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
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
The Law Firms will take on a wide range of pro bono matters that represent the full political spectrum, including Conservative ideals.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
This means engaging influential people who might help, including pro bono lawyers, specialists who can give evidence, concerned regulators and beat journalists.
—Kate Kenny, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2025
Innumerable hours are expended on his behalf (and not pro bono, insists his longtime press rep Juda Engelmayer, pointing to royalties still rolling in from his films).
—Phoebe Eaton, HollywoodReporter, 22 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 23 May. 2025.
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