This Citizenship Day, we honored not only the thousands of newly naturalized citizens but also the countless individuals currently navigating their path to citizenship. Among them are millions of legal permanent residents eager to participate in our democracy and secure a brighter future for their families. Many have spent years overcoming barriers, only to find the naturalization process intimidating, expensive, and out of reach.

At Pro Bono Net, we are committed to bringing free, quality legal help to those who may not know where to start, who to trust, or how to find affordable assistance. Our free, flagship tool, Citizenshipworks.org, makes applying for citizenship safer, simpler, and more affordable.

Over the past decade, we’ve helped more than 60,000 people understand the naturalization process, apply for citizenship, and access legal help through a network of 200 partners across the US. And when USCIS announced sweeping changes to the 20-page long naturalization form earlier this year, our dedicated team accomplished an incredible feat: updating Citizenshipworks to incorporate these changes in just 63 days — across three languages—to ensure we were ready on day one to support current and new applicants building their American dream. 

One of our partners in Austin, Texas described Citizenshipworks as “a service to humanity.” The services we provide to aspiring Americans are only possible with your support, and translate into thousands of people having a voice in our democracy, greater family security, and higher lifetime earnings.

With anti-immigrant rhetoric resurfacing this election season, please consider joining our work supporting individuals on their journey to citizenship. 

Thank you for being part of our mission, and please reach out if you’re interested in getting more involved. It truly makes a difference. 

Last month, Pro Bono Net shared the news that our co-founder and Executive Director, Mark O’Brien, is stepping into a Senior Advisor role as he embarks on his well-deserved retirement after 25 years.

As we celebrate Mark’s extraordinary impact and look toward the future, we want to express our deep appreciation for your support of Pro Bono Net’s work and our leadership during this exciting period of change and opportunity. We are humbled by this opportunity to build on Mark’s legacy and propel our mission forward as we begin the search for our next outstanding leader. 

In a world where access to legal assistance can profoundly shape lives, our talented team remains fully focused on advancing our digital tools and partnerships that thousands of people a day rely on to find essential help. You can read examples of this – and the difference your support makes – in our recent Impact Report

We’re also redoubling our commitment to ensuring that technology is an equalizing force for those seeking justice, safety and opportunity. This month, our team participated in the first-ever Google.org Impact Summit alongside 20 other global nonprofits selected to participate in Google.org’s inaugural Gen AI Accelerator. We’re proud that Sandra Sandoval and Sam Harden represented us by showcasing Immpath AI, Justicia Lab’s new tool for newly arrived migrants, while Rodrigo participated in the closing panel, “Six Months and 20 Projects Later – Learnings from the Generative AI Accelerator,” moderated by Afua Bruce. His warmly-received remarks about the competitive advantages that collaborative, nonprofit strategies hold to achieve impact and advance access to justice are available online.

As valued friends and supporters, we’d love to hear how Pro Bono Net can support your efforts to accelerate access to justice as we enter this new chapter. Please reach out to us anytime with your ideas or feedback.

Thank you again for your continued support. We’re excited for the journey ahead. 

With gratitude,
Liz Keith & Rodrigo Camarena
Interim Co-Directors

A quick p.s. from Mark O’Brien:

I hope you will join me in welcoming Liz and Rodrigo into their new Co-Director roles. Twenty-five years ago, Michael Hertz and I started Pro Bono Net with a simple idea about the potential for technology and collaboration to serve as a force multiplier for pro bono legal services delivery.  In the years since then, the focus of Pro Bono Net’s work has broadened –  and its impact deepened – thanks to the skills and vision of a committed staff and of a gifted and diverse leadership team.  As the organization embarks on its next quarter-century of innovation and collaboration, I can’t think of better leaders to carry the work forward than Liz and Rodrigo.  I look forward to continuing to champion their and Pro Bono Net’s work in the months and years ahead. 

Today, we are announcing an important change at Pro Bono Net and I wanted to share the news with you directly.

 After 25 years with Pro Bono Net, Mark O’Brien has decided to step down as the organization’s executive director to embark on his retirement. His last official day as executive director will be September 1, although he will stay on as a senior advisor to Pro Bono Net until the end of this year to assure a smooth transition to new leadership.

While our board intends to conduct a national search for his successor, I am pleased to announce that we have appointed two long-serving members of the management team as Pro Bono Net’s interim co-directors: Liz Keith, Chief Partnerships Officer, and Rodrigo Camarena, Director of Justicia Lab, PBN’s incubator of immigrant justice technology innovation.

Liz and Rodrigo bring a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to Pro Bono Net’s mission to these new roles. We know we are handing over the reins to two seasoned professionals and we are confident they will continue to fulfill Pro Bono Net’s mission to help everyone get the legal help they need, regardless of background or station in life. You can learn more about both Liz and Rodrigo in this Fast Company op-ed and this recent Chronicle of Philanthropy story.

On behalf of our board, I want to thank Mark for his many years of service, his leadership and his countless contributions to the success of Pro Bono Net and its unparalleled impact. Twenty-five years ago, he and Michael Hertz started Pro Bono Net with a simple idea:  use the power of technology and collaboration to serve as a force multiplier for pro bono legal services delivery.  Since then, under Mark’s leadership, Pro Bono Net has grown into a transformative force for justice across the US. Today, our groundbreaking programs and partnerships serve more than nine million individuals nationally and more than 1.2 million in New York State every year. Hundreds of  legal services, immigrants’ rights and community groups, as well as law firms, corporations, courts and government agencies rely on Pro Bono Net’s tools and resources to amplify their impact. Most importantly, Pro Bono Net is helping individuals access justice and empowering them to assert their rights. 

From that founding idea at the dawn of the Internet era to today, Mark’s dedication has helped create and propel a nationwide movement to harness technology for a more just future. Please join me in wishing Mark well as he embarks on this exciting new chapter.  We are very grateful for the legacy he is leaving us and look forward to building on it in the years to come.

Warmly,

Betty Balli Torres
Pro Bono Net Board Chair

As we celebrated the 4th of July, we were reminded of the profound impact that justice and freedom have on all lives, especially those seeking a brighter future. These values resonate deeply with our mission at Pro Bono Net, where we strive to ensure that everyone, regardless of their background or station in life, has access to justice and opportunity.

Below are two ways our immigration justice program, Justicia Lab, is working tirelessly this summer to do just that. Amidst rising anti-immigrant rhetoric, we’re doubling down on our efforts to provide safe, timely legal information and support to protect vulnerable families and futures.

ImmPath AI: A Navigation Assistant for Asylum Seekers

Last month, we presented ImmPath AI, our AI-powered multilingual immigration assistant designed for asylum seekers and new arrivals, at Fast Forward’s (FFWD) Annual Demo Day. This innovative tool uses plain language legal content and emphasizes emotional well-being to help immigrants explore options for securing their immigration status and offers actionable steps. Watch the Virtual Demo Day recording to learn more about our vision and plans.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy Names Justicia Lab Among “The Nonprofits Leading the A.I. Revolution”

Justicia Lab’s AI work was also featured in a recent Chronicle of Philanthropy cover story spotlighting leading nonprofits working to ensure AI is an equalizing force for those seeking safety, justice, and opportunity. As Justicia Lab Director Rodrigo Camarena says:

“We’ve seen millions if not billions invested in the private legal-tech sector and a very small amount in the public-interest tech sector,” says Rodrigo. “It’s time we brought the most innovative resources to the people who are least resourced.”

Stay tuned for more updates coming down the pike, and please reach out if you’re interested in learning more.

Amidst the buzz surrounding AI’s advancements, there’s a critical conversation missing: how ethical, responsible uses of AI can protect and promote the public interest.

At Pro Bono Net, we’re dedicated to ensuring that technology is an equalizing force in justice movements and that the needs, experiences, and well-being of vulnerable communities are prioritized in its use. Today, we’re pleased to announce Justicia Lab AI, a new initiative dedicated to doing just that in the immigrant rights sector.

Justicia Lab AI brings together immigrant advocacy groups and AI innovators in the service of immigrant justice. Supported with $500,000 in seed funding from Google.org as well as technical capacity, mentorship, and pro bono support delivered through Google.org’s inaugural Gen AI Accelerator for nonprofits, Justicia Lab AI seeks to bridge the tech divide between immigrant-serving organizations and developers by delivering public education and workshops on AI, providing information on the ethical and practical considerations in using AI technologies, and co-designing AI solutions.

Our Mission and Goals

Justicia Lab AI aims to create a collaborative environment where technology and advocacy meet to foster innovative solutions for immigrant justice. Our initiative is designed to:

  • Educate: Conduct public education and workshops on AI to empower immigrant-serving organizations with the knowledge and tools they need.
  • Advise: Provide comprehensive information on the ethical and practical considerations in using AI technologies.
  • Innovate: Co-design AI solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of immigrant communities.

Looking Ahead

In the coming months, we’ll be applying our learning to Pro Bono Net’s broader work in the civil justice sector to advance safe, responsible, and community-centered uses of AI across all the communities we serve. We invite you to read more about Justicia Lab AI’s plans, founding partners, and advisory board in our press release. If you’re interested in learning more or getting involved, please reach out! 

A New Strategic Partnership with Paladin

Last month, we had the pleasure of celebrating a significant milestone in Pro Bono Net’s journey—our strategic partnership with Paladin—at a gathering graciously hosted by Paul Weiss. The event was an opportunity to reflect on Pro Bono Net’s founding ethos: harnessing the power of technology, pro bono work, and collaboration to build capacity across the legal sector. Our goal has always been to attract new philanthropic and institutional resources to create solutions that help vulnerable communities get the legal help they need.

Pro Bono Manager Acquisition

Earlier this year, Paladin acquired Pro Bono Manager, a groundbreaking social venture we developed with support from the Gates and Booth Ferris Foundations. This acquisition marks a new chapter in Pro Bono Net’s history, allowing us to concentrate on and invest in new strategies to tackle persistent and emerging access to justice challenges. The acquisition was profiled in Law 360, showcasing its significance in the legal community.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Paul Weiss and other law firm partners who joined our Pro Bono Manager journey over the past 15+ years, as leaders in the pro bono sector and as allies of Pro Bono Net’s mission: to create scalable and sustainable technology solutions that provide free, safe, high-quality legal help to millions of people. 

Joining Forces to Close the Justice Gap

The combination of Pro Bono Manager into Paladin, aimed at enhancing services to law firm and corporate pro bono departments, exemplifies how Pro Bono Net and Paladin are working together to pioneer new approaches to closing the justice gap. As Paladin Co-Founder and CEO Kristen Sonday aptly put it, “At the heart of our collaboration lies a shared vision: one in which every individual has access to justice.”

Looking Ahead: Programming and Service Opportunities

In the coming months, we are excited to share details about the educational programming and pro bono service opportunities we will co-sponsor with Paladin. These initiatives are part of our ongoing commitment to drive innovation and excellence in the delivery of legal services. Stay tuned for other exciting announcements about Pro Bono Net’s efforts to create a more just future.

Pro Bono Net will be well represented at the 2024 Innovations in Technology Conference (ITC) this week, and we hope to see you there! The conference takes place February 1-3, 2024, in Charlotte, NC, and is hosted by the Legal Services Corporation. ITC brings together more than 600 legal aid advocates, court personnel, technologists and other professionals exploring new ways of using technology to expand access to justice.

Pro Bono Net is the country’s leading access to justice innovator with a 25-year history of impact. We create scalable and sustainable technology solutions and partnerships that bring free, safe, high-quality legal help to millions of people. 

This year, we are presenting sessions related to transitioning from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics, best practices in Generative AI, storytelling to maximize reach and impact, and how community engagement informs the creation of community justice programs. See below for where you can find us, or stop by our booth in the exhibitors area!

Wednesday, February 1, 2024

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM ET

Navigating the Transition: From Universal Analytics to Google Analytics

  • Ariadne Brazo, Product Manager, Pro Bono Net
  • Terri Ross, Executive Director, Illinois Legal Aid Online
  • Matt Keister, Product Manager, Ohio Legal Help

2 PM – 3 PM

Toward Best Practices in Generative AI in Legal Aid

  • Sam Harden, Program Manager, Pro Bono Net
  • Ashley chase, Professor, Stetson University School of Law
  • Angela Tripp, Director, Michigan Legal Help Program

Thursday, February 2, 2024

10 AM – 11 AM ET

If a Tree Falls: Using Storytelling to Maximize reach and Impact in a Fragmented Digital Landscape

  • Rodrigo Camarena, Director, Justicia Lab
  • Kristen Sonday, Co-founder and CEO, Paladin
  • Rebecca Greenwald, Storytelling and Engagement Strategist 

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM ET

Frontline Justice Workers: Innovation, Engagement, Research and Evaluation

  • Rodrigo Camarena, Director, Justicia Lab
  • Matthew Burnett, Senior Program Officer, Access to Justice Research Initiative, American Bar Foundation
  • Tanina Rostain, Professor of Law, Georgetown Law Center
  • James Teufel, Principal, Help Justice, LLC

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Friday Lunch and Talk Justice Live Podcast: Artificial Intelligence for Self-Help and Legal Aid

  • Sam Harden, Program Manager, Pro Bono Net, 
  • Cat Moon, Director of Innovation Design, Program on Law & Innovation, Vanderbilt Law School
  • Quinten Steenhuis, Practitioner in Residence, Suffolk LIT Lab
  • Scheree Gilchrist, Chief Innovation Officer, Legal Aid of North Carolina

In addition to Pro Bono Net ITC panelists, other Pro Bono Net team members attending include: Mark O’Brien, Executive Director; Tim Baran, Director of New York Justice Initiatives; Pat Malone, Legal Director of New York Justice Initiatives; and Claudia Johnson, Program Manager of LawHelp Interactive. 

For details on the many other excellent sessions offered at ITC 2024,  please view ITC’s agenda here. You can also follow ITC online via #LSCITC or LSC’s Facebook page, where several sessions will be livestreamed. 

See you there! 

Join us in celebrating our Citizenshipworks Product Manager, Sandra Sandoval, for winning the American Legal Technology Award in the Individual category! Sandra’s dedication, innovative mindset, and tireless efforts have made a significant impact on our mission to revolutionize the immigration journey for all.

Sandra is a Latina technology leader who immigrated from Mexico with her family to the U.S. at age 3 and became a naturalized American citizen in August 2022. Sandra is the Product Lead for Citizenshipworks, our free online resource that has been delivering naturalization services for over a decade and is a project of Justicia Lab, Pro Bono Net’s incubator for immigrant justice. 

Sandra used Citizenshipworks to complete her own naturalization process, and through her professional services, has helped nearly 30,000 Legal Permanent Residents gain naturalization over the last eight years. As United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) moves towards the digitization of its immigration forms, Citizenshipworks is a fully realized resource already doing this work.

“Growing up in an undocumented family, I saw first-hand how intimidating it was for my family to seek legal help. Between the cost of assistance and not knowing who to trust for help, we always felt lost. That’s why this work is so important to me. I have the opportunity to bring free, quality resources to immigrants, who like my family, may not know where to start and live in fear.” says Ms. Sandoval.

Prior to joining Justicia Lab, Sandra worked with San Antonio Immigrant Youth Movement (SAIYM), a youth-led movement to empower undocumented youth by providing resources, tools, and guidance to help navigate the higher education system. Sandra is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio and received an MPA from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Sandra is honored to be recognized by the American Legal Technology Awards and she wanted to share a note:

“It is truly an honor to be recognized by the American Legal Technology Awards judging committee among many innovators bridging the access to justice gap. Thank you! 

Thank you to the Pro Bono Net and Justicia Lab teams. Ten years ago, I started at PBN/JL working on Citizenshipworks to help immigrants navigate the complex immigration systems. As an undocumented immigrant myself, I didn’t want others to experience the same difficulties I did. 

I’m grateful to work with amazing colleagues who every day share their knowledge and support, and dedication to our community. It takes a team, and I’m lucky to work and learn alongside the best.”

We also celebrate ¡Reclamo!, our groundbreaking app to fight wage theft, receiving an honorable mention in the Access to Justice Legal Tech category!

Congrats to all of the honorees and winners of the American Legal Technology Awards. We would also like to thank the headline sponsor, Clio, of the awards, and the organizers and judges for shining a spotlight on people and projects using technology and innovation to create a more just society.

The New York State Attorney Emeritus Program (AEP) provides volunteer opportunities to seasoned attorneys eager to give back to their communities. Over a two-year registration period, these volunteer attorneys pledge their time and expertise, committing to 60 hours of unpaid civil legal assistance. AEP connects volunteers to legal services organizations or court programs that need pro bono lawyers. Marissa Wallace, the Americorp VISTA for Pro Bono Net met with Ralph L. Wolf, Assistant Deputy Counsel and Director of the AEP at the New York State Unified Court System Office for Justice Initiatives to discuss the program.

Can you give a brief overview of the Attorney Emeritus Program. How did it come about and what is its mission?

Created by former New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman in 2010, the AEP was established to help New Yorkers with legal needs who cannot afford legal counsel. The program is designed to enhance the capacity of New York State legal service providers that are facing increased demand for services, including Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. The AEP engages seasoned lawyers in pro bono projects under the auspices of the legal service providers.

The New York State Unified Court System’s Attorney Emeritus Program works with the organized bar and legal services programs to place: 

  • attorneys in good standing, 
  • retired or active, 
  • who are at least 55 years old, 
  • with a minimum of 10 years’ experience in pro bono civil legal service opportunities. 

Emeritus attorneys who are engaged in active practice earn up to 15 CLE credits for pro bono work with an approved AEP host legal services organization, bar association or court program.

How has the program evolved since its inception? 

The pandemic transformed the delivery of civil legal services for AEP and our partners. Providers now routinely offer remote services. The technological and programmatic innovations introduced during the last three years have laid the foundation for sustainable delivery models. Virtual services continue to expand providers’ reach to include formerly hard-to-reach clients, including those with mobility issues,

work or caretaking responsibilities that make in-person appointments difficult, and who live in remote areas of the state. The expected long-lasting impact of the pandemic on civil legal services is an

opportunity for the AEP to strategically deploy resources where they are needed the most, including in underserved areas throughout the state.

COVID created some obstacles to the AEP … and some opportunities.  For example, when the AEP started, almost all volunteering was in person.  Today, many of our volunteers work remotely.  In fact, about 22% of our volunteers live out of state (and about 3 % live outside the country).  Many of our host organizations have remote opportunities and some even have platforms exclusively designed to facilitate remote client video and/or phone interactions.  Also, the remote option gives volunteers in our urban centers opportunities to help in rural communities.

The AEP programming has adapted to the new remote reality too.  Where we have always held quarterly information sessions for new volunteers, we now also have bi-monthly remote drop-in sessions for experienced volunteers.  The volunteers who attend these sessions appreciate the community of volunteers that these sessions foster. 

Many AEP host organizations strive to provide culturally-appropriate services that take into account and try to dismantle structural racism.  The AEP team recently conducted a survey to ascertain Emeritus Volunteers’ interest and experience in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), as well as intentional DEIB practices of host organizations. Over the next few months, the AEP plans to use these survey results to design training and resources for Emeritus volunteers and AEP host organizations. We hope that, over time, this initiative will promote model diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) practices by AEP stakeholders that leverage Emeritus pro bono resources.

Who benefits from AEP?

 The volunteers benefit by volunteering and helping our community, especially for attorneys who are later in their careers and looking towards, or already retired.  The opportunities to take that experience and give back to the legal community by mentoring younger lawyers and giving direct legal services to communities in need is invaluable to the volunteer and to those they serve.

The population that the AEP serves are people who do not qualify for free counsel and who cannot afford a lawyer.  In many cases, that is the working poor.  Free legal assistance is limited to those unable to pay for legal services. Most state laws define low income as 125% of the poverty level in that state. That amount is $32,188 for a family of four living in New York State.  I’m not sure that a family of four living in New York City earning $100,000 could afford a lawyer.  The AEP helps fill the civil justice gap for the working poor.

Opportunities for civil legal services are extraordinarily diverse and include, for example, limited-scope and full representation, appellate advocacy, administrative hearings, drafting legal documents and manuals, brief advice, working on hotlines, and supporting special projects – to name a few.  Some of the areas where the AEP provides assistance include housing, immigration, consumer debt, benefits, family, trusts and estates, bankruptcy, domestic violence, matrimonial, reentry and employment.  

How do you recruit and engage experienced attorneys?

Potential volunteer attorneys need to meet our age and eligibility requirements. Our latest  innovation is the AEP website – NYS Attorney Emeritus Program (nysattorneyemeritus.law).  Using this website, a volunteer can search for opportunities by subject matter, location, in-person or remote, etc.  When an attorney completes their biennial registration with the court, they can opt into the program.  With the new website, interested attorneys can go directly to the website from the New York State attorney registration page and sign up to be an AEP volunteer.

We also contact law school alumni associations and bar associations and find similar opportunities to get the word out. We reach out to eligible lawyers wherever we can find them.

Once we’ve recruited an AEP attorney, we find out about their volunteer interests, their legal experience and how they want to serve their community. Together with our host organizations, we can train volunteers to meet the needs of the people that they serve.

What are some examples of Attorney Emeritus projects and case work?

AEP Attorneys engage in a wide range of legal representation and support. We work with our volunteers to find the right opportunity with our partners. Some AEP volunteers create a unique experience with outsized impact.

An attorney from the NY Attorney General’s Office joined the AEP Volunteer Team and leveraged his extensive litigation experience, focusing on research and writing to assist the organization. His contributions covered a wide range of client-specific issues, including the Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Civil Relief Act, service of summons & complaint in a divorce in Kosovo, revisions to Pace Women’s Justice Center’s Retainer, default motions, and the confidentiality of addresses held by the Child Support Collection Unit. This volunteer’s research and analysis were invaluable to PWJC, enabling new avenues of litigation strategy and having a significant positive impact on the organization and its clients.

Another attorney, a former staff attorney for JustCause, encouraged numerous volunteers to join AEP, recruiting 30 AEP volunteers for the organization. Her commitment extended beyond AEP, as she collaborated with a local law firm and the University of Rochester to establish the HELP-U Program, which provided wills clinics for low-income housing residents over the age of 60, and she assisted transgender clients in obtaining name changes to align with their gender identity.  Once retired from JustCause, she has continued her pro bono work by joining AEP herself and actively participating in clinics, including bilingual wills clinics, and accepting clients directly.

How do the Feerick Center and the New York Courts work together?

The Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School and the Unified Court System Office for Justice Initiatives work closely together to administer the program.  

The New York State Unified Court System’s Office for Justice Initiatives directs the New York State Courts Access to Justice Program.  The Office for Justice Initiatives works closely with the Permanent Commission on Access to Justice, the Advisory Committee on Access for People with Disabilities, and the Office of Language Access.  

The Feerick Center for Social Justice promotes the rights and addresses the problems facing marginalized and low-income New Yorkers and individuals seeking humanitarian relief, including asylum-seeking families and unaccompanied immigrant children. The center links the social justice community serving those in need to Fordham and engages the Fordham community in service of national and local social justice initiatives. And through education and collaboration, the center engages with Fordham students, alumni, faculty and administrators to create and implement long-term innovative solutions critical for lasting change.  The Feerick Center’s work of providing direct assistance and working in collaboration with others reflects the motto and mission of Fordham Law School— “In the Service of Others”—as well as Fordham University’s expansive Jesuit mission and vision.  The AEP benefits from the Feerick Center network and resources every day.

The AEP Advisory Counsel helps the Unified Court System and Feerick Center coordination and convenes twice a year so that its members can stay informed and offer feedback.  The Advisory Council members are always available to listen to a concern or offer strategies for expanding the AEP capacity.

How has the program impacted the larger legal community?

The AEP’s greatest impact may be its contribution to the national AEP movement when it started.  There were a handful of state AEPs in 2010 and today all but three states have an AEP.  The New York AEP continues to contribute to AEP best practices by sharing our experience with other AEPs. 

Pre-pandemic and even now, New York Emeritus attorneys have provided approximately 10,000 hours of pro bono services a year through a network of over 65 legal services programs approved to serve as host organizations. 

How do you see the AEP progressing in the future?

Since 2010, hundreds of Emeritus attorneys have dedicated countless hours to assist thousands of New Yorkers in need. These pro bono civil legal services by Emeritus attorneys are noteworthy for providing essential services and helping to bridge the state’s justice gap.  I hope that we can continue to expand the number of AEP volunteers and our ability to link them to opportunities with our host organizations.  Engaging with volunteers where they are and helping them to find an AEP host organization that is right for them is our bread and butter.  

How can volunteers get involved?

 Learn more about the AEP, check out our volunteer opportunities, and sign up to join us at www.nysattorneyemeritus.law.

This year, National Pro Bono Week’s theme is “Voice of Democracy: Ensuring Justice for All.” Every day, millions of Americans are prevented from finding safe housing, meeting critical health care needs, and exercising other rights due to our country’s inability to ensure that everyone facing a legal problem can access help for it. As our Fast Company op-ed outlined, for communities of color, immigrants, rural communities, and those living on low incomes, the justice gap is simply the status quo.

Pro Bono Net would like to recognize the thousands of lawyers, advocates, paralegals, law students and others who put their legal expertise to use serving those in need and advocating for a more just world. Pro bono work doesn’t just fill a gap – it amplifies our collective ability to shape a more just and equitable society. Below are five resources for legal professionals looking to get involved and for organizations seeking to strengthen their pro bono efforts. 

1. National Pro Bono Opportunities Guide

Pro Bono Net’s National Pro Bono Opportunities Guide is a joint project of Pro Bono Net, the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, and the ABA Center for Pro Bono, in collaboration with probono.net network partners across the country. Through the Guide, attorneys, law students, paralegals and other legal professionals can find organizations offering opportunities in their local community and areas of interest, and contact organizations to get involved. To access the Guide, visit probono.net/volunteer

2. Immigration Advocates Network Volunteer Guide and Nonprofit Resource Center

The Immigration Advocates Network, a program of Justicia Lab, Pro Bono Net’s immigrant justice incubator, is a community of more than 11,000 lawyers, paralegals, students, and not for profit organizations committed to immigrant justice. IAN harnesses the power of technology and collaboration to provide nonprofit and pro bono immigration law practitioners with free online training resources, practice resources and access to experts on issues such as refugee/asylum advocacy, working with immigrant children and working with clients in detention. Get involved by joining the Nonprofit Resource Center. Membership is free for pro bono lawyers and nonprofit staff. Legal professionals interested in volunteering for immigrant justice can also search for opportunities through IAN’s Volunteer Guide.

3. The probono.net Network

Our probono.net platform supports more than 20 national and statewide justice networks and thousands of pro bono volunteers and legal advocates working collaboratively to tackle pressing justice issues, including  probono.net/la, legalaidprobono.org, vetsprobono.org, and advocatesfordisasterjustice.org and more. Visit probono.net/network to find and join other pro bono networks. 

4. Practising Law Institute’s Pro Bono Membership

Practising Law Institute (PLI) proudly offers Pro Bono Memberships, granting unlimited access to a wide selection of programming to qualifying legal aid organizations and other IRC Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations which provide direct representation, as well as law school public interest clinics. PLI also offers over 2,500 individual scholarships on a yearly basis. Learn more

PLI also offers interactive pro bono programs through the Interactive Learning Center (ILC) to sharpen your skills in a fun and practical way. These innovative programs help new and seasoned attorneys taking on pro bono cases. Topics include: Communicating with Pro Bono Clients, Interviewing Pro Bono Clients, Working with Domestic Violence Survivors, and more.

5. Tech solutions to help volunteers reach and represent those in need

In addition to our resources for individual volunteers and those offered by our partners like PLI, Pro Bono Net creates scalable and sustainable tech solutions for nonprofits, courts, and law firms to empower volunteers to reach and represent those in need, including Remote Legal Connect, which powers remote advocacy initiatives in six states; LawHelp Interactive, our free online legal forms program used daily in pro bono services and clinics across the country; and Pro Bono Manager, used by leading law firms to more efficiently manage, promote and grow their pro bono program—and ultimately do more good.

Interested in learning more about these programs? Reach out to us at info@probono.net


For more more information about Pro Bono Net’s programs and initiatives, visit our website at: www.probono.net/programs