What is the goal of student pro bono? Public service values and the emotions

Helena Whalen-Bridge

Chapter 18 in Research Handbook on Global Legal Education, 2026, pp 355-369 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Student pro bono programs are frequently included in legal education. These programs have a number of goals, but a main goal has been articulated as the need to inculcate the professional value of public service for poor and vulnerable persons. Inculcate has been defined as forcing something into the mind of another by emphatic admonition, and while students should learn about professional values including public service, the goal of inculcating a commitment to public service is not consistent with student-centered learning and not likely to be effective. An approach to teaching the value of public service which recognises the connection between values and emotions, and which incorporates experiential pedagogies designed to reflect upon the experiences and emotions raised by pro bono experiences, has the potential to lay the foundation for the appreciation of the value of public service, for students and the lawyers they will become.

Keywords: Student Pro Bono; Public Service Values and Professional Identity; Emotions and Reflective Pro Bono Pedagogy; Experimental Learning and Access to Justice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781788117005
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