By All Means, Allow Law Students and Grads to Work for Free
Should private law firms be able to use unpaid interns to staff their pro bono cases? The ABA thinks so.
The ABA agrees that exploitation of law students and other interns is unacceptable; however, the FLSA uncertainty inhibits law firms from offering students the opportunity to work on pro bono matters in a real-life practice setting. …
Furthermore, in the current economic climate with shrunken employment opportunities for law school graduates, hindering the ability of law students and recent graduates to work side-by-side with experienced lawyers who could provide both strong mentoring and favorable substantive references unnecessarily reduces access for future employment prospects.
— Laurel Bellows, president of the American Bar Association, in a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor endorsing the use by private law firms of unpaid law student and graduate labor.
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(Absurd and out of touch? I’d say so. Keep reading to see the entire letter.)
ABA Letter to Dept. of Labor: Legality of Unpaid Interns
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Law Students Should Be Able to Work for Free, Says ABA [WSJ aw Blog (sub. req.)]
Do unpaid pro bono internships violate the law? ABA says they should be allowed [ABA Journal]
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Curbing Client And Talent Loss With Productivity Tech
