student’s legal education?
• Is the project unique and creative?

    The applicant:

• Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the PILP auction.
• Total number of pro bono hours and/or community service hours, both in general and in the field being pursued.
• The suitability of the applicant for proposed employment (e.g., experience in area, coursework, etc.).
• The applicant’s demonstrated commitment to public service or public interest law.

    The employer:

• Quality of supervision provided to the student. (Absent extenuating circumstances, supervision by a practicing attorney is required.)
• Organization’s contribution to the public interest.
• Organization’s actual financial need, inability to pay the PILP stipend applicant, and anticipated benefit of a stipend recipient.
• Organizations with more than one PILP stipend applicant must demonstrate an even greater financial need and anticipated benefit from the applicants.
• Organization’s status as a nonprofit or other entity.

Part Three: Getting Started

Find an employer organization:

• Check out the PILP website for ideas. Organizations that have received stipend recipients are listed here.
• Ask Career Services Pro Bono Coordinator Bill Penn to assist you in finding a prospective employer.
• Attend the Pro Bono Information panels sponsored by Career Services.
• Visit Career Services and check out the “Green Book,” which lists nonprofits across the country. Make an appointment to talk to the very knowledgeable career services counselors.

Develop a project:

• Talk with your organization about their needs and how you can help.
• Work with the organization to develop a plan for your summer employment.

Complete the application:

• Pick up the application and review it carefully. There are sections to be completed by the student and the employer. Make sure to submit the entire application by the due date, and make sure it does not include your name.
• Download 2012 PILP Stipend Application
• Do not delay! It takes time and effort to locate an organization, develop a project, and complete the application, but it is worth it!

Part Four: Getting Paid

Once a student is selected for a stipend, the employer organization will receive a check from Business Services. Organizations pay students an amount as determined by the student’s assessment of his or her financial needs over the summer.