supporting, enhancing, and transforming the pro bono efforts of major law firms, in-house corporate legal departments, and public interest organizations in the U.S. and around the world

Featured Work

REPORTS

POSITIVE TRENDS FOR LAW FIRM AND IN-HOUSE PRO BONO

The 2024 Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Report: In 2023, 120 participating firms performed a total of 5,076,659 hours of pro bono work, a 2.5% increase from 2022. This significant contribution marks an important milestone – accumulating over 100 million hours of pro bono service over the life of the Challenge.

The 2024 Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® Report: This year, the data from CPBO Challenge® signatories shows that pro bono participation by in-house legal departments is on the rise. On average, the pro bono participation rate for 2023 for survey respondents was 53% for U.S. lawyers, 41 percent for U.S. legal staff, and 35% for lawyers outside of the U.S. These percentages are all at the highest levels since the pandemic.

You can find both reports here.

June 13, 2024

Podcast

Pro Bono Happy Hour Podcast

The St. Louis Pro Bono Partnership is a remarkable collaboration involving three key organizations, Citigroup Inc. (Citi), Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner*, and the local legal aid organization, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, that are focused on providing legal support to underserved communities. The partnership is a testament to the impact that can be achieved through collaboration. From elderly clients to domestic violence victims and micro-entrepreneurs, this decade-long initiative has made a significant difference in the community.

We spoke with Emily Elam, Head of Legal Strategic Priorities at Citi, for this Signatory Showcase podcast. Find out more about this exemplary collaboration.

August 22, 2024

Resources

Examining the Use of AI to Enhance Pro Bono

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been championed for its potential to enhance pro bono legal services and help close the justice gap. In March, the Pro Bono Institute (PBI) hosted programming on AI + Pro Bono, bringing together pro bono leaders from law firms, in-house legal departments, and public interest organizations to explore the use of AI in legal practice and identify opportunities to enhance efficiencies for pro bono and access to justice. Learn more about this initiative and its impact.

May 14, 2024

Impacting Access to Justice

PBI is a catalyst, administering projects that support, guide, and inspire legal institutions to enhance access to justice. PBI selects and operates projects that, working in concert, promote synergies and inform and strengthen each other.