Pro Bono Partnerships Archives - Pro Bono Institute

Insights from the 2025 Equal Justice Conference: Expanding Pro Bono Impact with Expert Support

June 11, 2025

At the 2025 Equal Justice Conference, hosted by the American Bar Association and National Legal Aid & Defender Association, Pro Bono Institute (PBI) organized and led “Building Bridges: Enhancing Impact Through Strategic Partnerships with Experts.” The standing-room-only panel offered a compelling vision for how collaboration with expert services providers can expand the reach and effectiveness of pro bono legal services. The discussion reflected growing interest in the role of expert consultants in strengthening both legal advocacy and organizational capacity. Moderated by Erin Palmer, Associate Director of Corporate Pro Bono, Pro Bono Institute, the panel featured insights from Lisa Dane, Charles

Resilience and Representation: A Legal Path Forward for Asylum Seekers

May 28, 2025

PBI Signatory Showcase Interview with Stinson LLP* In the face of a growing humanitarian need, Stinson has stepped up with a powerful response. Through its Deinard Legal Clinic—the nation’s oldest firm-led medical legal partnership—Stinson launched a pro se asylum project to support newly arrived West African asylum seekers, primarily from Guinea and Liberia. For this Signatory Showcase, we spoke to Tim D. Sanders Szabo, Pro Bono Attorney at Stinson LLP, about this initiative. Please tell us about this project. Our firm runs the Deinard Legal Clinic, a legal clinic at the Community University Health Care Center (CUHCC). The Deinard Legal

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

The Transformative Impact of the Transgender Name Change Project

January 29, 2025

PBI Signatory Showcase Interview with Quarles & Brady LLP*† The Transgender Name Change Project, a partnership between Quarles & Brady LLP, the Milwaukee (MKE) LGBT Community Center, and Legal Action of Wisconsin, assists transgender and gender non-conforming individuals with legal name changes and updating gender markers on official documents. For this Signatory Showcase, we spoke with Jack Iwrey, General Corporate and Transactional Counsel at Quarles & Brady, about this partnership. Please tell us about this project. The Transgender Name Change Project is a collaborative project between the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, Legal Action of Wisconsin, and Quarles & Brady. The

NHLC and Alston & Bird Make Legal Resources Accessible for Unhoused Youth

December 11, 2024

This blog post is part of a series spotlighting nonprofit organizations and the pro bono collaborations that help extend the impact of their work. Catherine Titzer, PBI Intern Navigating the complexities of state laws regarding mental health coverage and consent to treatment is particularly challenging for unhoused youth and young adults, who are among the most in need of mental health resources. To address this issue, the National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC) and pro bono attorneys at Alston & Bird*†, a Pro Bono Institute Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® signatory, partnered to create Access to Mental Health Treatment: Unhoused Youth and

Supporting Underserved Communities by Creating a Model for Success

November 20, 2024

PBI Signatory Showcase Interview with Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America Allianz Life commits to pro bono through partnerships with nonprofits, such as Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, the Minnesota Elder Justice Center, and LegalCORPS. They offer critical legal services to underserved communities, including estate-planning assistance for low-income seniors, preparing health care directives, and offering legal advice for small businesses and nonprofits. For our latest Signatory Showcase, we interviewed Jeff Mason, Associate General Counsel and Senior Counsel – Litigation and Regulatory, at Allianz Life about this program and how it not only provides essential support to vulnerable populations but

The Force Multiplier Effect: Combining Partnership, Mentorship, Technology and More to Serve Nonprofits and Impact Community

May 29, 2024

PBI Signatory Showcase Interview with Koch Capabilities, LLC and Barnes & Thornburg LLP In February 2020, weeks before the pandemic began to ripple across the U.S., Koch Industries welcomed representatives from our panel of preferred law firms to Wichita. Koch General Counsel Ray Geoffroy felt strongly that Koch had a tremendous opportunity to accomplish so much good for society by leveraging our combined capabilities (internal lawyers and external panel firm lawyers) on a larger scale. He challenged the law firms to partner with our Pro Bono Initiative and become a “force multiplier” to Koch’s efforts. Further, he set the expectation

Pro Bono Fairs Then and Now: Don’t Let Distance Interfere with Your Fair!

September 30, 2020

PBI’s Corporate Pro Bono project (CPBO) has worked with legal departments and Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) chapters over the years to host in-house pro bono fairs. Pro bono fairs are a great opportunity to introduce in-house attorneys and legal department staff to local legal services organizations that offer pro bono opportunities. In-house attorneys and staff interested in pro bono participate in presentations by local legal services organizations about pro bono opportunities, and networking with pro bono peers. Historically, coffee and croissants were on the menu, too.

A Conversation with Annie Helms — Rolling Meadows Domestic Violence Help Desk

October 18, 2018

In 2016, the Rolling Meadows Help Desk was created when a group of lawyers at Allstate**, Discover**, DLA Piper*†, and Illinois Tool Works united to help a local nonprofit organization, Between Friends, assist domestic violence survivors at the Rolling Meadows Courthouse. The courthouse is located 25 miles outside Chicago in suburban Cook County, Illinois. With the expert training and support of LAF, lawyers from each of the partner organizations regularly staff four-hour shifts in the Between Friends office, helping victims fill out paperwork, explaining the court process, and ensuring that no survivor goes through the process of obtaining a protective

Category: Pro Bono Partnerships