Annual Conference Archives - Pro Bono Institute

AI and Technology Help Bridge Access to Justice

February 6, 2026

By Andrew Braun, PBI Intern Pro bono and legal aid initiatives continue leveraging technology to provide and enhance crucial services. From expanding access to legal resources, to streamlining administrative tasks, lawyers are exploring technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to transform impactful pro bono and legal aid work to serve more clients. Fostering innovation in these technologies remains integral for organizations working to bridge justice access gaps. The access-to-justice field continues committing resources toward understanding the strengths and limitations of technologies like AI and discussing how to bring underserved clients greater access to legal help. AI has been championed for its

Partnering for Prison Justice: How Equal Justice Initiative Fights for Civil Rights

February 3, 2026

By Jennifer Pei, PBI Intern In 2025, almost two million people were detained in either state or federal prisons across the United States. The criminal justice system cost approximately $182 billion across the federal, state, and local levels. “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.”1 The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) is a civil rights nonprofit organization based in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1989, EJI serves communities that have been systemically marginalized due to poverty and racial injustices. Its founder, bestselling author and public interest attorney, Bryan Stevenson, began EJI as part of his work as

Celebrating 20 Years of the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge Initiative

December 11, 2025

By Alyssa Saunders, Director Corporate Pro Bono In 2026, the Pro Bono Institute Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) Challenge® initiative will celebrate its 20th anniversary alongside PBI’s 30 years of advancing access to justice. These milestones are an opportunity to celebrate the growth of in-house pro bono over the years and challenge more legal departments to participate in delivering pro bono legal services to those in need. Background on the Challenge and In-House Pro Bono In 2000, PBI founded the CPBO project to develop and transform in-house pro bono. Since then, the CPBO project has worked with more than one thousand

Repairing Lives, Restoring Credit: How PBI Helped Launch a National Virtual Credit Repair Clinic for Trafficking Survivors

November 24, 2025

When Pro Bono Institute (PBI) convened the PBI 2025 Annual Conference in February 2025, one session on innovative pro bono models for serving trafficking survivors sparked a collaboration that resulted in a pilot series of clinics this fall. Panelists shared how the National Survivor Law Collective (NSL Collective) had begun offering virtual clinics to help survivors with credit repair under the Debt Bondage Repair Act (DBRA), which went into effect in July 2022, and the related Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Regulation V. The DBRA is an amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act that empowers survivors of human trafficking to

Highlights from Pro Bono Institute Annual Conference: Project Development & Volunteer Engagement

July 16, 2025

At the Pro Bono Institute (PBI) 2025 Annual Conference earlier this year, 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. Here, the PBEye blog highlights two sessions that focused on pro bono project development and volunteer engagement, in different contexts: global pro bono and rapid response pro bono. These sessions are illustrative of the expert panelists, interactive in-depth discussions, and practical takeaways that PBI Annual Conference sessions provide. Global Pro Bono Development At the session titled “Global Projects as Opportunity for Cross-Cutting Collaboration,”

Spotlight on Educational Justice: Two Case Studies from the Pro Bono Institute Annual Conference

July 1, 2025

At the Pro Bono Institute (PBI) 2025 Annual Conference, two powerful case studies highlighted 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 in this important work. Recordings of these sessions are now available upon request by emailing PBI staff. Case Study #1: The Missing School Bus – Transportation and the Rights of Students with Disabilities In a compelling session, panelists discussed their recent class action lawsuit challenging the District of Columbia’s

5 Takeaways from the PBI 2025 Annual Conference

June 2, 2025

Earlier this year Pro Bono Institute (PBI) hosted its Annual Conference, bringing together pro bono leaders from law firms, in-house legal departments, and public interest organizations to explore innovative strategies for expanding access to justice. From plenaries to candid discussions, the Conference was a dynamic space for reigniting our collective commitment to justice and preparing for the opportunities and challenges ahead. Select Conference sessions are available on-demand through Practising Law Institute (PLI). Pre-Conference and Conference attendees received an email from PBI with information on how to access these recordings for FREE through October 31, 2025, as part of their Conference

Justice on the Table: Pro Bono Legal Work Supports the Fight Against Hunger

February 19, 2025

Sherese Smikle, PBI Intern Food insecurity impacts millions of people worldwide, yet it remains misunderstood by many. Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Economic Research Service as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food,” whereas hunger is “an individual-level physiological condition that may result from food insecurity.” The USDA categorizes food insecurity into two levels: low food security, which refers to a reduced quality and variety of diet without significant disruption in food intake, and very low food security, where eating patterns are disrupted and food intake is

How 16 Youth Activists Held Montana Accountable for Climate Justice

February 17, 2025

Vanessa Muñoz, PBI Intern The growing demand for energy to power technology has environmental costs that impact vulnerable individuals and communities. Sixteen young activists in Montana dared to challenge the status quo, calling attention to the environmental impact of unchecked laws. Their passion for preserving the environment, with the support of public interest attorneys, exposed the dangers these policies posed to their future. Their landmark victory in Held v. Montana, 2024 MT 312 (Dec. 18, 2024) proves that even the most overlooked voices have the ability to hold state governments accountable for climate injustice. This PBEye blog builds on our

Why AI for Pro Bono: A PBI Pre-Conference Preview

February 3, 2025

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation technologies are revolutionizing industries around the globe. The legal profession is no different. While there are existing and developing ethical considerations around AI, it remains important for attorneys to invest in learning about emerging technologies and consider their ability to further the impact of their work. AI’s transformative potential is particularly relevant to pro bono legal services. From automating document review to deploying chatbots for client support, AI can empower pro bono programs to reach more people and provide faster, more efficient services, expanding access to justice. The PBI AI + Pro Bono Pre-Conference coming

Category: Annual Conference