The Pre-Professional Advising Office is exited to announce that we will be offering the Legal Disparities and Service Program for the Fall 2026 semester. Read below to find out more about this Experiential Learning opportunity.
The Legal Disparities and Service Program will give participants the perspective and introductory experience to explore complex questions. Participants attend a series of presentations from academic and legal experts. Participants will simultaneously complete volunteer work with various populations to earn the Experiential Learning credit.
Registration for the program will run August 24, 2026-September 8, 2026.
This certificate program is open to all UGA undergraduate students.
You will receive Experiential Learning credit upon successful completion of all the requirements outlined below. Completion of this program will not appear on your University of Georgia transcript. You can include your experience on a resume or in your personal statement.
Please note that you need to double check with your college that they have approved this activity for Experiential Learning Credit on engage.uga.edu. If you do not see this listed, speak with your academic advisor to confirm whether or not this program will count for EL.
Program Requirements:
- Attend four presentations that will be offered via Zoom (there will be an option to attend some of the presentations in person). All of the presentations will be on either a Tuesday or Thursday starting at 4:30 pm or 4:45 pm. You must be a present participant to receive credit. Short readings will be assigned prior to each presentation. Confirmed topics: civil rights law, healthcare and class-action lawsuits, working as a public defender, and Native American policy in Georgia.
- Attend the Reflective Structured Dialogue Session on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, from 4:00pm to 5:30pm (Reading Day).
- Complete at least 50 hours of service-oriented volunteering. Volunteer with approvedorganizations that serve various populations. Submit signed documentation from your supervisor of fifty volunteer hours completed by Tuesday, December 1, 2026. Plan to start volunteering as soon as possible. Any hours accumulated from August 2026 to the due date will count. You are responsible for arranging the volunteer opportunity. You can volunteer with multiple organizations.
- Complete a 2-page essay that reflects upon your experiences during the program by Tuesday, December 1, 2026.
Structured Reflective Dialogue:
The last session is mandatory and will give students a chance to discuss and reflect on the topics covered in the various presentations provided by the program. Students will break out into small groups on Zoom and will be given selected prompts to work through using the knowledge gained from the speaker series. You will receive more information on the prompts for the session two weeks prior to the event.
Volunteering:
To earn Experiential Learning credit, complete 50 hours of volunteer work by December 1, 2026. Volunteer with a service-oriented organization that provides resources and assistance to vulnerable populations. DISCLAIMER: It can take a while to set up volunteering opportunities. Do not wait until the last minute.
Click here for approved volunteering list Click here for the volunteer log
Things to Remember:
- Volunteering with the organizations on this list will be accepted.
- Please, email [email protected] if you want to volunteer somewhere not listed.
- You may volunteer at multiple sites given they are on this list.
- You must document and get the signature of a staff member or someone in leadership for each volunteer site.
- Volunteering may take a while to set up. Start the process of volunteering as soon as possible.
- NOTE: Not all volunteer sites may be accepting volunteers.
Essay:
- Formatting: 1-2 pages, 12-pt font, double-spaced 1” x 1” inch margins. For citations use footnotes: Presenter Name, Presentation Title, Date of Presentation. You should cite information that you learned from a presenter, directly analyze, and did not previously know.
- Essay Prompt: Will be available in ELC.
- Submission: You will be added to the Legal Disparities and Service Program group on ELC.
Interested in becoming a speaker for this certificate program on the topic of legal disparities? Please email Ashley Roseberry [email protected].
