Chloe Mills
Staff Writer
Frederick Community College’s Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety (MACEM&PS) hosted its fall Pro Bono Day on November 7th from 4:00-8:00 PM at the Annapolis Hall Atrium. The event was a collaborative effort between MACEM&PS staff, FCC Legal Studies students, and a range of local attorneys, coming together to offer a diverse range of legal services including family law, estate planning, business law, collections, real estate matters, and more…all at no cost!
The goal of FCC’s Pro Bono Day initiative is to provide accessible legal guidance to low- and moderate-income individuals free of charge. The event also serves as an important educational opportunity for students in MACEM&PS’ Legal Studies program. Under professional supervision, students participated in client intake, document preparation, legal research, and event coordination, gaining practical experience while developing professional skills. The event proved to be highly impactful, with dozens of pro bono clients receiving assistance from 11 attorney volunteers and 15 student volunteers from courses throughout our Legal Studies program.
The feedback from those clients was overwhelmingly positive, with an impressive 100% of participants willing to recommend the event to others in need of legal help. (If you’re reading this and in need of legal services in our region, be on the lookout for our next event!)
The Pro Bono Day also created professional opportunities for the student volunteers involved. Two Legal Studies students secured spring 2025 internships, and two employers showed interest in recruiting candidates from the program, highlighting the event’s potential for connecting education with professional development.
Pro Bono Day exemplifies the power of experiential learning, providing our students with a unique opportunity to apply their academic knowledge in a real-world setting while also helping to serve our community. By working directly with clients and legal professionals, students gained invaluable practical skills, developed professional networks, and experienced the profound impact of legal service.
Pro Bono Day has always been a feature of FCC’s annual calendar, but moving forward with it under MACEM&PS leadership, we’re committed to making it a more consistent, frequent event, with a goal of at least one event each semester. The next Pro Bono Day is projected for March or April of 2025 – if you or someone you know is in need of some legal help, keep us in mind and keep your eyes and ears open for more updates as those dates get closer!