The Pro Bono Wire is PBI’s online newsletter. We encourage Law Firm, In-House, and Public Interest pro bono leaders as well as other interested stakeholders to sign up to receive this valuable resource. Members of the Press are also encouraged to receive The Wire. To subscribe to The Wire, click here.
Read archived issues of The Wire here.
Since 1996, Pro Bono Institute (PBI) has shaped a global movement to ensure that pro bono is an essential, supported, and impactful part of the legal profession.
Our new 30th Anniversary Timeline highlights key moments in PBI’s history and the ground-breaking initiatives, tools, and research driving the legal profession to give more, reach further, and think bigger in pursuit of access to justice.
The PBI 2026 Annual Dinner on Monday, September 28 at Gotham Hall in New York, will feature a special celebration of the PBI 30th Anniversary and recognition of the 20th Anniversary of the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® initiative.
The Dinner will also celebrate outstanding accomplishments and innovations in pro bono through the presentation of the 2026 John H. Pickering Award and the 2026 CPBO Pro Bono Partner Awards. Awardee announcements will be coming soon!
Stay tuned for information on the PBI 2027 Annual Conference Call for Proposals opening soon! PBI welcomes timely, thought-provoking session and topic ideas to inspire collaboration, spark innovation, and enhance the delivery of pro bono legal services.
PBI 2026 ANNUAL CONFERENCE RECORDINGS
2026 Conference attendees should have received instructions from PBI to access recordings from the 2026 Conference and Pre-Conference. Contact PBI staff if you are a Conference attendee who did not receive access information, or if you have questions about Conference programming.
Upcoming Programming:
June 29 | 4:00-5:00 p.m. (ET) – Virtual
Leading Together: Law Firm and Legal Department Leaders’ Perspectives on Pro Bono
Pro bono engagement by law firms and in‑house legal departments helps build a more accessible, effective civil justice system. This webinar brings together law firm and legal department leaders to share perspectives on the importance of pro bono, responding to evolving community needs, fostering a culture of engagement around pro bono, and engaging effectively with partners.
Speakers:
The PBI Leadership Series is designed to facilitate conversations with leaders at law firms and legal departments to highlight how firms and companies are driving meaningful change and to help inform the future of pro bono and access to justice.
April 30, 2026, marked the seventh annual Financial Institution Pro Bono Day® (FIPBD®) event led by the PBI Corporate Pro Bono project in partnership with legal departments across the financial and insurance sectors and their law firm and legal services partners. Together, volunteers around the world provided direct legal services, conducted research and resource development projects, participated in trainings, and helped strengthen the long-term capacity of community organizations and pro bono programs.
By the Numbers
We are pleased to announce the release of the 2026 Global Pro Bono Guide, published jointly by Latham & Watkins*†, PBI, and the Thomson Reuters Foundation. This is the most comprehensive edition of the Guide to date, expanding coverage to more than 100 jurisdictions worldwide, up from 84 in the 2019 edition, and offering practical, jurisdiction‑specific insight to support and strengthen pro bono practice globally. The Global Pro Bono Guide, formerly known as the Global Pro Bono Survey, has been a trusted resource for legal professionals since 2005, when it was first published by Latham & Watkins and PBI. For this new sixth edition, Latham and PBI have partnered with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which runs TrustLaw, the world’s largest pro bono legal network.
What’s New?
The 2026 edition includes several important updates, including:
We are also excited to share an updated Clearinghouses Chapter in the Global Due Diligence Manual, made possible by Latham & Watkins.
The updated chapter includes a list of clearinghouses and covers the role of clearinghouses in pro bono, highlighting factors law firms and legal departments should consider when engaging with clearinghouses, including:
Both resources are designed to make information about jurisdiction-specific pro bono legal practices and opportunities more accessible, helping your firm engage in global pro bono more confidently and effectively.
Reed Smith*
In early 2025, the Los Angeles wildfires devastated communities across Southern California, displacing families, destroying homes, and leaving thousands navigating an overwhelming and unfamiliar insurance landscape. With deep roots in the region and many of its own staff members directly affected, Reed Smith mobilized its Insurance Recovery Group (IRG) to respond. What began as an internal effort to support colleagues quickly expanded into a large-scale pro bono initiative aimed at helping wildfire victims understand their rights, document losses, and access the insurance benefits essential to rebuilding their lives.
At the PBI 2026 Annual Conference held in Washington, D.C. in March 2026, Nihad Mansour, Associate Director of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project, and host of the PBI Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast, and Alicia Aiken, host of the Practising Law Institute Pursuing Justice podcast, recorded interviews with Conference attendees.
This special, collaborative episode features inspiring pro bono stories and insights from a few of those interviewees, including Sirena Castillo, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips*†; Sara Ghadiri, Chapman and Cutler; Elba Gutiérrez Castillo,Greenberg Traurig*; Sateesh Nori, LawDroid; Jim Sandman,Penn Carey Law; Brian Soja, LPL Financial; and Angela Vigil, Baker McKenzie*†.
Pro Se Litigants Need Pro Bono Support
Millions of people appear in U.S. courts each year without legal counsel — navigating complex procedures alone while important issues, such as housing, safety, or finances hang in the balance. In some courts, self-represented litigants make up nearly the entire docket. There are many flexible and accessible ways lawyers can provide pro bono support to help close this justice gap. READ MORE ON THE PBEYE BLOG
Montana Supreme Court Approves State Community Justice Worker Program
The Montana Supreme Court recently authorized a Community Justice Worker (CJW) program — certified volunteers who aren’t attorneys — to provide limited legal services to address certain critical civil legal needs in the state. This development in Montana is part of a growing trend of states and jurisdictions expanding access to justice through community legal services solutions. READ MORE ON THE PBEYE BLOG
Creating Sustainable and Impactful Partnerships in Pro Bono
As PBI celebrates milestone anniversaries, with its 30th Anniversary and the 20th Anniversary of the Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) Challenge® initiative, long-term pro bono projects serve as a powerful reminder of how sustainable partnerships can expand access to justice and strengthen communities for many years to come. READ MORE ON THE PBEYE BLOG
Legal Services and Public Interest Organizations:
Strengthen Your Pro Bono Work with the PBI ExpertConnect Pro Bono Hub
The ExpertConnect Hub connects legal services and public interest organizations with expert services providers offering pro bono support across a wide range of areas, from litigation-focused expertise to organizational and operational support, all at no cost.
In our blog post, “Connecting Expertise to Impact: Expert Support for Legal Services Organizations,” we highlight:
Read more on the PBEye Blog and submit your ExpertConnect Hub request today!
* denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® signatory
** denotes a Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® signatory
† denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Project® member
