PIJD Newsletter

Students in the Public Interest JD Program have an extraordinary record of Public Service Hours.  Last Spring, Trinity Chung (current PIJD 3L) won the Center for Social Justice's Pro Bono Student of the Year award with 342 hours of service.

We're proud to celebrate the extraordinary public service contributions of Santa Clara Law students.  The hours include pro bono service, community service, law-related volunteer projects, clinic work, unpaid externships and field placements for academic credit, and practicums. Of these, the Santa Clara Law Externship Program contributed the highest number of hours.  Santa Clara Law JD students across all class years (1L-3L) contributed 51,148 service hours during the 2025-2026 academic year. The 2025-2026 JD graduating class contributed 45,201 hours over their three years of legal education.

Thank you to Professor Abriel, Director of the Center for Social Justice and Public Service (CSJ), who gathered these numbers across the law school.  These numbers reflect the commitment of our students and the faculty and staff who guide them to public service and public interest.