The Pro Bono Wire

The Pro Bono Wire is PBI’s online newsletter. We encourage Law Firm, In-House, and Public Interest pro bono leaders as well as other interested stakeholders to sign up to receive this valuable resource. Members of the Press are also encouraged to receive The Wire. To subscribe to The Wire, click here.

Read archived issues of The Wire here.

July/August 2025

PBI 2025 Annual Dinner

PBI will host its 2025 Annual Dinner on Monday, October 27 at Gotham Hall in New York to celebrate outstanding pro bono accomplishments and inspire innovations in the delivery of pro bono legal services.

2025 Annual Dinner Co-Chairs

Chosy-border2
Ivan-border2

James L. Chosy

Senior Executive Vice President

and General Counsel

U.S. Bank

Ivan Fong

Former Executive Vice President,

General Counsel and Secretary

Medtronic

Read more about the Annual Dinner and its exceptional awardees below.

ICYMI: 2025 Pro Bono Challenge Reports

Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge Report
The Law Firm Pro Bono Project released its 2025 Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Report based on 2024 data from reporting law firm Challenge signatories. The 2025 Challenge Report comes amid the 30th anniversary of the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge initiative and at a time when law firm pro bono faces unique challenges.

There are some positive indicators that certain pro bono metrics may trend back up, emerging from their pandemic-era lows in 2021. In 2024, 114 reporting firms contributed about 4.93 million hours of pro bono service. This represents a stronger performance, on average, compared to pro bono hours in 2023 when 120 firms reported about 5.1 million hours. The 2024 data also reflects a modest 1.6% increase in pro bono hours per attorney from 2023, up from 54.7 hours in 2023 to 55.6 hours in 2024, with six fewer firms reporting. However, other key metrics have remained stable or have slightly declined. READ THE FULL REPORT HERE.

Corporate Pro Bono Challenge Report
The Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) project released its 2025 Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® Report: In-House Pro Bono by the Numbers, which benchmarks pro bono performance by reporting Challenge signatories in 2024.

The 2025 Challenge Report provides valuable insights into the complex pro bono landscape and highlights pro bono trends across a sample of in-house legal departments. While average pro bono participation rates declined slightly in 2024 compared to 2023, many departments maintained or increased their pro bono engagement. The Report also features year-over-year analysis for signatories which have responded to consecutive CPBO Challenge surveys. READ THE FULL REPORT HERE.

PBI 2026 Annual Conference

SAVE THE DATE
PBI 2026 Annual Conference
March 4 – 6, 2026
The Westin Washington, D.C., Downtown


EXTENDED: PBI 2026 Annual Conference Call for Proposals
PBI 2026 Call for Proposals deadline extended through August 22, 2025!
Planning for the PBI 2026 Annual Conference is well underway! Our open call for proposals provides the opportunity to submit session proposals, topic ideas, and speaker suggestions. We especially encourage ideas for workshops, small group discussions, and other interactive programs that will facilitate engaging in-person programming on a national stage. SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL AND IDEAS HERE.

SIGNATORY SHOWCASE

Empowering Veterans: KPMG LLP Aligns Business, Culture, and Community

KPMG LLP** recently partnered with the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) and outside counsel to support veterans seeking discharge upgrades through the Lawyers Serving Warriors® program. The pro bono legal clinic empowered KPMG volunteers to help veterans address records that impact their benefits, job prospects, and dignity. After comprehensive training on discharge upgrade standards, volunteers conducted virtual interviews, gathered key documentation, and submitted case memoranda for NVLSP’s review. This initiative highlights KPMG’s commitment to veterans and to impactful, community-centered pro bono work across its Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance teams.

For our latest Signatory Showcase, we spoke with Damon DennisAssistant General Counsel in KPMG’s Office of General and Chair of KPMG’s Legal, Regulatory & Compliance Pro Bono & Community Impact Advisory Council, about this experience. READ MORE IN THIS SIGNATORY SHOWCASE.

Law Firm Pro Bono Project Membership Enrollment is Open!

Law Firm Pro Bono Project membership enrollment is LIVE! Early bird rates are available through August 22, 2025, and 2-year memberships enjoy additional savings. Member benefits include customized consultative services, access to data and resources, a discount on registration for the Annual Conference, and much more! LEARN MORE ABOUT MEMBERSHIP AND ENROLL AND RENEW HERE.

Upcoming Member Programs:

  • Mid-Year Check-In – September 25 at 12 – 1p.m. (ET) and 9 – 10 p.m. (ET): An interactive discussion addressing challenges, opportunities, and evolving strategies for maintaining a robust pro bono practice in 2025.
  • Supporting Your Pro Bono Practice with Thriving Pro Bono Committees – December 2 at 12 – 1 p.m. (ET) and 9 – 10 p.m. (ET): A peer-led dialogue on fostering firmwide pro bono committees that support and amplify the impact of your pro bono practice.

ICYMI: PBI ExpertConnect Pro Bono Hub Webinar

Building the Case: How Experts Help Quantify Harm and Support Legal Strategy

This webinar held on July 22, 2025, and hosted by the Pro Bono Institute ExpertConnect Pro Bono Hub featured expert services providers from Charles River Associates and Relativity. Our expert speakers shared practical insights and case studies covering everything from economic analysis and stakeholder research to document review tools that can surface patterns of harm. It also described how the ExpertConnect Hub connects pro bono and public interest legal teams with expert services for FREE. VIEW THE WEBINAR RECORDING HERE.

Through the ExpertConnect Hub, public interest organizations, law firms, and legal departments working on pro bono matters can connect with top-tier expert services providers, including economists, e-discovery professionals, forensic accountants, and more—at no cost. The goal is simple: to expand access to justice by making expert support more accessible.

Getting started is easy:

  1. Review the Guidelines to understand eligibility and how the ExpertConnect Hub works.
  2. Assess Your Needs and obtain client consent.
  3. Submit a Request with a brief form describing your project and the expertise needed.

PBEYE BLOG

LSC Grantees Innovating the Pro Bono of Tomorrow: 2024 Pro Bono Innovation Fund (PBIF) Awards
Innovation is key to transforming the landscape of pro bono legal services. Around the country, Legal Services Corporation (LSC) grantees are pushing the boundaries of traditional legal services delivery to meet the needs of underserved communities. Each year, a number of these projects are awarded LSC PBIF grants, allowing them to expand and refine their innovative approaches. These grantees are transforming the access to justice landscape, scaling pro bono legal services for the betterment of our communities. READ MORE ON THE PBEYE BLOG.

Sustaining Tenants’ Right to Counsel
Right to Counsel (RTC) programs are proven to help low-income tenants remain in their homes and deliver a strong return on investment for the jurisdictions that fund them. Despite their effectiveness, many RTC programs across the U.S. are critically underfunded. Now, with the expiration of COVID-19 emergency funds and threats to federal and local civil legal aid funding, these programs are at a crossroads. Pro bono volunteers cannot replace the need for robust, sustainable public funding — but they can play a vital role in launching, supporting, and strengthening RTC programs, especially in underserved communities. READ MORE ON THE PBEYE BLOG.

Highlights from PBI Annual Conference: Project Development & Volunteer Engagement
At the PBI 2025 Annual Conference in February, pro bono experts from in-house, law firm, and legal services organizations gathered to share their expertise and to collaborate about the future of pro bono. This blog post highlights two sessions that focused on pro bono project development and volunteer engagement, in different contexts: global pro bono and rapid response pro bono. READ MORE ON THE PBEYE BLOG.

Community-Centered Pro Bono in Singapore
Pro bono awareness in Singapore has been growing over the last decade with lawyers aiming for an aspirational target of 25 hours of pro bono service annually. The extensive and highly developed pro bono operations in Singapore serve a critical role in supporting access to justice. Collaborative and community-centered approaches ensure that available resources make their way to the communities they exist to serve. READ MORE ON THE PBEYE BLOG.

Spotlight on Educational Justice: Two Case Studies from the PBI Annual Conference
The PBI 2025 Annual Conference featured two sessions focused on case studies highlighting how pro bono and public interest lawyers are driving systemic reform to improve education for students with disabilities. These sessions offered attendees the opportunity to learn from groundbreaking litigation and advocacy and encouraged them to get involved with this important work. READ MORE ON THE PBEYE BLOG.

In-House Pro Bono Partnerships Infographic (Updated)

Partnering on pro bono efforts can provide benefits for legal departments as well as partner organizations and boost the impact for their pro bono clients and the community. LEARN MORE IN THIS RECENTLY UPDATED INFOGRAPHIC.

PBI 2025 Annual Dinner
Monday, October 27, 2025
Gotham Hall, New York
JOIN US TO RECOGNIZE
The 30th Anniversary of the
Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® initiative

2025 CPBO Pro Bono Partner Awardees

in partnership with

for their partnership to help those facing driver’s license suspensions

in St. James Parish, Louisiana

Read the full Koch CPBO Pro Bono Partner Awardee profile.

in partnership with

for their partnership to provide holistic legal services

to underserved residents of the Heliópolis favela

Read the full Meta CPBO Pro Bono Partner Awardee profile.

 

For more information or to inquire about

sponsorship opportunities, please contact:

Danny Reed, Director of Development

dreed@probonoinst.org | 202.729.6691

* denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® signatory
** denotes a Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® signatory
† denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Project® member

Pro Bono Institute®, PBI®, Law Firm Pro Bono Project®and CPBO® are registered trademarks of Pro Bono Institute