pro bono
adjective
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Definition of pro bono
: being, involving, or doing professional and especially legal work donated especially for the public good pro bono work
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Examples of pro bono in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2000, Kavanaugh represented pro bono the Miami relatives of 6-year-old Elian, who wanted to keep the child in Miami despite his father's wishes to have custody of him in Cuba. — Monique O. Madan, miamiherald, "New Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh has ties to big Florida moments," 9 July 2018 All three have been working on a pro bono basis, Parris said. — Bill Turque, kansascity, "Dog pound to 'animal campus': Haven nears construction in Swope Park | The Kansas City Star," 15 Mar. 2018 Nessel heads the law school’s Center for Social Justice, which runs pro bono legal clinics, including in immigration law. — Jonathan Lai, Philly.com, "Most immigrants facing deportation don't have lawyers. N.J. is changing that," 3 July 2018 Private Investigator Dawn Kendricks, a former Huntsville, Alabama police officer, has taken on Jennifer’s case pro bono. — Juliet Muir, NBC News, "Alabama family searching for Jennifer Marshell White 22 days after disappearance," 30 Apr. 2018 Painter’s pro bono work continued for several years as the city pushed a reluctant Caltrans to embrace the concept of a parkway. — John King, SFChronicle.com, "Michael Painter, who conceived Presidio Parkway to replace SF’s Doyle Drive, dies," 5 July 2018 The mother of two immediately started looking into pro bono work. — Lauren Castle, azcentral, "Lawyer Moms of America join fight to end migrant family separations," 26 June 2018 Beyond detention costs, judges will have to hear the cases, and defense attorneys will have to represent the unauthorized immigrants, with the pro bono Federal Defenders likely picking up the majority of that work. — Kate Morrissey, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Can legal system handle new zero-tolerance crackdown on illegal border crossings?," 12 May 2018 The women who were brought to the Dilley detention center could consult with pro bono legal advocates, like Sarah. — Faith E. Pinho, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis attorney returns from border with stories she could not 'fathom'," 12 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pro bono.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for pro bono
pro bono
adjectiveFinancial Definition of pro bono
What It Is
Pro bono refers to any work or service that someone provides free of charge for the common good.
How It Works
From the Latin phrase "pro bono publico" meaning "for the public good," the motivation behind pro bono work is to benefit society as opposed to making money. Pro bono work often refers to legal services offered without taking a fee. In countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, it is recommended by professional law associations that legal practitioners volunteer a certain number of hours for pro bono service each year. Although pro bono work is most often associated with legal services, it has become common for members of other professions such as medicine and consulting, to extend themselves in a similar manner for the benefit of those less fortunate.
To illustrate the nature of pro bono work, suppose an attorney provides some legal service to low-income families in his community free of charge. The unpaid work done for these families would be considered to be pro bono work, because the attorney is providing his services solely for the benefit of the less fortunate in the community.
Why It Matters
The altruistic nature of pro bono work can be thought of as more important that the actual work. Attorneys, for instance who engage in pro bono work donate their time and expertise in order to help improve the lives of others in their community.
Source: Investing Answers
pro bono
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of pro bono
law : involving or doing legal work for free
See the full definition for pro bono in the English Language Learners Dictionary
pro bono
adverb or adjectiveLegal Definition of pro bono
: being, involving, or doing legal work donated especially for the public good
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