Law students will soon have to do at least 20 hours of unpaid work during their second year of study, so as to help give the disadvantaged better access to justice. Those studying at NUS have already started working on pro bono projects, ahead of the mandatory requirement that will kick in next May. Meanwhile, SMU has amended its community service scheme to make sure a set proportion of the work is law-related. The changes came after former chief justice Chan Sek Keong announced last year that both universities should establish compulsory pro bono programmes.