Lawyer Support & Resources
PBRC connects volunteers to a variety of resources as they engage in pro bono work. We make pro bono work more manageable by providing essential support to volunteers including matching them with mentors, training, litigation funds, and short-term hands-on experiences.
Find Volunteer Opportunities Now
PBRC helps you give back to the community through a variety of volunteer service opportunities based on your particular set of legal skills, areas of interest and location. Opportunities range from direct representation and mediation to offering brief advice in clinics, staffing hotlines and mentoring new volunteers.
Register for a Pro Bono Training
Extensive, high quality free or discounted training is available to you in exchange for a pro bono commitment. Courses are offered either live or on-line via webcast or webinar formats in various levels. Free and discounted slots for a selection of MSBA CLE courses are also available through PBRC.
Mentoring
PBRC recognizes the value of mentors, especially for newer lawyers or those entering a new practice area. Most programs connect volunteers with more experienced practitioners as needed, and all of PBRC’s Pro Bono Projects engage mentors to assist new volunteers.
Malpractice Insurance
The vast majority of legal services programs provide malpractice insurance to their volunteers. All volunteers in PBRC’s Pro Bono Projects, including government and corporate counsel and retired attorneys, receive primary malpractice insurance coverage for their pro bono casework or clinic service.
Pro Bono Rules & Reporting
Lawyers are linked to the Maryland Rules related to pro bono practice and information about the annual mandatory filing process for pro bono and IOLTA reports.
Learn About PBRC’s Pro Bono Projects
When an urgent legal need is not being met, PBRC creates new pro bono projects specifically targeting those critical legal problems. Each project includes solid training and mentoring components, provides volunteers with malpractice insurance, and involves a variety of clinical and other direct service opportunities.
Sign up for the E-Bulletin
To make pro bono service opportunities more accessible, PBRC compiles and circulates a free, online E-Bulletin twice a month that summarizes current pro bono training and individual case opportunities available throughout the state from a variety of legal services programs, related events, and job opportunities.
Access the Litigation Fund
As a volunteer through an MLSC-funded legal services program, you may be able to receive reimbursement for certain expenses associated with your pro bono or Judicare case. PBRC administers the state’s Litigation Fund and will reimburse certain costs within the guidelines depending on funding and eligibility.
Recognition
Through the annual Maryland Pro Bono Service Awards, the MSBA Bar Bulletin and other articles and media sources, and the National Celebration of Pro Bono, PBRC recognizes outstanding volunteer lawyers, firms and others for their dedication to the delivery of pro bono civil legal services to Maryland’s disadvantaged.