To submit a request for the Cyberlaw Clinic to complete a Law-Related Employment Affirmation or a Pro Bono Affidavit Request, please read the information below and submit the appropriate form.
Law-Related Employment Affirmation
Students seeking to be admitted to the New York bar will need to submit a Form Affirmation as to Applicant’s Law-related Employment and/or Solo Practice (“Law-Related Employment Affirmation”) for their work at any of the SPOs or Clinics with one exception – If an applicant submits a Pro Bono Affidavit for SPO/Clinic work, they do not also need a Law-Related Employment Affirmation for that work.
The Application for Admission requires an applicant to list every type of employment the applicant has had (since the applicant reached the age of 21, or in the last 10 years, whichever period is shorter) and submit affirmations for every law-related position. The Application for Admission’s definition of “employment” includes employment with or without monetary compensation, law-related work-study employment, and law-related employment for academic credit only, including participation in law school clinics and externships, and work as a research assistant. For this reason, students are required to submit Law-Related Employment Affirmations from any SPO or Clinic that they participate in.
The Law-Related Employment Affirmation is completed by the Clinic or SPO – not the student – with the exception of the section that explicitly states “to be completed by applicant.” Upon completion by the Clinic, the original Law-Related Employment Affirmation will be given to the student so that the student can submit it with the Application for Admission. Note that this form is new as of October 2018 and does not need to be notarized.
To request a Law-Related Employment Affirmation from the Cyberlaw Clinic, please submit this form.
Pro Bono Affidavit
As part of this Application for Admission, the student needs to file a Form Affidavit as to Applicant’s Compliance with the Pro Bono Requirements, including Certification by Supervisor (“Pro Bono Affidavit”) showing that they have completed 50 hours of law-related pro bono service. Some students may choose to meet this requirement through their pro bono service at an SPO or Clinic. Each Pro Bono Affidavit must be signed by the student before a notary and certified and then signed by the attorney or faculty member who supervised the pro bono work. After an attorney signs the Pro Bono Affidavit, it will be returned to the student who is responsible for submitting the original signed copy to New York as part of the Application for Admission.
Pro bono activity that satisfies the HLS Pro Bono Requirement might or might not satisfy the New York Pro Bono Requirement and vice versa. Because Harvard Law is not the administrator of this requirement, we cannot officially verify or confirm that a particular activity will count. We would recommend that you check the NY website to review the rule and FAQs to determine whether the pro bono work that you engaged in at the SPO or Clinic will count towards the New York Pro Bono Requirement.
To request a Pro Bono Affadavit from the Cyberlaw Clinic, please submit this form.