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
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
The team also worked pro bono to produce the film, and The American Medical Women’s Association funded the effort and distribution, with the hopes of sharing the experiences of women who received abortions before Roe v. Wade across the country.
—Molly Gibbs, The Mercury News, 28 June 2024
Arsenal shared its pro bono analysis of Swamy's desktop computer with NPR.
—Lauren Frayer, NPR, 2 June 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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Cite this Entry
“Pro bono.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pro%20bono. Accessed 11 Sep. 2024.
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