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
Flora Charner, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
Among its wide variety of services and resources, Opening Doors offers pro bono immigration legal services, mental health counseling services, housing assistance and microenterprise business loans.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Hart maintained an active pro bono practice, the judicial department said, representing clients in family law cases.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 19 Dec. 2025
Several former Surro Connections employees have been working to connect clients and surrogates to other agencies and organizations, which have in turn stepped up to help, with some offering pro bono services.
—Alexandra Chaidez, NBC news, 18 Dec. 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 17 Jan. 2026.
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