Clients referred to the Pro Bono Coordinator by Camden Regional Legal Services are scheduled for evening appointments in the Office of Career Services at the Law School with a team consisting of an attorney and two law students. Whenever possible, two client appointments are scheduled for each team. Attorney Involvement Pro Bono attorneys involved in the Rutgers Project serve as the Attorney of Record on case referrals and supervise the work of law student volunteers. However, as Attorney of Record, each pro bono attorney has the ultimate responsibility for the case and must ensure that the law student volunteer is closely supervised so that the client's interests are not compromised. Attorneys are encouraged to meet with the law students with whom they will be working a few minutes prior to the client interviews to discuss how the interviews will be conducted.
Students can also provide attorneys with copies of their resumes.
Project Attorneys are encouraged to clarify expectations, coordinate additional meeting times, and set case deadlines. Because many of the student volunteers may not have had experience working directly with clients, attorneys may choose to conduct the first client interview jointly. Attorneys are expected to provide close supervision and timely feedback to law students as they prepare the bankruptcy petitions, client correspondence, or other documents related to the cases in preparation for the bankruptcy filing. If additional meetings with clients are necessary, pro bono attorneys can choose to have clients come to their offices, or schedule these subsequent meetings at the Law School. Attorneys are encouraged to give law students primary responsibility for keeping a client up to date on the status of the case.