Looking for spring break plans? Will you be in the Boston area? Need to fulfill your HLS pro bono requirement? Check out this year’s local and remote spring break projects, and apply now!

The projects in the Boston area this year involve everything from assisting pro se litigants at courthouses to researching statutes and case law on cancer-related issues. All work time can count for HLS pro bono hours. Local transportation costs will be reimbursed. Some placements are fully remote, some are hybrid, and some in-person and the minimum commitment time varies. See project descriptions below for student eligibility and schedules. More details on the Spring Break Pro Bono page.

Application deadline is February 22; apply here!

1. Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence

Boston, MA

Students may work on the following: shadowing legal intakes and clients’ interviews; Conducting factual and legal research; Shadowing Immigration cases e.g. VAWA, U, and / or T visa applications; Shadowing Family law cases e.g. Divorce, Custody, 209A; Collaborating on complaints, pleadings, and affidavits, and Participating in legal trainings, meeting and workshops related to domestic violence. 

  • 1L, 2L, 3L Eligible 
  • 3-5 Days Required, Tuesday required, Volunteers can be fully remote or on a hybrid schedule with some remote and some in-person/office time 
  • Fluency in Arabic, Cambodian, Korean, Mandarin, Vietnamese, any Asian language is helpful but not required 
  • Accessible by public transportation  
  • Covid vaccination required 

2. Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) Mental Health Litigation Division

Roxbury, MA

Students will be assisting attorneys with trial preparation for civil commitment cases. This work will include accompanying attorneys on client meetings, reviewing records, meeting with expert witnesses, and discussing case strategy with the lead attorney. 

  • 1L, 2L, 3L Eligible 
  • 3-5 Days Required, Wednesday required, Volunteers must be in person 
  • The office is easily accessible by public transportation or by car. Free or low-cost parking is available near the office. The office is wheelchair accessible.

3. Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) – Mental Health Litigation Division

Worcester, MA

Assisting attorneys as they defend against petitions for civil commitment, also research 

  • 1L, 2L, 3L Eligible 
  • 4-5 Days required; Monday, Wednesday, Thursday required; Volunteers will be on a hybrid schedule with some remote and some in-person/office time 
  • Spanish language skills helpful. 
  • The office is easily accessible by public transportation or by car. The office is wheelchair accessible.

4. Court Service Center Lowell

Lowell, MA

Assisting self-represented litigants with information on court procedure, referrals, interpretation, and help with court forms and next steps in Family, District and Housing court matters. 

  • 1L, 2L, 3L Eligible; Must have Permanent Work Authorization 
  • 5 Days required; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday required in-person. 
  • Cambodian, Spanish, Portuguese language helpful.  
  • The office is easily accessible by public transportation or by car. The office is wheelchair accessible, gender neutral restrooms are available at the office.

5. Discovering Justice

Boston, MA

Students will have the opportunity to support one or more of our civic education programs through program administration or curriculum development.  

Program Administration: Review videos used in DJ’s curriculum for fair use.  

Curriculum Development: For any students fluent in Portuguese or Spanish, students will translate DJ’s written curriculum and resources. Any interested volunteers can preview the curriculum by visiting https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pu8UApunW2qd0KkzU-T4zEGx9B_KTHVn 

Curriculum Development: A student will propose and develop ideas for next fall’s Mock Trial case. Discovering Justice’s cases are civil and rooted in the Bill of Rights. Cases should be appropriate for middle schoolers and balanced for a plaintiff and defendant.  

  • 1L, 2L, 3L, LLM Eligible 
  • 3-5 days required; Can be fully remote or in-person Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 
  • Spanish and Portuguese is helpful  but not required. 
  • Accessible by public transportation  

6. Health Law Advocates

Boston, MA – Fully remote

Conduct research on Massachusetts dockets to identify medical debt-related lawsuits by health care providers. This will help our organization develop a systemic approach to combating medical debt. 

  • 1L students preferred  
  • 3-5 Days Required, Fully remote

7. Triage Cancer

Chicago, IL – Fully remote

Triage Cancer is a national, nonprofit organization that provides free education on the legal and practical issues that may impact individuals diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers, through events, materials, and resources.  

Pro bono students will be exposed to a variety of cancer-related legal issues. Responsibilities can include researching statutes, regulations, policies, legislation, and case law at the state and federal level; synthesizing complex legal concepts for lay audiences; writing educational blogs; and creating educational materials and resources for the cancer community. Previous students created charts of state laws, drafted guidance materials, wrote blog posts on legal issues. Exact projects will vary based on the needs of the organization at that time and the interests of the student. 

  • 1L, 2L, 3L, LLM Eligible 
  • 4-5 days required; Monday required; Fully remote