Category: Pro Bono

Wouldn’t it be great to receive continuing legal education (CLE) credit for your public good contributions? In recent years, U.S. jurisdictions have adopted regulations that allow lawyers to receive CLE credit for their pro bono service because it incentivizes lawyers to engage in more pro bono and aids access to justice reforms by providing low-income communities with competent representation to address their legal needs. The birth of CLE credit for pro bono service dates back to the early 2000s. Since then, many states have gradually adopted their own version of pro bono service for CLE credit rules, most recently over

It’s time to get ready for Pro Bono Week 2023! From October 22-28, attorneys and legal staff from across the nation will have numerous opportunities to participate in pro bono work. During the 2023 National Celebration of Pro Bono, spearheaded by the American Bar Association (ABA), the legal community will unite in a week of giving back, while also fostering connections and relationships among pro bono volunteers. Pro Bono Week presents the legal community with the chance to get involved in increasing access to justice, learn about new legal topics, and gain hands-on experience with pro bono work. This week

by PBI Intern Palak Srivastava When you hear the name “Andy Warhol,” I am sure most of our minds immediately flip to a can of tomato soup; I know mine just did. An icon of the pop art movement, there is no doubt that Warhol has become a common household name. However, what may be less known in households is the recent Supreme Court case of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts v. Goldsmith, involving a claim by professional photographer Lynn Goldsmith, that Warhol’s silkscreen images based on her photograph of the musician Prince infringed her copyright. The

Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) project is excited to highlight the legal department of Advance for this month’s Signatory Showcase. In 2022, Advance partnered with the nonprofit Start Small Think Big (SSTB) to provide transactional legal services to Black and women-owned small business owners in the e-commerce field making less than $50,000 a year. The volunteers applied their commercial lawyering expertise on a variety of issues, ranging from privacy to terms of use for doing business online to intellectual property. SSTB provided support to the volunteers, including template documents that the volunteers could review and customize before they met with the clients.  CPBO spoke

by Hitha Bollu, PBI Intern The United States prides itself on being a center for innovation, with much of that innovation coming from smaller enterprises. Small businesses produce over 14 times more patents than large businesses and universities, and employ nearly 40 percent of America’s scientists and engineers. And, of course, even the largest well known innovative firms were once small businesses. Unfortunately, without protection of their intellectual property, small businesses can find it difficult to attract capital because potential investors know more established businesses could copy the ideas, methods and practices of smaller businesses, and use their greater resources to market more

by Cynthia Montoya On August 16, 2022, the Pro Bono Legal Representation Expansion Amendment Act of 2022 went into effect in Washington, DC, permitting local government lawyers to participate in pro bono subject to certain restrictions. This legal change in our hometown inspired PBEye to do a deeper dive on government lawyer pro bono. Pro bono work is an ethical obligation that should be easily accessible for every legal professional, including those who work in all levels of the government. Yet, participating in pro bono work can be complicated for some government lawyers. Some offices have policies restricting the type of pro

by Cynthia Montoya, PBI Intern With Pro Bono Week right around the corner, now is a great time to solidify longstanding partnerships and make new connections that can inspire pro bono throughout the year! On October 23-29, 2022, the legal community will come together to participate in the American Bar Association (ABA) National Celebration of Pro Bono. The programs and events planned during this week present a great way to get involved in the community, meet new colleagues, and give back through pro bono service. The annual celebration highlights the hard work of legal staff, law students, and lawyers partaking in impactful pro