Pro bono publico

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Pro-bono)
Jump to: navigation, search

Pro bono publico (often shortened to pro bono) is a phrase derived from Latin meaning "for the public good." The term is sometimes used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment, as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology and strategy consulting firms. Unlike traditional volunteerism, pro bono service leverages the specific skills of professionals to provide services to those who are unable to afford them.

In the legal profession, pro bono counsel may assist an individual or group on a legal case, in filing government applications or petitions or on appeal. If the case is won, occasionally the judge may determine that the loser should compensate the pro bono counsel.

In the UK, "pro bono publico" is sometimes used to describe the central motivation of large organizations such as the BBC, the National Health Service and various NGOs, which exist "for the public good" rather than for shareholder profit as well as legal or professional work.[1]

Contents

Lawyers in the United States are recommended under American Bar Association (ABA) ethical rules to contribute at least fifty hours of pro bono service per year.[2] Some state bar associations, however, may recommend fewer hours. The New York State Bar Association, for example, recommends just twenty hours of pro bono service annually,[3] while the New York City Bar promulgates the same recommendation as the ABA.[4]

In an October 2007 press conference reported in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, the law student group Building a Better Legal Profession released its first annual ranking of top law firms by average billable hours, pro bono participation, and demographic diversity. [5] [6] The report found that most large firms fall short of their pro bono targets. [7] The group has sent the information to top law schools around the country, encouraging students to take this data into account when choosing where to work after graduation. [8] As more students choose where to work based on the firms' rankings, firms face an increasing market pressure to increase their commitment to pro bono work in order to attract top recruits. [9]

  1. ^ Dyer, Clare. "Win or lose, no fee: pro bono week promotes free legal services." Pro Bono work. The Guardian. 06 June 2007. Retrieved 02 June 2007.
  2. ^ "ABA Model Rule 6.1 Voluntary Pro Bono Service." Pro Bono and Public Service. Retrieved 02 June 2007.
  3. ^ "NYSBA | Pro bono defined", Pro Bono Affairs. Retrieved 02 June 2007.
  4. ^ "New York City Bar Association Releases Statement of Pro Bono Principles." Retrieved 02 June 2007.[1]
  5. ^ Amir Efrati, You Say You Want a Big-Law Revolution, Take II, Wall Street Journal, October 10, 2007.
  6. ^ Adam Liptak, In Students’ Eyes, Look-Alike Lawyers Don’t Make the Grade, New York Times, October 29, 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/us/29bar.html?em&ex=1193889600&en=4b0cd84261ffe5b4&ei=5087%0A
  7. ^ Thomas Adcock & Zusha Elinson, Student Group Grades Firms on Diversity, Pro Bono Work, New York Law Journal, October 19, 2007, http://www.law.com/jsp/nylj/PubArticleNY.jsp?hubtype=BackPage&id=1192698212305
  8. ^ Henry Weinstein, Big L.A. law firms score low on diversity survey: The numbers of female, black, Latino, Asian and gay partners and associates lag significantly behind their representation in the city's population, according to a study, Los Angeles Times, October 11, 2007, http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-diversity11oct11,1,661263.story?coll=la-headlines-california
  9. ^ Linda Hershman, Perfect Information for Law Students, The New Republic, October 23, 2007, http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/open_university/archive/2007/10/23/perfect-information-for-law-students.aspx

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_bono_publico"
Advanced Search
Included Web Search Engines


Safe Search

close

Top Matching Results

Occasionally Search.com will highlight specialized results that are based on the context of your query. Examples of specialized results include specific links to news, images, or video.

Top Matching Results may highlight information from other Search.com pages, content from the CNET Network of sites, or third party content. The listings are based purely on relevance. Search.com does not receive payment for listings in this section but our partners that provide this data may get paid for listing these products.

Sponsored Links

This section contains paid listings which have been purchased by companies that want to have their sites appear for specific search terms and related content. These listings are administered, sorted and maintained by a third party and are not endorsed by Search.com.

Search Results

Search.com sends your search query to several search engines at one time and integrates the results into one list which has been sorted by relevance using Search.com's proprietary algorithm. You can customize the list of search engines included in your metasearch from the preferences.

The search engines that are used in your metasearch may allow companies to pay to have their Web sites included within the results. To view the Paid Inclusion policy for a specific search engine, please visit their Web site. Search.com does not accept payment or share revenue with any search engine partner for listings in this section.