This past summer marked the first 2L Pledge at Harvard Law School, organized by the Harvard Law School Effective Altruists. Over 10% of the class of 2016 signed up for the 2L Pledge, promising to donate a portion of their summer income to charity. Even as many of these students face mounting debt, they ultimately donated over $10,000 to charity, with an average donation of $387 per participant. Donations were given to a wide range of organizations, from programs to combat global poverty, such as the Against Malaria Foundation, Project Peanut Butter, GiveDirectly, and World Vision, to legal aid and advocacy programs such as Amnesty International, the Southern Center for Human Rights, and Gay and Lesbian Advocates & Defenders.
Pledge participants came from across the spectrum, representing every section in the class and belonging to a range of liberal and conservative organizations on campus. They shared in common a desire to use what they had been given to help others. Upon fulfillment of his pledge, one participant wrote, “Since we’re fortunate enough to have these high-paying jobs, we have an obligation to give something back.” Another said, “I strongly believe in charitable giving, tied to my Christian faith and its emphasis on generosity and humble recognition that everything I have is from God. I am glad that we as a privilege group of HLS students could take a critical look at how we view our work and income and give to important needs in the world beyond our immediate surroundings.” And, as a third participant put it, “Even public interest folks can do it!”
The 2L Pledge was organized by the Harvard Law School Effective Altruists. The group’s mission is to encourage students to donate while in law school, to develop a habit of giving back after graduation. “One way that lawyers can give back is by pro bono work,” one of the officers said, “Another way is by donating money. With the wide range of career paths graduates follow, these two form complements in the same effort to direct our time and resources toward the greater good. Just as Harvard Law has pro bono programs that prepare students to give back to the community using legal services, we hope to develop a program to prepare students to give back with the substantial economic resources that many will have after graduation. The average Harvard Law graduate will make $200,000 per year at the mid point in their careers. We want to foster a conversation while still in law school about ways to use that tremendous earning potential to do good.”
The HLS Effective Altruists plan to keep this project running as an annual event. They are currently looking to recruit new 2Ls and 1Ls interested in the mission to help out with the project moving forward. There will be a general interest meeting for the HLS Effective Altruists on Thursday, November 5, at 12:00 p.m., at WCC 3019. Everyone is very welcome to attend.
Anyone with ideas or interested in helping the Harvard Law Effective Altruists next year is also encouraged to reach out to the author of this article, Bill Barlow, at wbarlow@jd16.law.harvard.edu or to email the HLS Effective Altruists at hlseffectivealtruism@gmail.com.