California Western Receives State Bar's Top Award for Community Engagement, First for a Law School
President's Pro Bono Service Award Recognizes Tradition of Service

From left to right: Professor Linda H. Morton, Founder of Community Law Project; Anaheeta Z. Kolah '04, Executive Director of Community Law Project; Jill T. Blatchley, Pro Bono Program Coordinator; Dean Steven R. Smith; Justin P. Brooks, Director of the California Innocence Project; and Courtney R. Miklusak '98, Director of Career Services

"California Western is honored to be recognized by the State Bar of California for our pro bono work," says Dean Steven R. Smith. "Our faculty, staff, and students are committed to making a positive impact on the community and this award reflects the school's understanding of law as a helping profession, enriching the lives of countless community members every day." 

The President's Pro Bono Service Award is California Western's second major recognition of community service this year. In February, the law school was named to the 2009 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction. 

Tradition of Service
California Western values community service and the real-world experience giving back provides students. Last year, 134 California Western students donated more than 14,000 pro bono service hours. Through pro bono service, students develop the knowledge, skills, and perspective necessary to become creative problem solvers and principled advocates.

Among the programs and clinics that provide students the opportunity to learn through service are:

• Pro Bono Program – Established in 1991, the Pro Bono Program is a formalized effort to engage students in pro bono service to non-profit organizations, as well as the underrepresented and disadvantage individuals they serve.
• California Innocence Project – A law school clinical program dedicated to the release of wrongfully convicted inmates, the California Innocence Project reviews more than 1,000 claims of innocence from inmates each year, and has secured the exoneration of nine wrongfully incarcerated individuals since its inception in 1999.
• Community Law Project – A joint program with the University of California, San Diego, the Community Law Project offers students the opportunity to provide pro bono legal services to homeless and financially disadvantaged community members in Downtown San Diego. Their counterparts from the UC San Diego Student-Run Free Clinic Project provide free medical care.

California Western's tradition of service makes it deserving of the President's Pro Bono Service Award.

The State Bar of California President’s Pro Bono Service Award
According to the State Bar of California, the President's Pro Bono Service Awards were established in 1983 by the State Bar Board of Governors. The awards recognize California lawyers, law firms, teams of lawyers, associations of lawyers, law schools, or law students who have provided or enabled the direct provision of legal services to poor persons or to organizations whose primary purpose is to provide legal services to the poor, free-of-charge, without expectation of compensation from the client. The awards were expanded in late 2009 to include law schools.