The Pro Bono Institute Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) Challenge® initiative is celebrating its 20th anniversary alongside PBI’s 30 years of advancing access to justice. These milestones are an opportunity to celebrate the evolution of in-house pro bono, welcome one of the newest additions to the CPBO Challenge initiative, and encourage more legal departments to participate in delivering pro bono legal services to those in need.
After a year of revitalizing its Pro Bono Program, Procter & Gamble’s Legal Division (P&G) was honored to sign on to the CPBO Challenge initiative. In April 2026, P&G’s North America General Counsel Dara Kendall signed the pledge and signaled the organization’s commitment to pro bono service. P&G’s Legal Department held the signing during its second annual Pro Bono Fair where pro bono partners come into the company and talk about their pro bono opportunities to recruit new volunteers.
“We are so honored and excited to have signed the CPBO Pledge and we are ready to reach our goal of getting 50% participation in pro bono,” said Sarah Topy, one of P&G’s Pro Bono Coordinators. “P&G Legal is passionate and engaged about serving our community and we are ready to take this critical next step to raise the bar.”
P&G’s pro bono work includes advising non-profits through the Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio, partnering with the Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor on asylum and education cases, and fighting for veterans rights with the National Veterans Legal Service Project. The company has also done pro bono training and CLEs on nonprofit law.
“We have taken a holistic and widespread approach to pro bono to capture the most engagement we can,” said Ariel Bublick, co-chair of P&G’s Pro Bono Program. “By giving people so many different opportunities, we are meeting people where they are and helping give them new ways to get involved.”
P&G, a Cincinnati-based consumer goods company, has a global legal department of more than 400. In addition to signing the pro bono pledge earlier this spring, P&G’s Legal Department is also the 2026 recipient of the Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio’s In-House Corporate Department of the Year.
If your department is not already a signatory, we encourage you to participate! Departments of any size, industry, and location can join. GCs and CLOs can sign on to the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge initiative here.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of the CPBO Challenge, share your reflections and experiences with in-house pro bono service in the comments — whether it’s a memorable pro bono project, a successful partnership, or a note about how the CPBO project has supported your pro bono journey. You can share it with CPBO project staff or on LinkedIn using #CPBOChallenge20.