Pro Bono
Richmond Law alum enrolled with pro bono service top of mind
Pro bono service was the reason Shelbie Hampton, L’26, went to law school. Fittingly, Hampton received the Oliver White Hill Law Student Pro Bono Award just before she graduated, marking the second year in a row where the recipient was a Richmond Law student.
Hampton’s time as a public school teacher had shown her how regularly people’s needs went unmet. There simply weren’t enough resources available to them. Unsatisfied, she enrolled at Richmond Law, where students can get involved in pro bono service as early as orientation.
“Working with the Carrico Center shaped my law school experience in countless ways.”
“When I moved to Richmond from another state,” Hampton says, “I saw pro bono work as a way to stay connected to that mission while also learning more about my new community.”
Hampton, a first-generation law student, was initially intimidated by networking. But as relationships emerged naturally through the shared sense of purpose inherent to pro bono work, her fears faded fast. “Through [these] projects, I had the chance to work alongside local attorneys in a meaningful way,” she says. “This made those connections feel natural and rewarding.”
Richmond Law’s Carrico Center for Pro Bono and Public Service is built on the same mentality. The center gives students those meaningful opportunities for community engagement, Hampton says. “I have seen firsthand how engaged and supportive both the law school and the broader Richmond legal community are when it comes to public service.” Her enjoyment of providing legal assistance led her to becoming one of the center’s student managers.
“Working with the Carrico Center shaped my law school experience in countless ways,” Hampton says. “I was fortunate to learn from professor Tara Casey, work with incredible classmates and attorneys, and contribute to causes that matter deeply to Richmond. It has strengthened skills — like communication, event planning, and team coordination — while reminding me how much good can be done through the law.”
Hampton summarized her Carrico Center experience in four words: fulfilling, enriching, fun, and worthwhile.
“The work has deepened my understanding of the legal profession,” she says, “and reinforced my commitment to service.”