Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who are unable to afford them.
A legal guardian is a person who has been appointed by a court or otherwise has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Guardians are typically used in four situations: guardianship for an incapacitated senior, guardianship for a minor, and guardianship for developmentally disabled adults and for adults found to be incompetent. A parent of a child is normally not considered a guardian, though the responsibilities may be similar. A family member is most commonly appointed guardian, though a professional guardian or public trustee may be appointed if a suitable family member is not available.
Pro Bono Net is a US nonprofit organization based in New York City and San Francisco. The organization works in close partnership with nonprofit legal aid organizations across the United States and Canada, to increase access to justice for the millions of poor people who face legal problems every year without help from a lawyer. It does this by (i) supporting the innovative and effective use of technology by the nonprofit legal sector, (ii) increasing participation by volunteers, and (iii) facilitating collaborations among nonprofit legal organizations and advocates working on similar issues or in the same region. Founded in 1998 with a grant from the Open Society Institute, Pro Bono Net has developed a broad base of support from foundations, law firms, corporate sponsors and nonprofit partners alike, to build web platforms that offer powerful and sophisticated online tools to pro bono and legal aid advocates, and to provide critical legal information and assistance directly to the public. Its model has been adopted in 30 states and regions, reaching approximately two-thirds of the poverty population and lawyers in the United States.
The New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) is a non-profit organization that provides free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers. Its services include direct representation, case consultation, advocacy, community education, training, financial counseling, and impact litigation.
The Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights is a consortium of American law firms in Chicago that provides legal services in civil rights cases
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. is a general practice, full service law firm employing approximately 500 attorneys worldwide. Its headquarters are located at One Financial Center in the Financial District of Boston. The firm also has offices in London, Los Angeles, New York City, Palo Alto, San Diego, San Francisco, Stamford, and Washington D.C., and a liaison office in Israel. It was founded in 1933 by Haskell Cohn and Benjamin Levin. The firm's current managing member is Robert I. Bodian. The firm's principal practice areas include Bankruptcy, Corporate & Securities, Employment, Environmental Law, Health Law, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Public Finance, and Real Estate.
McCarter & English delivers innovative solutions to clients nationwide. Fortune 100, mid-market and emerging growth companies rely on McCarter to handle their cutting-edge transactional, intellectual property, and complex litigation advice. Clients benefit from the firm’s relationship-driven approach, deep understanding of their businesses and legal needs, lean and efficient service model, and determination to help them move their businesses forward. In 2020, McCarter was recognized as Law Firm of the Year by the New Jersey Law Journal, and in 2019 received the prestigious ABA Pro Bono Publico award. For more information, visit www.mccarter.com.
The Law Students in Action Project (LSAP) is the Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps project of Legal Assistance of Western New York (LAWNY). It is an AmeriCorps program administered by Equal Justice Works. Nationally, there are 18 of these projects. Individual programs vary greatly; however, all seek to engage law students in the delivery of legal services.
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid formerly Texas Rural Legal Aid (TRLA) is a nonprofit agency that specializes in providing free civil legal services to the poor in a 68-county service area. It also operates a migrant farmworker legal assistance program in six southern states and a public defender program in southern rural counties of Texas. Established in 1970, TRLA is the largest legal aid provider in Texas and the second largest in the United States.
The City Bar Justice Center provides pro bono legal services to low-income clients throughout New York City. It is part of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York Fund, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation.
Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) is a publicly funded and publicly accountable non-profit corporation, responsible for administering the legal aid program in the province of Ontario, Canada. Through a toll-free number and multiple in-person locations such as courthouse offices, duty counsel and community legal clinics, the organization provides more than one million assists to low-income Ontario residents each year.
The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) was established in 1872 as a nonprofit legal membership organization that provides San Francisco legal professionals with networking, educational and pro bono opportunities in order to better serve the community.
Legal aid in the United States is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system in the United States. In the US, legal aid provisions are different for criminal law and civil law. Criminal legal aid with legal representation is guaranteed to defendants under criminal prosecution who cannot afford to hire an attorney. Civil legal aid is not guaranteed under federal law, but is provided by a variety of public interest law firms and community legal clinics for free or at reduced cost. Other forms of civil legal aid are available through federally-funded legal services, pro bono lawyers, and private volunteers.
Human Rights Initiative of North Texas, Inc. (HRI) is a non-profit organization that provides free legal assistance and social services to refugees and immigrants in the North Texas area who are the victims of human rights abuses. It was founded in 1999 by attorney Elizabeth "Betsy" Healy and social worker Serena Simmons Connelly. HRI assists clients through two main programs: the Asylum program and the Women and Children's program. The majority of legal cases are handled by a large network of volunteer attorneys.
Public Counsel is the largest pro bono public interest law firm in the world. Founded in 1970 by the Beverly Hills Bar Association, Public Counsel delivers free legal and social services to abused and abandoned children, homeless families and veterans, senior citizens, victims of consumer fraud, and nonprofit organizations serving low-income communities. Initially called the Beverly Hills Bar Association Law Foundation, it was the first bar-sponsored public interest law firm in the country.
The Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) is a voluntary bar association with more than 21,000 members throughout Los Angeles County, California, and the world. Founded in 1878, LACBA's goal has been to meet the professional needs of lawyers, advance the administration of justice, and serve the public regarding access to justice.
The Alaska Immigration Justice Project(AIJP) is a non-profit agency that provides low-cost immigration legal assistance to immigrants and refugees in all immigration applications including citizenship, permanent resident status, work permits, asylum, family-based petitions and immigration petitions for immigrant victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.
The Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, JALA, developed during the Great Depression and the recession of 1937 out of a group of attorneys who organized to provide pro bono legal services to those who could not afford the services. The Jacksonville Area Legal Aid was officially named in 1973, and received 501(c)(3) tax status in 1976. JALA is a mid-size law firm with over 50 lawyers and support staff who offer free legal services to low income clients in civil legal matters which include public benefits, employment/unemployment law, family law, landlord-tenant disputes, fair housing, guardianship, refugee and asylee immigration, foreclosure defense, and consumer law. JALA works with Florida Coastal School of Law and has supported accredited externships with the Florida State University.
The Central Virginia Legal Aid Society (CVLAS) is a nonprofit organization that provides free legal assistance in civil matters to low-income and elderly residents in central Virginia.
Texas Legal Services Center (TLSC) is a legal aid service provider in Texas. It serves as a gap filler to provide legal services to Texas residents who may not qualify for services from Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Lone Star Legal Aid, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, or Disability Rights Texas. TLSC also provides support services to each of those providers. Texas Legal Services Center provides its services to Texas residents based on the subject matter involved in their legal issue.