CPBO offers ethics resources and ethics programming for pro bono.

Ethics resources

CPBO has created a resource summarizing select practice and ethics rules that apply to pro bono legal services by lawyers in the United States, as well as a library of issue-specific guides. These resources are listed below.

An overview of select practice and other ethics rules that apply to pro bono legal services by lawyers in the United States:

• Guide to Select Rules for Pro Bono Practice

Read about limited scope representations, conflict checks, and pro bono:

• Limited Scope Rules Guide

Learn how legal ghostwriting can further access to justice, and about the rules and ethics opinions that apply to ghostwriting by lawyers in the United States:

• Ghostwriting Rules Guide

Many jurisdictions in the United States have an aspirational goal for annual pro bono hours. Learn more here:

• Pro Bono Hours Guide

Read about mandatory and voluntary reporting of pro bono service:

• Pro Bono Reporting Guide

Learn how lawyers in some U.S. states earn Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit for their pro bono service:

• Pro Bono Credit for CLE Guide

Additional resources related to pro bono and multijurisdictional practice by non-locally licensed in-house attorneys are available on CPBO’s Multijurisdictional Practice page.

Ethics programming

CPBO’s Ethics of In-House Pro Bono program is an off-the-shelf, customizable presentation for in-house attorneys interested in legal pro bono service. The program identifies ethical rules relevant to in-house pro bono practice and highlights best practices for in-house counsel to avoid ethical or liability issues in pro bono matters. The one to two hour presentation covers several topics, including:

• managing pro bono matters;
• multijurisdictional practice rules;
• avoiding conflicts of interest and positional/business conflicts; and
• providing limited scope representation.

CPBO provides guidance, sample resources, and materials to legal departments or ACC chapters to host an ethics program. CPBO also provides onsite assistance, including panel participation, if desired. A law firm or other interested organization may co-host a program to assist with obtaining CLE credit.

To read about previous Ethics of In-House Pro Bono programs:

• Blogs about Ethics of In-House Pro Bono programs
• Illinois and In-House Pro Bono
• Verizon Ethics Program
• Ethics of In-House Pro Bono at ACC

To learn more or to co-host an Ethics of In-House Pro Bono program for your ACC chapter or legal department, contact CPBO.