Pro bono legal counsel may assist an individual or group on a legal case by filing government applications or petitions. A judge may occasionally determine that the loser should compensate a winning
pro bono counsel.
Japan In Japan, the number of registered NPO Service Grants, which coordinates team-type
pro bono programs, has increased tenfold between 2010 and 2020, and has supported more than 1,000 projects. In addition, the introduction of
pro bono is gaining attention as an opportunity to promote citizen participation in
corporate social responsibility (CSR) and human resource development in companies, and to solve problems in community development in local governments. The current authorized NPO, Service Grant Japan, was one of the first to take notice of the possibilities of such
pro bono, bring that know-how back to Japan, and start offering a
pro bono program that matches the country. Since its launch in 2005, the number of people, organizations, and companies engaged in
pro bono activities in Japan has steadily increased. At the same time, many organizations coordinating
pro bono activities have been established in countries other than Japan. more have joined. As a member of this "Global Pro Bono Network," the certified NPO Service Grant is actively participating in networking and collaboration with various parts of the world. The NPO has a volunteer base with over 7,500 registered professionals (
pro bono workers), and successfully participate in more than 180 projects annually. As in the United States, some bar associations in Japan set mandatory working hours for public interest activities, and are sometimes regarded as
pro bono activities. Certified public accountants are also gaining recognition as a result of pioneering efforts by
PwC Aarata LLC.
Small and medium-sized enterprise management consultants are also active in a wide range of activities, such as traveling to
Tohoku with lunch boxes and supporting the reconstruction of local businesses and shopping districts, mainly for Tohoku reconstruction support activities.
The Netherlands In the Netherlands, legal services offered without payment are known as
pro deo.
Philippines In late 1974, former Philippine Senator
Jose W. Diokno was released from prison as a political detainee. He set out as a litigation lawyer to devise a means to combat the
Marcos dictatorship and introduced the term "developmental
legal aid", which involved lawyers providing
pro bono legal services but also providing allowances to their clients, who were normally the urban poor, informal settlers, farmers, and victims of
Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos. Diokno set up the
Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), which is the oldest human rights organization in the country. During martial law FLAG has handled most of the human rights cases against the military police and the administration. Eventually the concept of developmental legal aid has grown and fresh lawyers are required to conduct part-time free legal aid for a considerable amount of time, otherwise called the Community Legal Aid Service Rule. Referred to as the "Unified Legal Aid Service" rules starting in 2025, the
Supreme Court imposed a 60-hour minimum of pro bono work in a three-year period for Filipino lawyers. Many developmental legal services are provided by most law firms and NGOs in the Philippines.
South Korea South Korean lawyers are required to complete at least 30 hours of
pro bono work per year; however, the local bar associations can reduce this requirement to 20 hours per year. Those who have a good reason not to fulfill the requirement may pay to a
pro bono fund
₩20,000–30,000 (US$17–26) per hour instead.
United Kingdom Since 2003, many UK law firms and
law schools have celebrated an annual Pro Bono Week, which encourages
solicitors and
barristers to offer
pro bono services and increases general awareness of
pro bono service. LawWorks (the operating name for the Solicitors Pro Bono Group) is a national charity that works with solicitors and law students, encouraging and supporting them in carrying out legal pro bono work. It also acts as a clearing house for
pro bono casework. Individuals and community groups may apply to the charity for free legal advice and mediation, where they could not otherwise afford to pay and are not entitled to
legal aid. Advocates for International Development, which exclusively brokers international
pro bono contributing towards the
Sustainable Development Goals, operates from a London base. Many barristers offer
pro bono services as a direct response the Legal Aid cuts brought by
LASPO 2012, from which they make no profit. The Bar Council has revealed that just under a quarter of the bar offer pro bono; this is 3,486 barristers. Additionally, in 2018, the Bar contributed almost 11,000 hours of
pro bono work. In the United Kingdom, a collaboration between local intellectual property organizations called IP Pro Bono offers intellectual property advice and legal support for claimants and defendants in intellectual property disputes.
United States Lawyers in the
United States are recommended under
American Bar Association (ABA) ethical rules to contribute at least 50 hours of
pro bono service per year. Some state
bar associations, however, may recommend fewer hours. Rule 6.1 of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct strongly encourages lawyers to aspire to provide at least 50 hours of
pro bono service each year and quantifies the minimal financial contributions that lawyers should aspire to make to organizations providing legal services to the poor and underserved. In contrast, other states, such as Illinois, do not have recommended hours, yet require annual disclosure of voluntary
pro bono hours and contributions made to
pro bono organizations. The Chief Judge of New York has also instituted a requirement that applicants who plan to be admitted in 2015 and onward must complete 50 hours of
pro bono service in order to qualify. All attorneys who register must report their voluntary
pro bono hours or voluntary contributions. The ABA has conducted four national surveys of
pro bono service: one released in August 2005, the second in February 2009, the third in March 2013 and the fourth in April 2018. The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and its project, the Center for Pro Bono, are a national source of information, resources and assistance to support, facilitate, and expand the delivery of
pro bono legal help. The ABA Standing Committee also sponsors Pro Bono Week during the week of 23–29 October. The ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel and Section of Litigation jointly sponsor the ABA Military Pro Bono Project, which delivers
pro bono legal assistance to enlisted, active-duty military personnel. In an October 2007 press conference reported in
The Wall Street Journal and
The New York Times, the law student group
Building a Better Legal Profession released its first annual ranking of top
law firms by average billable hours,
pro bono participation, and demographic diversity. The report found that most large firms fall short of their
pro bono targets. The group has sent the information to top law schools around the country, encouraging students to take this data into account when choosing where to work after graduation.
The American Lawyer compiles, from among its 200 top-rated law firms, those that contributed the most
pro bono hours of service during the previous calendar year, publishing the list annually. In the United States, the Patent Pro Bono Program is a nationwide network of independently operated regional programs that matches volunteer patent professionals with financially under-resourced inventors and small businesses for the purpose of securing
patent protection. == Architecture ==