pro bono

American  

[proh boh-noh] / ˌproʊ ˈboʊ noʊ /

Or pro-bono

adjective

1. (of legal work) without charge to the client.

   The firm offers pro bono legal services. He took the case pro bono.

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Etymology

Origin of pro bono

First recorded in 1720–30, pro bono is from Latin prō bonō “for (the) good, rightly, morally”

Example Sentences

“It was Agent Crook who escalated,” Ricardo A. Nicol, a defense attorney who represented Hipolito pro bono, told the jury.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

A few weeks later, represented pro bono by the Institute for Justice, Gil appealed the ruling.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

Hill claimed to be working pro bono, although the center’s IRS filings revealed hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees, and on one occasion he invented a phone conversation with me that never happened.

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2026

As a pro bono lawyer, Mazari has worked on some of the most sensitive cases in Pakistan, including the enforced disappearances of ethnic Balochs, as well as defending the community's top activist, Mahrang Baloch.

From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026

Mary Miller and the Guardian ad Litem Program staff headed the guest list, which also included Martha Cook, who had been my pro bono Attorney ad Litem.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter