Pro Bono Legal Service

Pro bono is a Latin phrase, the meaning of which is “for the good of the people.” It refers to legal services performed without cost or at reduced rates for the public good. It is a system wherein lawyers offer their poor and underprivileged clients with valuable legal advice and support without any professional fee. This article covers the provision in detail.

Whom Does it Serve?

Pro Bono services are meant to provide legal assistance to the marginalized communities and underserved populations, whose affordability is not on par with their requirements. A lawyer may accept such responsibilities either individually or through organizations that promote social causes.

Related Laws

The following laws help in fulfilling the objective of this system:

The Constitution of India - mandates the State to render free legal aid to the poor and weaker sections of the society for the purpose of promoting justice based on equal opportunity.
Article 14 and 22(2) of the Constitution - ensures equality before the law.
The United Nations Sustainable Development, Goal 16 - emphasizes the obligation of States ‘to ensure equal access to justice for all.’

Eligible Lawyers and Legal Professionals

Lawyers and Regional Professionals may register for the service if they have been enrolled with a bar council or has been practising as an advocate at the Bar. No age limit has been specified for creating a profile for pro bono, and those aged between 44-54 years of age will be given the option of providing additional information, which is to be considered for suitable positions.

Registration Process

Applicants who wish to be a part of this scheme must be registered with

ServicePlus, which is a Government website that makes all Government services accessible to the common man through common service delivery outlets. In the absence of a ServicePlus ID, the applicant may send across the application by filling and submitting the online registration form.

Corporate Pro Bono Efforts

Corporate pro bono efforts emphasize on enhancing the capacity of local nonprofits or mentoring local businesses. For this purpose, they may loan employees, impart coaching and mentoring, complete a service marathon, create standardized team projects, engage in open-ended outsourcing, perform general contracting, provide sector-wise solutions or work on a signature issue. Here’s a brief account on each of these models:

Loaned Employees

Companies may donate a fully trained and paid-for employee to a non-profit entity, and interested employees may apply for such an opportunity. The latter may use their workplace skills in a hands-on and/or consulting role to build the non-profit partner’s capacity.

Functional Coaching and Mentoring

Employees may join their peers in the non-profit segment to form a relationship and share functional expertise. Coaching and mentoring make way for a stronger market, as it strengthens the local economy and inculcates essential skills on the service providers and recipients.

Standardized Team Projects

Here, the individuals will be placed on teams with assigned roles and responsibilities. Each project is scoped and structured around a standard deliverable in accordance with the requirements of the nonprofit partners. Team projects include fun team-building activities or highly competitive events that examines leadership abilities in employees.

Open-ended Outsourcing

Companies may make their service available to certain

non-profit organizations on an ongoing basis, based on requirements.

Sector-wide Solutions

Companies may develop a deliverable pro bono resource, which can be applied to all non-profits across the sector. The model prompts for the creation of products that will be distributed freely or at a lesser cost. Most of these services pertain to software and technology. Also Read About -

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI)

Signature Issue

Signature issue incorporates corporate assets with pro bono work in fighting social issues. Pro Bono volunteers arriving en masse from a company would be involved in this cause.

Back to Learn

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Pro Bono Legal Services for Marginalized Communities.

Pro bono legal services are primarily aimed at providing legal assistance to marginalized communities and underprivileged populations whose financial means may not be sufficient to afford legal representation. These services are meant to promote access to justice for those who cannot afford legal fees.

The Constitution of India mandates the State to provide free legal aid to the poor and weaker sections of society to ensure equal access to justice. Additionally, Article 14 and Article 22(2) of the Constitution ensure equality before the law. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16 also emphasizes the obligation of States to ensure equal access to justice for all.

Lawyers and legal professionals who are enrolled with a bar council or practicing as advocates can register for pro bono services. They can either register individually or through organizations that promote social causes. The registration process involves creating a profile on the ServicePlus website, which is a government platform for accessing various services.

Corporate pro bono efforts focus on enhancing the capacity of local non-profit organizations or mentoring local businesses. Companies can engage in various models, such as loaning employees, providing functional coaching and mentoring, creating standardized team projects, offering open-ended outsourcing services, developing sector-wide solutions, or working on signature issues related to specific social causes.

Under the "loaned employees" model, companies can donate a fully trained and paid employee to a non-profit organization for a certain period. The employee can then use their workplace skills in a hands-on or consulting role to build the non-profit partner's capacity.

Standardized team projects involve placing employees in teams with assigned roles and responsibilities. Each project is structured around a standard deliverable tailored to the requirements of the non-profit partners. These projects can include team-building activities or competitive events that assess leadership abilities.

Companies can develop pro bono resources or deliverables that can be applied to all non-profit organizations within a specific sector. These solutions often involve creating software or technology products that can be distributed freely or at a reduced cost to benefit multiple organizations in the same field.

The "signature issue" model involves companies aligning their corporate assets and pro bono work to address specific social issues. In this model, pro bono volunteers from the company work collectively on a particular cause or social challenge.

Through functional coaching and mentoring, employees from the corporate sector can share their expertise and form relationships with their counterparts in non-profit organizations. This approach not only strengthens the local economy but also helps inculcate essential skills among service providers and recipients in the non-profit sector.

Pro bono legal services are crucial for promoting access to justice, particularly for underprivileged and marginalized communities who may not have the financial means to afford legal representation. By providing free or reduced-cost legal assistance, pro bono services help ensure that everyone, regardless of their economic status, has access to the justice system and can exercise their legal rights effectively.