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
Ashley Mahoney, Axios, 3 Sep. 2024
His attorney, former federal Judge Kevin Sharp, has been working on the case pro bono for the past four and a half years, and talks about the ailments afflicting the elderly Indigenous man.
—Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 19 June 2024
Valdes said the firm is doing the work pro bono, meaning taxpayers will not be funding the lawsuit.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 8 Aug. 2024
Twenty of those hours would have to be client-facing work, and 50 pro bono, meaning the services are provided to clients free of charge.
—Erika Bolstad, USA TODAY, 30 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for pro bono 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pro bono.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Pro bono.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pro%20bono. Accessed 17 Sep. 2024.
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