Penn State Dickinson Law students honored for public interest and pro bono work at Miller Center Banquet

CARLISLE, PA—The second annual Miller Center Banquet, which recognizes Penn State Dickinson Law students who performed pro bono and public service work, took place on April 8 at the Carlisle Country Club.

The evening included a stirring keynote address by Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd; a tribute to Miller Center for Public Interest Law and Advocacy Founding Director Gary S. Gildin, who is retiring; and incisive closing remarks from Paula Knudsen Burke ’01, senior supervising attorney at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Thirty students were recognized during the ceremony.

“Once you have heeded the call to provide pro bono services, you will continue to do so—not out of a sense of obligation but because you will have experienced one of the greatest rewards of the privilege of practicing law,” said Gildin before awarding students’ certificates of achievement. “Simply by virtue of your position, you have the power to meaningfully improve the lives of people whose cries for help before your intervention had been met with closed doors and unanswered calls.”

To receive the Public Interest Advocate Certificate, students must complete at least 60 hours of uncompensated legal work on behalf of a public interest organization or qualifying law school clinic during their time at Penn State Dickinson Law. To earn the Pro Bono Advocate Certificate, students must complete at least 60 hours of free, supervised legal assistance to underserved or vulnerable members of the local community during their time at Penn State Dickinson Law.

Twenty-five students were named Public Interest Advocates, and five earned dual recognition as both a Public Interest Advocate and a Pro Bono Advocate.

‘We make a life by what we give’

Following a cocktail hour and sit-down dinner, Chief Justice Todd elucidated the value of pro bono legal service to the Penn State Dickinson Law students, alumni, faculty, staff, and administrators in attendance.

“Winston Churchill once observed, we make a living on what we get, but we make a life by what we give,” said Chief Justice Todd. “I know everyone here tonight shares at least one thing in common: We are all passionate about volunteerism and, more specifically, the commitment to pro bono legal service. I believe that volunteerism is essential to what, in my mind, is our judicial system's primary goal: equal justice under law. For this precept to be more than an ideal, especially in these difficult economic times, we need access to justice.”

Todd noted that Rule 6.1 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides that every lawyer has a professional responsibility to offer legal services to those unable to pay and suggests attorneys should aspire to provide at least 50 hours of pro bono legal service annually. “Volunteerism cannot be readily taught, and we cannot mandate it. This Law School helps its students recognize the importance and impact of this responsibility,” said Todd.

She later emphasized the vital importance of pro bono service for achieving equal justice for vulnerable populations in Pennsylvania, including those over age 65, and closed by again reminding students of their ethical duty to provide representation to those in need, thereby fostering a more equitable judicial system.

‘Gary has been the defining force at Penn State Dickinson Law’

Penn State Dickinson Law and School of International Affairs Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway then delivered a tribute to Gildin, who will retire in June. She saluted his leadership, dedication to students, and generosity of spirit.

“For more than four decades, Gary has been the defining force at Penn State Dickinson Law,” said Conway. “Since joining the faculty in 1979, Gary has shaped generations of lawyers through his teaching, service, scholarship, and leadership. He has, with no reservation, committed himself to the protection of civil liberties, civil rights, and Penn State Dickinson Law.” Conway closed by lauding Gildin’s service to the Miller Center and his encouragement to students to pursue public service and pro bono work.

Gildin thanked Conway and the assembled crowd for what he called a heartwarming moment before recognizing the students’ achievements. Along with an application documenting their unpaid legal service, each student submitted a reflection about the work and how it impacted them (which are quoted in this story).

“Based upon the reflections you submitted, I think everyone had the same defining experience. Our students were often the only person who listened to the people they assisted,” said Gildin, who shared a finding from Legal Services Corporation that low-income Americans did not receive any or enough legal help for 92% of their civil legal problems, involving basic needs such as housing, health care, and safety.

‘You have a gift to go out and give back to the world’

The evening closed with remarks from Knudsen Burke, a former student of Gildin’s who said she continues to seek his guidance decades later. She noted that she has spent most of her career performing public interest and pro bono work.

Knudsen Burke reminded students that they have the power to make a difference in people’s lives. “What I think is so important for pro bono and public interest work is that, for many of the clients who you will have throughout the years, you might be the only lawyer who ever listens or has ever been a friendly face in a system that all too often is daunting for people who are limited in English proficiency or cannot read or have other barriers to getting the equal justice that Chief Justice Todd spoke about earlier,” said Knudsen Burke.

She warned that the work can be daunting but reminded students it will always be worth it in the end. “You have a gift to go out and give back to the world, to these very vulnerable populations, at a time when it's so critical,” said Knudsen Burke. “It is such a blessing to be here before you and see all of your eager faces, knowing that you have this solid foundation to go out and do this tremendous work.”