U.S. Department
of Justice
Federal Government Pro Bono Program
The Federal Government Pro Bono Program is an award-winning program that empowers federal government attorneys to leverage their legal skills and experience to help reduce the justice gap and increase access to justice.
History of the Federal Government Pro Bono Program
Every Administration since the 1970s has made efforts to encourage federal government attorneys to engage in pro bono work, removing and refining obstacles to facilitate attorneys’ involvement in this professional duty.
This process led to the 1996 issuance of Executive Order 12988, which instructed federal agencies to create policies encouraging their staff to volunteer. The Order explicitly mentioned pro bono work done by federal attorneys and assigned the Attorney General to coordinate the government-wide endeavor. To comply with the Order, the Department of Justice first drafted its own pro bono policy and created a Pro Bono Program. With the foundation laid, the Department of Justice then invited all federal agencies to join an Interagency Pro Bono Working Group, a committee that could help agencies both comply with the Order and establish their own pro bono policies.
Since then, the Interagency Pro Bono Working Group—which is chaired by the Office for Access to Justice and currently serves as the Federal Government Pro Bono Program’s steering committee—has broadened the scope of its initial duty to create pro bono policies to include acting as a resource for all federal agencies on issues pertaining to federal attorneys’ pro bono work. Currently, the Program includes more than 60 federal agencies. Every agency has a pro bono coordinator, and most agencies have written pro bono policies to guide and encourage their attorneys and legal staff.
What We Do
For decades, federal government attorneys and legal staff have been fulfilling their professional duties and increasing access to justice through pro bono work.
According to a 2022 report by the Legal Services Corporation, 74% of low-income households had at least one civil legal problem in the prior year—and 55% of low-income Americans who personally had a civil legal problem said those problems substantially impacted their lives in some way, including affecting things like their finances, mental health, physical health and safety, and relationships. Overall, Americans with low incomes reported not getting any or enough help for 92% of the civil legal problems that substantially impacted them.
All attorneys have a professional duty to provide legal assistance or support to those who cannot afford to pay for that help. Many state bar associations support this obligation in a variety of ways, including requesting that their attorneys report their pro bono contributions, offering their attorneys continuing legal education credit for their pro bono work, and creating special authorization for attorneys licensed in other states to do pro bono work within their jurisdiction. The Federal Government Pro Bono Program helps federal government attorneys to navigate these rules and to fulfill this professional duty.
The Federal Government Pro Bono Program is an award-winning program that empowers federal government attorneys to leverage their legal skills and experience to help reduce the justice gap and increase access to justice. Today, federal government attorneys regularly handle cases and projects for a wide variety of organizations, volunteer at brief advice clinics, draft wills and life planning documents for pro bono clients, and provide educational opportunities to high school students to encourage them to consider legal careers.
While the Program began in Washington, D.C., it has expanded throughout the years to have branches in numerous major cities throughout the United States, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco. In all these locations, committees consisting of local federal government attorneys and legal staff members work with Pro Bono Program staff to train their fellow federal government volunteers, cultivate relationships with local legal services organizations, and host volunteer-recruitment events. Regardless of location, the Program is available to assist any federal government attorney or legal staff member with finding suitable pro bono opportunities in their jurisdiction, including through resources like the Program’s Pro Bono Volunteer Guides and the DOJ Pro Bono Portal (available only to DOJ attorneys).
Throughout each year, the Program and agency internal pro bono committees host pro bono-focused events and activities, such as informational presentations, legal briefings, pro bono clinics, and case placement programs. The Program’s premier event is the annual Federal Government Pro Bono Week, which the Program has sponsored every October since 2003 with the goal of encouraging and honoring pro bono work performed by federal government attorneys and legal staff.
Awards & Recognition
2024
- D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center’s Stephen J. Pollak Pro Bono Award
2018
- Neighborhood Legal Services Program of D.C.’s Justice in the Community Award
2009
- American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award
2000
Note to the Public
The Federal Government Pro Bono Program cannot provide members of the public with an attorney, a specific referral, or any legal advice. Our Program does not directly match clients with attorneys. Please do not send unsolicited personal or sensitive materials. The Program is a resource for federal government attorneys who want to volunteer their professional skills. We connect federal government attorneys with legal services organizations that have volunteer opportunities but do not arrange for counsel for individuals or connect individuals with attorneys or legal services. We recommend that you contact an attorney or legal services organization in your area to assist you.