Community Service at Vanderbilt Law

Overview Student Affairs Academic Life Academic Success

Vanderbilt Law Students are continuously volunteering and finding ways to engage in the local community.

Annual Day of Service

Each year, our 1L and LLM students are invited to join their new classmates in a day of service to kick of the semester. We provide a list of project locations and students go in groups to engage with each other and the community. In recent years, we have partnered with The Second Harvest Food Bank, The Martha O'Bryan Center, Project C.U.R.E., Room in the Inn, and the Wedgewood Urban Garden.

Student Organizations

Many of our student organizations have community service initiatives throughout the year. The following organizations focus specifically on community service:

Vanderbilt Bar Association:

The Vanderbilt Bar Association (VBA) is composed of all students of Vanderbilt Law School. The organization's objectives are to foster a spirit of community and cooperation among students, faculty and staff, and to advance the aims and purposes of the student body at the law school.

Recent Projects

VBA organizes a large number of community service events throughout the year. Recent projects include Advocates for Women's and Kids' Equality, Launchpad, and BVEOES. The Community Service Chair of VBA sends out a monthly newsletter with your upcoming service opportunities. Students are always welcome to email vls.communityservice@vanderbilt.edu with questions or service project ideas.

Legal Aid Society:

Vanderbilt's Legal Aid Society facilitates opportunities for law students to give back to traditionally underrepresented groups through community service, pro bono, and special projects. The Legal Aid Society strives to promote a culture where service and public interest are recognized as vital parts of a legal education and an important component of a legal career.

Street Law

Street Law develops programs to educate students and communities about law, democracy, and human rights. The Vanderbilt Law School group currently volunteers at a local high school, a juvenile detention center, and a homeless shelter. Street Law presents weekly lessons at each of these sites that run for about an hour each. Law students can pick the site they are most interested in and sign up to volunteer when convenient in their schedule.
Re-entry Entrepreneurship Program (REP)

Re-entry Entrepreneurship Program (REP) is a joint effort with Vanderbilt Law School and Project Return, a local re-entry non-profit that teaches ex-offenders the basics of entrepreneurship. Law students hold classes for selected individuals who have been out of prison for at least a year and are driven to start their own businesses on topics such as marketing, accounting, website building, negotiation, and public speaking. Ex-offenders are also paired with a local business owner in Nashville for mentoring.
Medical Legal Partnership (MLP)

Medical Legal Partnership (MLP) allows law students an opportunity to work with Vanderbilt Medical Students, Social Workers, and Legal Aid attorneys on the social and legal issues of low-income patients at the Vanderbilt Medical student-run Shade Tree clinic. Students who participate in the MLP will work directly with clients on real issues in a variety of areas of law, mainly poverty law, and can choose their level of participation.

Law Students for Social Justice:

Law Students for Social Justice (LSSJ) supports the mission of the Social Justice Program at Vanderbilt Law Second Harvest Food BankSchool through student-driven programming and events related to exploring the role of law in creating, perpetuating, and eradicating hierarchies of power and privilege in our society. Some students involved with LSSJ are thinking of careers in public interest, but most LSSJ students come together from a variety of fields.

Community Involvement

Opportunities to get involved in the local community! Law Students for Social Justice volunteer with Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity and host American Red Cross Blood Drives every semester. We’re currently partnering with the Tennessee Justice Center on a health-care rights project. LSSJ is also volunteering with Second Harvest Food Bank.

Office of Student Life