This Pro Bono Month, we’re turning to legal services organizations across the Paladin Network to hear directly from the teams working with pro bono volunteers every day.
Throughout October, we’ll ask a different question each week about the possibilities, perceptions, and impact of pro bono—and what legal services organizations want current and future volunteers to know.
We’ll be adding new perspectives throughout the month, so follow along as we IMAGINE, RETHINK, ACT, and INVITE.
Week 1: IMAGINE
Tomorrow, 100 new pro bono volunteers show up ready to help. What becomes possible?
We kicked off Pro Bono Month by asking Put Something Back / Dade Legal Aid to imagine what 100 additional volunteers could make possible for their organization and the communities they serve.
Put Something Back / Dade Legal Aid
Miami, FL
Someone drowning in credit-card debt finally has a path through bankruptcy instead of endless collection calls and wage garnishment. A homeowner facing foreclosure gets counsel in time to save their home before the sale date. A widow or widower, grieving the loss of a spouse, finds a glimmer of kindness instead of living in limbo with mounting bills and a house they cannot touch. Families get their wills, powers of attorney, and estate plans done before a crisis hits. Someone dreaming of starting a small business gets the guidance to incorporate without fear. Consumers have their contracts reviewed in days, not months, so no one gets taken advantage of.
Spanish-speaking clients are matched with attorneys who can meet them in their own language.
Put Something Back runs on lawyers who say yes. One hundred more yeses means more Miami-Dade neighbors dig out of debt, keep their homes, plan for their families, settle a loved one’s estate, and leave with real help – not another referral and a longer wait.
Week 2: RETHINK
What’s one misconception that keeps lawyers from volunteering with you, and what’s the reality?
This week, we’re challenging common misconceptions about pro bono volunteering, starting with West Tennessee Legal Services and their perspective on the time commitment involved in pro bono work.
West Tennessee Legal Services
Jackson, TN
The biggest misconception keeping lawyers from doing pro bono is that they don’t have the time.
That may once have been true. Pro bono often meant messy custody or divorce cases or giving up a Saturday at a legal clinic. If you couldn’t commit to one of those, you simply didn’t participate.
Many legal aid organizations still offer those options, but they’re no longer the only way to serve in 2026.
At WTLS, many opportunities take less than two hours and fit your schedule. Some are virtual clinics where you call assigned clients to complete their estate documents. Others are as simple as reviewing law student work from your couch.
Don’t let an outdated stereotype of pro bono keep you from helping others.
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Baltimore, MD
At Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (MDVLA), we sometimes hear, “I can’t volunteer with MDVLA because I don’t have an art law background!” In reality, art law spans a broad range of common legal practice areas: contracts, intellectual property, commercial real estate, business entity formation, and estate planning.
MDVLA’s clients are creative entrepreneurs with the same legal needs as any small business. From drafting a band’s partnership agreement to negotiating a baker’s commercial lease, MDVLA volunteers help creative professionals strengthen their businesses through limited-scope, transactional engagements. For attorneys looking to build new skills, MDVLA’s Director of Legal Services offers mentorship and support along the way. Those barred outside of Maryland can gain special authorization to participate.
Volunteering with MDVLA is an opportunity to put your existing expertise to work while helping under-resourced creatives sustain their livelihoods and build successful businesses.
Next week, we ACT by exploring the impact just one pro bono volunteer can make. Check back to hear what our featured organizations have to say!
Danielle Gobbo
Danielle is passionate about building strong relationships and finding thoughtful, creative solutions to challenges. With a natural problem-solving mindset and curiosity about how technology can make things better, she’s always looking for ways to improve experiences, strengthen connections, and make a meaningful impact. She brings a collaborative, people-first approach to everything she does.
More from Danielle
