APPLICATION AND SELECTION SCHEDULE
| Info Session | March 27, 12-1 pm ET |
| Application Period | April 9 - April 21 at 5PM |
| Select and Finalize Placements | May - August |
- May 2025: Law schools select students for the Program; students will work with the law school faculty member to identify an appropriate placement.
- July - August 2025: Law school will approve placement and send the application and materials to the PBSP for final acceptance into the Program.
- September 2025: Final deadline for law student and provider to commit to participate in the PBSP.
- October 1-30, 2025: Selected students will submit their application to take the February bar exam.
- February 24-25, 2026: Students will take the bar exam.
- March 2 -May 22, 2026: Students will work full-time in their pro bono placements.
Peggy Cross-Goldenberg teaches the CLS PBSP. You can reach her at [email protected].
The application consists of a written application and a brief meeting with Peggy Cross- Goldenberg to discuss that application. You can access the application form here. The written application should be submitted to Professor Cross-Goldenberg via e-mail at [email protected] as one PDF document containing, in this order:
1. A current resume
2. Answers to the following questions:
• What pro bono experience have you found most meaningful? Why?
• How do you envision incorporating pro bono work into your law practice?
• What are your professional goals with respect to developing and maintaining a pro Bono or public interest practice?
• What type of work do you envision doing as a pro bono scholar? Are there particular organizations you hope to work with? Why does this work appeal to you?
• Describe how your skills and lived experiences will contribute to your host organization, your clients, and the efforts to expand access to justice.
• What do you hope to gain from your participation in the Pro Bono Scholars Program?
3. A completed form linked here stating that the applicant:
• Understands that an applicant to Columbia's PBSP is bound to participate in the program in its entirety, for its full semester duration upon acceptance, and that no withdrawal from the program will be permitted;
• Understands the PBSP schedule, including that there is no Spring Break, that the seminar meets weekly, in-person at Columbia, that the PBSP concludes after graduation, and that Scholars will receive their diplomas in June 2026;
• Has had a conversation with an academic advisor to be assured that the applicant has sufficient experiential credits remaining to fulfill the ABA and Columbia requirements for graduation;
• Will have completed the Major Writing requirement by the Fall of 2025;
• Has met with a staff member in the Financial Aid Office for applicants interested in discussing bar loan options; and
• Has or will have completed the required Professional Responsibility credits by the end of Fall 2025 semester.
4. A copy of the applicant's Columbia Law School transcript (an unofficial transcript from LawNet is acceptable).
The written application should be submitted to Professor Cross -Goldenberg via e-mail at [email protected] as one PDF document with the contents in the order they are listed above.
Selection will be based upon each candidate’s:
a. Statement of interest in and learning goals for the externship, including all of the components listed above for the personal statement;
b. Preparation through classes, employment or other activities or experiences for shouldering this significant obligation;
c. Skill set and demonstrated professional responsibility readiness.
Following a review of the application, candidates will be contacted to set up a brief meeting with Peggy Cross- Goldenberg to discuss their application. Applying for the program alone will not guarantee acceptance. If an applicant is not accepted, Director of Externships and Field Placements Liliana Vaamonde will be available to discuss with the applicant recommendations for other experiences for the applicant to pursue during the 3L year.