New York will require lawyers to perform 50 hours of pro bono work as a condition for getting a license under a new rule that will take full effect in 2015.
The requirement, aimed at helping fill the legal needs of New York’s poor, will begin to apply next year to first- and second-year law students and can be done anywhere in the US or in a foreign country.
Under the rule, adopted last week by the Court of Appeals, the free legal work can also be done in public service for the judiciary or nonprofits.
About 10,000 new lawyers pass the state’s bar exam annually.
More than 20 law schools nationally require students to do pro bono work, while most others have clinics where students can get that experience.