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
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 2 May 2025
These cases include working as pro bono lawyers for police officers accused of misconduct, according to a new executive order from Trump.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Nine of the nation’s biggest law firms chose to do Trump’s bidding, pro bono, rather than fight him in court.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Form Relationships With Pro-Bono Recruiting Firms Develop a relationship with a recruiting firm that could help pro bono.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pro bono.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pro%20bono. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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