Seventeen members of the Class of 2025 were recognized in April for completing Vanderbilt Law School’s Pro Bono Pledge, through which students commit to complete at least 75 hours of pro bono legal work and community service during their law school careers. At least 50 of those hours must be served in law-related activities and at least ten hours must be performed in Nashville. The program is administered by the Public Interest Office.
Collectively, Vanderbilt Law students reported a total of 6,020 pro bono and community service hours through the Pro Bono Pledge program during summer 2024, fall 2024, and spring 2025. Students also perform thousands of hours of pro bono legal work each year in Nashville through summer and semester externships with local government offices, district attorneys and public defenders, and legal nonprofits, and through their work in the Woodbine Legal Clinic, the Shade Tree Clinic, and other Law School programs.
Adom Abatkun received special recognition for volunteering 895 hours of pro bono service during her time at Vanderbilt Law.
Three members of the class of 2025 were recognized for completing the pledge in 2024 and again in 2025:
- Ashley Good
- Grace Hayes
- Rachel Lester
Fourteen members of the graduating Class of 2025 completed the Pro Bono Pledge this year:
- Adom Abatkun
- Ali Munden
- Brittany Williams
- Dalton Davis
- Grace Georgo
- Hannah Miller
- Jiayi Yin
- Lauryn Wedgeworth
- Miguel Cancino (LL.M.)
- Nick Curcio
- Nick Summers
- Rachel Davis
- Sophia Howard
- Sylvia Necar Kenny
Four members of the Class of 2026 completed the Pro Bono Pledge during this academic year:
- Aaron Lam
- Anna Espinoza
- Funmi Oguns
- Jessica Bumgarner
Two students in the Ph.D. Program in Law & Economics completed the Pro Bono Pledge during this academic year:
- Colton Cronin ’27
- Mackenzi Barrett ’28
Beth Cruz, Assistant Dean and Martha Craig Daughtrey Director for Public Interest, announced that, starting this year, students who complete the pledge will receive a cord to wear at graduation.
“We thank all students who completed the Pro Bono Pledge, and to everyone who engages in pro bono work, for helping to keep a vibrant culture of service thriving here in our law school community,” said Cruz. “We hope they will carry on this spirit of service into their careers.”
