PBEye Blog - Pro Bono Institute

California Considers Community Justice Worker Proposal

August 19, 2026

By Anne Hickey, PBI Sheehan Scholar California is among the latest states to move forward with a Community Justice Worker program proposal. PBI has been following updates closely and keeping stakeholders up to date. Additionally, the PBEye has been reporting on recent developments as jurisdictions authorize Community Justice Workers (CJWs), including a new series on the implementation of CJW programs in Alaska, Delaware, and Texas. The California Supreme Court has directed the State Bar to publish the state’s proposed CJW rule for public comment, with comments due by August 22, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. What are Community Justice Workers? CJWs

Community Justice Worker Model in Alaska

August 18, 2026

By Erica Norris, PBI Intern The PBEye has been reporting on recent developments as jurisdictions authorize Community Justice Workers (CJWs) to address specific access-to-justice issues. Our latest blog series focuses on the implementation of CJW programs in three jurisdictions, beginning with Alaska, which implemented the original CJW model. Stay tuned for future pieces in this series covering implementation in Delaware and Texas. Alaska’s CJW model was implemented under the supervision of Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) to provide community members with assistance on select legal matters. Since its inception in 2019, the program has continued to grow and has expanded

How AI is Reshaping the Pro Bono Landscape

August 4, 2026

By Nihad Mansour, Associate Director, Law Firm Pro Bono Project, and Innovation Specialist AI is no longer a theoretical concept in pro bono. Instead, it is an evolving set of tools that organizations are testing, adopting, and in some cases, building themselves. Recent insights from sessions at the Pro Bono Institute (PBI) 2026 Annual Conference, the PBI 2026 Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Report, and the 2026 Global Pro Bono Guide, a collaboration between Latham & Watkins, PBI, and the Thomson Reuters Foundation, show that the question is no longer whether AI belongs in pro bono, but how it can

CLE Credit and Pro Bono Participation: Growth in the U.S. and Beyond

July 30, 2026

By Anne Hickey, PBI Sheehan Scholar Continuing legal education (CLE) requirements are designed to ensure attorneys remain informed about developments in the law and maintain the skills necessary to serve their clients effectively. Traditionally, attorneys have satisfied CLE requirements through courses, trainings, and other educational programs. An increasing number of jurisdictions have recognized another way for attorneys to contribute to their professional development: providing pro bono legal services. To help attorneys and organizations navigate credit rules, Pro Bono Institute (PBI) recently updated its CLE Credits and Pro Bono Guide, which provides an overview of how jurisdictions around the U.S. address

Expanding Opportunity for Second Chances in Missouri

July 29, 2026

By Erica Norris, PBI Intern Missouri joined 13 other states and the District of Columbia that have clean slate laws, which automatically seal or expunge certain offenses from an individual’s criminal record and help remove barriers to successful reentry, according to the Clean Slate Initiative. Since Pennsylvania passed the first clean slate law in 2018, advocates have pushed for other states to implement clean slate policies and for federal recognition of clean slate initiatives. On May 15, Missouri took a major step toward expanding second chances by passing bipartisan public safety bill, Senate Bill 1421 (SB1421), with a 110–25 vote.

Access to Justice, AI, and the Unauthorized Practice of Law

July 28, 2026

By Anne Hickey, PBI Sheehan Scholar As information technology continues to advance and evolve, new opportunities and new challenges arise for access to justice organizations. Technological advances have paved the way for online resources and tools that help individuals navigate legal issues efficiently and cost-effectively. At the same time, the legal profession is exploring new strategies to engage professionals who are not lawyers in access-to-justice solutions. However, where there is less attorney oversight, more automated assistance/programs, or both, access to justice organizations face more legal challenges alleging the unauthorized practice of law. Update on Upsolve and UPL Restrictions in New

130+ Chief Legal Officers and General Counsel Urge Congress to Support Funding for Civil Legal Aid

June 25, 2026

By Alyssa Saunders, Director, Corporate Pro Bono On May 29, 2026, 132 General Counsel and Chief Legal Officers called on Congress to fully fund the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) for Fiscal Year 2027. LSC is the largest funder of civil legal aid in the United States, providing essential support to legal aid organizations that serve low-income communities in need in every congressional district. The 2026 GC/CLO letter to Congress is linked here. This is the tenth year that Pro Bono Institute (PBI), through its global in-house project, Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO), has worked in collaboration with the National Legal Aid

Celebrating Growth in Pro Bono: P&G Signs on to the CPBO Challenge

June 11, 2026

The Pro Bono Institute Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) Challenge® initiative is celebrating its 20th anniversary alongside PBI’s 30 years of advancing access to justice. These milestones are an opportunity to celebrate the evolution of in-house pro bono, welcome one of the newest additions to the CPBO Challenge initiative, and encourage more legal departments to participate in delivering pro bono legal services to those in need. After a year of revitalizing its Pro Bono Program, Procter & Gamble’s Legal Division (P&G) was honored to sign on to the CPBO Challenge initiative. In April 2026, P&G’s North America General Counsel Dara Kendall signed the pledge and

Pro Se Litigants Need Pro Bono Support

May 12, 2026

By Andrew Braun, PBI Intern Challenges for Pro Se Litigants Millions of pro se or self-represented litigants (SRLs) appear in state and federal courts each year, with some jurisdictions such as Washington, DC seeing as many as 75% to 97% of litigants go without counsel in certain civil matters. But those figures come at a serious cost to obtain justice in a judicial system designed to serve litigants with lawyers. Courts’ lawyer-centric design seriously disadvantages pro se litigants. Jim Sandman, Distinguished Lecturer and Senior Consultant to the Future of the Profession Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Reed Smith: Guiding Communities Through Disaster

April 30, 2026

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. We spoke with members of Reed Smith’s Insurance Recovery Group, including Amber