What Is The Pro Bono Partnership?

About Pro Bono Partnership.

THE PRO BONO PARTNERSHIP is a tax-exempt public charity that provides free business legal services to eligible nonprofit community-based organizations in Westchester County, NY, Fairfield County, CT; Hartford, CT; and New Jersey.

The Partnership also assists nonprofits in surrounding areas on a case by case basis and has been instrumental in founding Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta.

THE PRO BONO PARTNERSHIP’S MISSION IS

To improve the effectiveness of eligible nonprofit organizations by providing them with free business legal assistance and education;

To provide business law attorneys, particularly corporate counsel, with opportunities for volunteer service.

WHAT SERVICES DO WE OFFER?

The Partnership’s in-house attorneys match the specific legal needs of our nonprofit clients to the legal expertise of business law attorneys from major corporations and law firms throughout the tri-state New York region. Our staff attorneys, expert in the law of nonprofits, also take about 20% of matter themselves.

The Partnership provides advice and counsel on matters related to:

Corporate structure and governance

Contracts and leases

Real estate

Employment law

Confidentiality issues

Environmental law

Intellectual property

State and federal reporting requirements

Tax law and tax exempt status

Regulatory compliance (e.g. registration, annual reporting, charitable solicitation)

Merger, bankruptcy, and dissolution

We also run workshops and training sessions on the laws pertaining to non-profit and tax exempt organizations and publish easy to understand articles on legal issues that can be used for problem solving or practical guidance.

We encourage the lawyers and other legal professionals who are part of our resource network to get involved with community service organizations beyond providing legal services.

ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible to become a client of the Partnership, an organization must be (1) a nonprofit, community-service organization working with the poor and disadvantaged or otherwise providing important social services, as well as arts organizations, civic organizations, and environmental organizations, and (2) unable to pay for legal services without significantly impairing resources for programs.

Upon reviewing a brief application for legal assistance, the staff will meet with representatives of all eligible non-profit organizations to discuss their legal needs in depth. Based on the outcome of this meeting, we will locate an attorney to represent the organization without charge and assign a staff attorney to provide support and monitor the progress of the matter.

For more information, please click here for contact information. To view and download the application form, click here.