We are a not-for-profit, independent, non-partisan association, devoted to fostering a cultural and juridical environment conductive to the development of pro bono services within the Italian legal system and an active dialogue with the international public interest law community.
We believe that pro bono is a direct expression of the social function of the legal profession, instrumental to the upholding of human rights and the improvement of the legal system. We therefore believe that lawyers have a professional, social and ethical responsibility to volunteer their time and legal expertise for the public good and to help ensure equal access to justice. Further, we believe that providing pro bono services makes for better lawyers, increasing our motivation, standards of conduct and cross-disciplinary skills.
In order to achieve its mission, Pro Bono Italia fosters an open dialogue and cooperation between lawyers, non-profit organisations, clearing-houses and legal clinics operating nationally and abroad. It organizes training activities on relevant legal, social and cultural matters, aimed at facilitating the performance of pro bono services. The association also intends to cooperate with local, national and International Bar associations and governmental institutions to promote the approval of laws, regulations, codes and ethical standards instrumental to the development of pro bono in Italy. Pro Bono Italia does not directly furnish pro bono legal services, doing so through its members.
Many members of Pro Bono Italia have actively participated in, and continue to support, the Italian Pro Bono Roundtable, an informal network of lawyers and non-profit associations promoted by PILnet (The Global Network for Public Interest Law) in April 2014, with the goal of increasing pro bono awareness in Italy. The Roundtable helped organize the European Pro Bono Forum, held for the first time in Rome in November 2015, and continues to hold regular meetings in Milan and Rome. It now operates within the framework of Pro Bono Italia.
