Pro Bono Declaration of the Americas
In 2008, the Vance Center and several influential partners in Latin America launched the Pro Bono Declaration of the Americas.
The document is a formal declaration promoting access to justice through pro bono legal services across the Americas. It emphasizes the legal profession’s responsibility to serve poor and under-resourced communities, defines what constitutes pro bono work, and sets ethical standards for its delivery.
Key commitments include:
- Providing at least 20 hours of pro bono legal services per lawyer, annually.
- Collaborating with bar associations, law firms, law schools, NGOs, and government institutions to expand access to justice.
- Supporting legal education that emphasizes pro bono practice.
- Advocating for recognition of pro bono as part of lawyers’ ethical obligations.
Read the full Declaration here.
Today, the declaration has more than 550 signatories spanning 21 countries. This amounts to thousands of lawyers committing to undertaking tens of thousands of pro bono hours each year.
The list below includes some of the signatories that have made this commitment to strengthening a culture of pro bono, at the individual level or across an entire firm. Many of the signatory firms are also members of the pro bono clearinghouses in the Pro Bono Network of the Americas.
If you wish to sign the declaration and add your firm to this list, please contact pvillegas@nycbar.org.
