pro bono
adjective
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In Latin, pro bono publico means "for the public good;" in English we generally shorten the phrase to pro bono. Donating free legal help to those who need it has long been a practice of American law firms; the American Bar Association actually recommends that all lawyers donate 50 hours a year. Pro bono work is sometimes donated by nonlegal firms as well. For example, an advertising firm might produce a 60-second video for an environmental or educational organization, or a strategic-planning firm might prepare a start-up plan for a charity that funds shelters for battered women.
Examples of pro bono in a Sentence
Fortune Editors, Fortune, 22 May 2024
The nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom of Scottsdale, Arizona, will represent the district pro bono.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 May 2024
Her wife, 31, is a lawyer who studied at the North Carolina Central University School of Law and was recognized in 2022 as the highest pro-bono honor earner for her work with the school's pro bono clinic, which provides free legal services to people in need.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 15 May 2024
Eveland, serving the cause pro bono, filed suit in the Baltimore Circuit Court, seeking $1 million in damages for harm to Wills Printing as well as $1 million in punitive damages.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 1 Mar. 2024
The community is invited in to help: Among the long-term volunteers at Homeboy are lawyers, teachers, therapists, social workers and medical professionals offering their services pro bono.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 10 May 2024
After her initial registration was refused, Shupe connected with Jonathan Askin, founder of the Brooklyn Law Incubator and Policy Clinic at Brooklyn Law School, which takes pro bono cases centered on emerging tech and policy questions.
—Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
Each family was required to fill out a form that asks about potential needs such as food, housing, pro bono legal services and more.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Apr. 2024
The law firm Shook, Hardy & Bacon, also provided pro bono legal services for Chappell.
—Eric Levenson, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pro bono.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pro bono
Cite this Entry
“Pro bono.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pro%20bono. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
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