Citing a commitment to the university’s Jesuit tradition of “men and women for others,” the Georgetown University Law Center has announced a new policy that encourages all faculty members to perform 50 hours of pro bono legal services each year.

According to Law Center spokeswoman Karen Sibert, the policy does not mandate service for faculty members, but the suggestion will help faculty fulfill the pro bono requirements of the American Bar Association and District of Columbia Bar. Additionally, Sibert said the school hopes that students at the Law Center will be inspired by faculty and will, in turn, perform service of their own.

“Many faculty are already heavily involved in pro bono work,” Sibert said.

Law Center Dean Judith Areen said in a press release, “Our goal in adopting a pro bono policy for all faculty is to create an environment where students are grounded in a sense of duty for the public good that will guide them throughout their professional careers.”

“Promoting such work also has the practical effect of further enabling students to hone their writing and oral advocacy skills,” she said.

Pro bono work includes most voluntary or charitable work on behalf of persons of limited means or charitable, religious, civic, community or governmental and educational organizations within the United States and internationally, Sibert said.

“The policy, when implemented, will serve as a strong statement of commitment by faculty that service to the less fortunate is a important part of students’ professional development,” Assistant Dean Barbara Moulton said in a press release.

Faculty who are certified as lawyers will be asked to provide legal services for their pro bono work, while those who have experience and expertise in non-legal fields will be asked to perform charitable work.

“The Office of Public Interest and Community Service is prepared to assist in this endeavor by identifying diverse pro bono opportunities for faculty, as we currently do for students,” oulton said.

Additionally, the Association of American Law Schools recently announced their decision to present a yearly award for outstanding pro bono and public work in the name of Professor Robert Drinan, S.J. Drinan was the first reciepient of the award.

Professor David Cole, who served as chair of the faculty Public Interest Committee that composed the policy, also said the policy reflects Georgetown’s commitment to public service.

“It reflects our view that pro bono work is critically important and deserves institutional support, as well as an understanding that faculty involvement in public service can both make them better teachers and scholars,” Cole said.

Cole currently performs pro bono work by representing a group of Palestinians in California that the Immigration and Naturalization Service is seeking to deport because of their political activities.

Other recent faculty pro bono work includes Professor Sherman Cohn’s assistance to the National Prison Project in the field of legal ethics and Professor Michael Gottesman’s service on the amicus committees of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under Law and the American Association of University Professors.