Law Students Honored with Pro Bono Project Awards

Two Loyola Law students were honored with awards from the Pro Bono Project at its annual volunteer appreciation ceremony on October 20.

The Pro Bono Project has provided free civil legal services to the underserved members of the New Orleans community for more than 40 years by offering representation, legal workshops, a self-help resource center, and more.

3L Robert Lester is this year’s recipient of the Outstanding Law Student award. He spent his summer as an intern at the Pro Bono Project, where he got to see a client’s case from beginning to end. He said that his classes and experiences at Loyola prepared him how to move smoothly through the legal system.

“Working for the Pro Bono Project and attending Loyola Law, I think our Jesuit value of being ‘for and with others’ is the value I will bring into my career,” Robert said. “The clients at PBP reminded me why I went to law school, to be there for others and give them the dignity of being heard and being respected with the same level of diligence across the board.”

At Loyola, Robert serves on the executive board for the Student Bar Association, practices as a Rule XX student practitioner in the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic, and is a member of student organizations like the Loyola chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the Environmental Law Society.

3L evening student Sarah Manowitz is the recipient of the Outstanding Paralegal award. Sarah has balanced her full-time job with volunteering with Pro Bono Project and remaining an active member of the College of Law, taking advantage of opportunities like studying abroad in the Greece Summer Legal Studies program, participating in the Advocacy Center, and serving as a member of the College of Law’s Honor Board.

“Community is very important to me, so actively participating and being a part of the Loyola community as a whole is just an indispensable part of who I am,” she said. “Having the opportunity to work with the Pro Bono Project has been an honor in itself, but to be recognized by the organization is especially meaningful. It reinforces why I chose to pursue a career in law: to serve others and make justice accessible to everyone.”