PBI News Archives - Pro Bono Institute

Boost Your Pro Bono Work with the ExpertConnect Hub’s No-Cost Expert Services

April 15, 2025

Providing top-notch legal services to underserved communities often requires more than just legal expertise. Pro bono and public interest legal teams may need additional support, such as financial analysis, e-discovery, IT assistance, and litigation support. That’s where the Pro Bono Institute (PBI) ExpertConnect Pro Bono Hub comes in. This new pilot program connects providers of free legal services with a diverse network of trusted expert services providers offering their services pro bono. Their support empowers pro bono legal teams to tackle complex cases, expand organizational capacity, and deliver more effective and comprehensive services to those who need it most. A

Enhancing Access to Justice: Join the PBI ExpertConnect Pro Bono Hub and Lend Your Expertise

March 5, 2025

Access to justice remains a significant challenge, including for pro bono and public interest legal teams, which are under-resourced when faced with overwhelming need. The Pro Bono Institute (PBI) ExpertConnect Pro Bono Hub seeks to meet this challenge by connecting these legal teams with expert services that would otherwise be out of reach. This new pilot program empowers pro bono and public interest legal professionals with high-quality, specialized support, enhancing their work on behalf of low-income and marginalized clients. Inspired by the National Pro Bono Centre’s Pro Bono Expert Support Scheme, the ExpertConnect Hub will facilitate collaboration among pro bono

Celebrating 30 Years of the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge Initiative

December 17, 2024

Sarah Lahlou-Amine, Director, Law Firm Pro Bono Project As we approach 2025, we are thrilled to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® initiative! This milestone marks three decades of unwavering commitment by law firms to provide pro bono legal services to those in need. Background on the Challenge Launched in 1993, implemented in 1995, and administered by the Law Firm Pro Bono Project at PBI, the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge initiative is a unique, aspirational standard developed by law firm leaders and corporate general counsel. The Challenge encourages major law firms to dedicate a

Freddie Mac Lawyers Step Up to Represent Immigrants

July 31, 2018

Although some in-house lawyers gravitate toward discrete, time-limited pro bono opportunities, there are long-term engagements that in-house counsel have engaged in with great success. Immigration is one area, for instance, in which in-house attorneys have effectively provided longer term pro bono services. Attorneys at Freddie Mac**have been working on immigration cases as part of their pro bono program for three and a half years. Freddie Mac exemplifies a legal department that has successfully sustained its long-term representation of immigrant detainees. With the current climate of heightened interest in immigration issues, and the critical need for lawyers to assist detained families, we

We Have a New Look and New Address!

November 2, 2017

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” – John F. Kennedy This week we released our new brand identity including a new logo for Pro Bono Institute (PBI), Law Firm Pro Bono Project, and Corporate Pro Bono, a global partnership project of PBI and Association of Corporate Counsel. Our new look reflects our bold, innovative mission and the past 20 years of transforming the pro bono landscape with you. You’ll see the new branding on our correspondence, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn pages.

Pro Bono Happy Hour Podcast, Special Edition: DACA

September 14, 2017

PBI recently released a special edition of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour, in response to the cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. President and CEO Eve Runyon also released a statement about PBI’s support for our stakeholders who are providing legal assistance to DACA recipients and other immigrants. In this episode, we talk with Chris Marquardt of Alston & Bird*†, David March of the Minnesota Corporate Pro Bono Council, and Liz Markuci of Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS) about the impacts the cancellation of DACA will have on immigrant

Summer at PBI

August 3, 2017

Summer is flying by and The PBEye would like to thank our Sheehan Scholars and interns for their hard work over the past few months. This summer, we welcomed our eighth class of Sheehan Scholars: Madeline Jenks (Harvard Law School) and Erin Killeen (Georgetown University Law Center). Bob Sheehan, who oversees the pro bono program at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom*†, former Executive Partner (1994-2009) and Co-Chair of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project Advisory Committee (2001-2015), and his family provided the financial support to launch this program in 2010, which has been named in his honor in recognition of his extraordinary

Tapping Transitioning Baby-Boomers to Transform Pro Bono Work

December 15, 2016

Second Acts® is PBI’s innovative initiative to support transitioning and retired lawyers who are interested in second, volunteer careers in pro bono and public interest law. Despite the ongoing social justice gap for low-income and underserved populations, this seasoned and knowledgeable talent pool has been largely overlooked. In an effort to develop a bold, new model of legal retirement, we are working with our core constituencies, major law firms, in-house legal departments, and public interest organizations, to develop replicable projects that make strategic use of these experienced attorneys. Interested in sharing your law firm’s practices and your thoughts about how

Celebrating the First Anniversary of the Pro Bono Happy Hour

September 29, 2016

On October 1, 2015, PBI’s Law Firm Pro Bono Project launched the Pro Bono Happy Hour, a weekly podcast offering a smart, fresh, creative take on pro bono and featuring lively conversations about law firm pro bono, news, and best practices. Since the podcast’s inception, we have interviewed insightful and entertaining expert guests from Law Firm Project member firms and Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® signatories. Law firms featured on our podcast include: Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz Blank Rome Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Crowley Fleck Day Pitney Dentons DLA Piper Dorsey & Whitney Fenwick & West Fredrikson & Byron

Making Democracy Work

August 25, 2016

Voting is at the heart of our democracy, yet our voting system remains deeply flawed. A number of prominent civil rights and public interest groups are leading non-partisan efforts to ensure that every eligible voter can vote and that every proper vote is counted. Pro bono lawyers are often at the forefront of legal efforts to cure legal flaws in the system, which threaten the accuracy, legitimacy, and fairness of the voting process. Lawyers have important roles to play at all levels of the election protection and reform processes – crafting legislation, enforcing voting laws, researching legal developments, monitoring the

Category: PBI News