The students at Widener Law Commonwealth contributed an estimated 3,700 hours to pro-bono, clinic or through volunteer activities in the community in the 2015-2016 academic year. The Harrisburg community and greater Central Pennsylvania area are the primary beneficiary of all of the community service and pro-bono legal services provided by the law school.
Widener Law Commonwealth is home to the Central Pennsylvania Law Clinics where students have the opportunity to work on civil cases such as bankruptcy, custody and divorce cases through legal services that are provided to low income individuals at no cost. The clinics are comprised of the Administrative Law Clinic, the Consumer Law Clinic, the Elder Law Clinic, and the Family Justice Clinic. In the 2015-16 year students in the clinic provided more than 3,000 hours of pro-bono legal services to the Harrisburg community. Clients of the clinic are referred by local agencies such as Legal Services, YWCA, and the Dauphin County Department of the Aging.
Our other student’s organizations contribute approximately 270 hours through our VITA program, which provides tax preparation services to low-income individuals free of charge. The Public Interest Law Society and other student organizations provided approximately 430 hours of services to the community in the form of will preparation for first responders and expungement clinics. Other organizations on campus held Relay for Life events, volunteered at homeless shelters and organized food and clothing drives. Other events included a Blood Drive, School Supply Drive, and a 5K race with proceeds benefiting organizations that provide free legal services in the Harrisburg area.
A total of eight student organizations worked to promote civic activities and serve mainly the low-moderate income population in the Dauphin and Cumberland County areas of Pennsylvania.
