Pro bono
Encyclopedia
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase
generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee 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.
Pro bono publico is also used in the United Kingdom
to describe the central motivation of large organizations such as the National Health Service
, and various NGOs
, which exist "for the public good", rather than for shareholder profit.
s have celebrated an annual Pro Bono Week—which encourages lawyers to offer pro bono services and increases general awareness of pro bono service since 2002.
LawWorks (the operating name for the Solicitors Pro Bono Group) is a national charity that works with lawyers and law students, encouraging and supporting them in carrying out legal pro bono work. It also acts as a clearing house for pro bono casework. Individuals and community groups may apply to the charity for free legal advice and mediation, where they could not otherwise afford to pay and are not entitled to legal aid.
are recommended under American Bar Association
(ABA) ethical rules to contribute at least fifty hours of pro bono service per year(s). Some state bar association
s, however, may recommend fewer hours. The New York State Bar Association
, for example, recommends just twenty hours of pro bono service annually, while the New York City Bar
promulgates the same recommendation as the ABA. The ABA has conducted two national surveys of pro bono service: one released in August 2005 and the other in February 2009.
The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and its project, the Center for Pro Bono, are a national source of information, resources and assistance to support, facilitate, and expand the delivery of pro bono legal help. The ABA Standing Committee also sponsors Pro Bono Week during the week of October 24–30. The ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel and Section of Litigation jointly sponsor the ABA Military Pro Bono Project, which delivers pro bono legal assistance to enlisted, active-duty military personnel.
In an October 2007 press conference reported in The Wall Street Journal
and The New York Times
, the law student group Building a Better Legal Profession
released its first annual ranking of top law firm
s by average billable hours, pro bono participation, and demographic diversity. The report found that most large firms fall short of their pro bono targets. The group has sent the information to top law schools around the country, encouraging students to take this data into account when choosing where to work after graduation.
Phrase
In everyday speech, a phrase may refer to any group of words. In linguistics, a phrase is a group of words which form a constituent and so function as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. A phrase is lower on the grammatical hierarchy than a clause....
generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service
Public services
Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly or by financing private provision of services. The term is associated with a social consensus that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income...
. 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.
Pro bono publico is also used in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to describe the central motivation of large organizations such as the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
, and various NGOs
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
, which exist "for the public good", rather than for shareholder profit.
Pro bono legal counsel
Pro bono legal counsel may assist an individual or group on a legal case by filing government applications or petitions. A judge may occasionally determine that the loser should compensate a winning pro bono counsel.United Kingdom
Many UK law firms and law schoolLaw school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
s have celebrated an annual Pro Bono Week—which encourages lawyers to offer pro bono services and increases general awareness of pro bono service since 2002.
LawWorks (the operating name for the Solicitors Pro Bono Group) is a national charity that works with lawyers and law students, encouraging and supporting them in carrying out legal pro bono work. It also acts as a clearing house for pro bono casework. Individuals and community groups may apply to the charity for free legal advice and mediation, where they could not otherwise afford to pay and are not entitled to legal aid.
United States
Lawyers in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
are recommended under American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
(ABA) ethical rules to contribute at least fifty hours of pro bono service per year(s). Some state bar association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
s, however, may recommend fewer hours. The New York State Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association , with 77,000 members, is the largest voluntary bar association in the United States.-History:The State Bar was founded with a constitution that dates to 1877...
, for example, recommends just twenty hours of pro bono service annually, while the New York City Bar
Association of the Bar of the City of New York
The New York City Bar Association , founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a landmark building on 44th Street, between Fifth and Sixth...
promulgates the same recommendation as the ABA. The ABA has conducted two national surveys of pro bono service: one released in August 2005 and the other in February 2009.
The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and its project, the Center for Pro Bono, are a national source of information, resources and assistance to support, facilitate, and expand the delivery of pro bono legal help. The ABA Standing Committee also sponsors Pro Bono Week during the week of October 24–30. The ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel and Section of Litigation jointly sponsor the ABA Military Pro Bono Project, which delivers pro bono legal assistance to enlisted, active-duty military personnel.
In an October 2007 press conference reported in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, the law student group Building a Better Legal Profession
Building a Better Legal Profession
Building a Better Legal Profession is a national grassroots organization founded by students at Stanford Law School in January 2007. The group collects and publicizes employment data at large private law firms as a way of encouraging workplace reform at these companies...
released its first annual ranking of top law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
s by average billable hours, pro bono participation, and demographic diversity. The report found that most large firms fall short of their pro bono targets. The group has sent the information to top law schools around the country, encouraging students to take this data into account when choosing where to work after graduation.
See also
- Law Students in Action ProjectLaw Students in Action ProjectThe Law Students in Action Project is the Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps project of Legal Assistance of Western New York . It is an AmeriCorps program administered by Equal Justice Works. Nationally, there are 18 of these projects...
- Legal aidLegal aidLegal aid is the provision of assistance to people otherwise unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial.A number of...
- Legal clinicLegal clinicThe phrase legal clinic may refer to any private, nonprofit law practice serving the public interest. In the academic context, these law school clinics provide hands-on experience to law school students and services to various clients. Academic Clinics are usually directed by clinical professors...
- Professional courtesyProfessional courtesyProfessional courtesy is the tradition among physicians not to charge for treatment of each other's family. The purpose was to discourage physicians from having members of their own family as patients, as well as to foster bonds among physicians...
- Volunteer Centres IrelandVolunteer Centres IrelandVolunteer Centres Ireland is the national body with responsibility for promoting and developing volunteering in Ireland, both locally and nationally. VCI is a membership organisation, established by volunteer centres to co-operate and network on any issue relating to volunteer centres and...
External links
- American Bar Association's Center for Pro Bono Resources for pro bono delivery and state-by-state listing of pro bono programs