Pro Bono Attorneys

Free legal aid for non-profit organisations

Thanks to the Pro Bono Attorneys, we are improving the availability of qualified legal aid for non-profit organisations which otherwise would not be able to afford it.

Since 2011, we have been connecting attorneys and law firms with trusted third-sector organisations in need of legal aid. As a result, associations, foundations and other public benefit initiatives can help more children, senior citizens, people with mental and physical disabilities, the homeless, families in crisis, refugees, and nature long-term and effectively.

Pro bono is an abbreviation of the Latin expression ‘pro bono publico’ meaning ‘for the public good’. It refers to professional work provided free of charge or at a symbolic price.

The idea to establish the Pro Bono Attorneys initiative in Slovakia came from the international organisation PILnet (The Global Network for Public Interest Law), which develops free legal services through its branches in more than twenty countries around the world. Together with PILnet and other regional partners, we established a joint platform in 2013. It is called the European Pro Bono Alliance and currently has 14 members. Besides the PILnet organisation, we also cooperate within the V4 with clearinghouses in the neighbouring Czech Republic (Pro Bono Alliance), Hungary (PILnet Budapest) and Poland (Pro Bono Centre).