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
Ryan J. Foley, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2025
The Trump administration has rolled out several actions that law firms have argued are designed to have a chilling effect, particularly on those who do pro bono work on issues that might run afoul of the White House.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 9 June 2025
The White House said the nine firms it's settled with agreed to provide about $1 billion in pro bono services in order to curtail investigations into their hiring practices and maintain access to federal buildings.
—Carrie Johnson, NPR, 31 May 2025
Finally, nothing beats real-world experience, so while studying, try to break into product management by finding pro bono work at non-profits, or offer your services to a family member, work acquaintance, or college friend building a new product or business.
—Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pro bono
Cite this Entry
“Pro bono.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pro%20bono. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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