McGeorge is dedicated to giving back to the community in a variety of ways. Both students and faculty have banded together to accomplish their shared goal of giving back. Whether it is through the variety of clinics or community events hosted on campus, McGeorge is devoted to serving the Sacramento community.
The term "pro bono" comes from the Latin pro bono publico, which means "for the public good." The ABA describes the parameters of pro bono for practicing lawyers in the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Model Rule 6.1 states that lawyers should aspire to render — without fee — at least 50 hours of pro bono publico legal services per year, with an emphasis that these services be provided to people of limited means or nonprofit organizations that serve the poor. The rule recognizes that only lawyers have the special skills and knowledge needed to secure access to justice for low-income people, whose enormous unmet legal needs are well documented. Nearly every state has an ethical rule that calls upon lawyers to render pro bono services.
In the law school setting, pro bono generally refers to student provision of voluntary, law-related services to people of limited means or to community-based nonprofit organizations, for which the student does not receive academic credit or pay.
