PHILADELPHIA –- Arlene Rivera Finkelstein has been appointed assistant dean and executive director of the University of Pennsylvania Law School’s Toll Public Interest Center. She will direct Penn Law’s public-interest initiatives, including student pro bono projects.

Finkelstein comes to Penn Law from Widener University School of Law, where she was the inaugural director of the Public Interest Resource Center.

“Arlene has earned a reputation as someone who is deeply committed to students’ development and growth as public-interest and pro bono attorneys,” Penn Law School Dean Michael Fitts said.

Penn Law is the first national law school to establish a mandatory pro bono requirement. Students are required to perform 70 hours of pro bono work before graduation, gaining knowledge and skills while providing services to clients who might otherwise not receive legal assistance. Students have assisted clients seeking asylum from political prosecution in their home countries, provided assistance to the homeless and advised clients on family-law issues, such as domestic violence, divorce and child custody.