Pro Bono Law

The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service is the national source of information, resources and assistance to support, facilitate, and expand the delivery of pro bono legal assistance. The Standing Committee and its project, the Center for Pro Bono, encourage lawyers to do pro bono work and help them connect with opportunities that meet their needs. Our programs, projects and services help pro bono programs, advocates and policymakers address the legal needs of the poor.

Given the significant unmet need for legal and other community services in the nation, it is the policy of the Department of Justice to encourage and support efforts by Department employees to provide pro bono legal and volunteer services within their communities that are consistent with applicable federal statutes and regulations governing conflicts-of-interest and outside activities. While service in the Department of Justice is itself one of the highest forms of public service, the Department further strives to increase access to justice for all and to strengthen our communities. To this end, the Attorney General encourages Department employees to set a personal goal of at least 50 hours per year of pro bono legal and volunteer service.

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act or Serve America Act (H.R. 1388) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 9, 2009, by Representative Carolyn McCarthy of New York. Originally titled the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act (GIVE Act), the bill reauthorizes and expands the AmeriCorps program first established in 1993. It passed the House on March 18, 2009. The U.S. Senate debated and approved an amended version of the bill on March 26, 2009, renaming it the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, after Senator Ted Kennedy. The House of Representatives voted on the bill a second time, approving the amended version on March 31, 2009. It was signed by President Obama on April 21, 2009.

Pro bono publico (usually shortened to pro bono) is a phrase derived from Latin meaning "for the public good". The term is generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms. Pro bono service, unlike traditional volunteerism, uses the specific skills of professionals to provide services to those who are unable to afford them.

Since 2003, EOIR has carried out the Legal Orientation Program (LOP) to improve judicial efficiency and assist all parties in detained removal proceedings - detained aliens, the immigration court, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the detention facility. Experience has shown that detained individuals make wiser decisions and are more likely to obtain representation, non-profit organizations reach a wider audience of people with minimal resources, and cases are more likely to be completed faster, resulting in fewer court hearings and less time spent in detention.

LawHelp.org has been created for people living on low-incomes and the legal organizations that serve them. LawHelp.org provides referrals to local legal aid and public interest law offices, basic information about legal rights, self-help information, court information, links to social service agencies, and more in your state.

Lawyers Without Borders is the world's largest group of volunteer lawyers from around the globe who stand ready to offer pro bono service to international projects and initiatives. Our goal is to provide legal support to Rule of Law projects and initiatives in the human rights and global capacity building sectors; this is achieved using lawyers serving pro bono whenever possible. This approach has proven to exponentially reduce costs to funders, in-country NGOs and legal communities in developing regions around the world.

The American Bar Association's Military Pro Bono Project connects active-duty military personnel and their families to free legal assistance for civil legal issues beyond the scope of services provided by a military legal assistance office. The Project accepts case referrals for limited civil-law matters on behalf of income-eligible service members from military legal assistance offices worldwide, and then places these cases with volunteer pro bono attorneys anywhere in the United States the legal representation is needed.

Founded in 1996, the Pro Bono Institute (PBI) is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization. With an unparalleled depth of knowledge, resources and expertise, PBI is the respected resource for all things pro bono. Through our work with law firms, in-house corporate legal departments, and public interest organizations, PBI is the global thought leader in exploring, identifying, evaluating, catalyzing, and taking to scale new approaches to and resources for the provision of legal services to the poor, disadvantaged, and other individuals or groups unable to secure legal assistance to address critical problems.

Pro Bono Net is a national nonprofit organization based in New York City and San Francisco. We work in close partnership with nonprofit legal organizations across the United States and Canada, to increase access to justice for the millions of poor people who face legal problems every year without help from a lawyer. We do this by (i) supporting the innovative and effective use of technology by the nonprofit legal sector, (ii) increasing participation by volunteers, and (iii) facilitating collaborations among nonprofit legal organizations and advocates working on similar issues or in the same region.