What Corporate Pro Bono does

Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) is a global nonprofit initiative founded in 2005 as a joint partnership of the Pro Bono Institute (PBI) and the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), headquartered in Washington, D.C. CPBO's mission is to identify new approaches to pro bono legal service and tailor opportunities that close the justice gap by supporting in-house corporate legal departments in establishing, enhancing, and benchmarking their pro bono programs. Its core offering is the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge®, a voluntary statement of commitment launched in 2006 that serves as the industry benchmark for in-house pro bono; signatories commit to encouraging pro bono participation by their legal staff and to engaging outside counsel in pro bono work. Supporting products include the Clinic in a Box® structured clinic model, Financial Institution Pro Bono Day® (FIPBD) and EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day annual events, free consulting services, a resource library of practice guides and benchmarking reports, the CLO & Pro Bono Series Podcast, and the Pro Bono Happy Hour Podcast.

CPBO does not develop proprietary technology; it operates as a membership and community-based initiative rather than a software platform. Its go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, relying on ACC Annual Meeting programming, Pro Bono Summits, regional ACC chapter engagement, content marketing (the PBEye blog, The Wire newsletter, benchmarking publications), and organic social channels. The initiative reports 150+ CPBO Challenge signatories spanning Fortune 500 corporations across technology, financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, consumer products, energy, and media — including Amazon, Microsoft, Bank of America, Citi, 3M, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, GM, Koch Industries, Comcast NBCUniversal, and Capital One.

CPBO is funded as a 501(c)(3) project of the Pro Bono Institute through charitable donations, foundation grants, and organizational partnerships, and provides its services, consulting, and resources free of charge to participating legal departments. The organization operates with a small staff (1–10 employees) under director Eve Runyon, and holds four registered trademarks (CPBO®, CPBO Challenge®, Clinic in a Box®, FIPBD®) that reinforce its position as the recognized standard for in-house pro bono globally.

Name

Corporate Pro Bono

Legal name

Pro Bono Institute

Website

https://cpbo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) is a nonprofit initiative of the Pro Bono Institute and the Association of Corporate Counsel that supports corporate legal departments in establishing, benchmarking, and expanding pro bono legal service programs through the CPBO Challenge®, Clinic in a Box®, and industry-specific events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit funding: CPBO is a project of the Pro Bono Institute (PBI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Funding comes from charitable donations, foundation support, and organizational partnerships. The website explicitly invites donations through probonoinst.org/supportpbi/.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) is a non-profit initiative that identifies new approaches to pro bono service and tailors opportunities to close the justice gap. It supports corporate legal departments in establishing, maturing, and benchmarking pro bono programs through the CPBO Challenge® Initiative, Clinic in a Box® programs, free consulting services, annual pro bono days, and a content library of practice guides, benchmarking reports, and sample documents.

Product overview

Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) is a global in-house pro bono partnership project of the Pro Bono Institute and the Association of Corporate Counsel that operates as a resource and support organization rather than a software product. The core offering is the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® Initiative—a voluntary commitment framework for corporate legal departments—supplemented by the Clinic in a Box® Programs for structured pro bono engagements. CPBO provides consulting services to help companies design and implement pro bono programs, along with an extensive resource library including publications, benchmarking reports, best practice profiles, and sample documents. Annual programming includes the Financial Institution Pro Bono Day® and EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day events, ACC Annual Meeting sessions, and the CLO & Pro Bono Series Podcast. Signatories benefit from free information, guidance, and tailored support to strengthen their pro bono initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CPBO Challenge: A voluntary statement of commitment to pro bono service by legal departments, their lawyers, and staff, launched in 2006.
• Clinic in a Box
• Financial Institution Pro Bono Day (FIPBD)
• EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day

Products and services

• Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® Initiative A voluntary commitment framework for corporate legal departments that serves as the recognized standard for in-house pro bono, enabling legal departments to identify, benchmark, and communicate their support for pro bono service.
• Clinic in a Box® Programs A structured pro bono clinic model that removes barriers for in-house counsel by providing one-time commitment opportunities with onsite training, CLE credit, malpractice coverage, and pre-screened clients.
• Consulting Services Free tailored technical assistance provided by CPBO staff to help companies strengthen existing pro bono programs or start new ones, including needs assessment and program design.
• Financial Institution Pro Bono Day® (FIPBD®) Event An annual industry-wide day of pro bono service for financial and insurance companies, delivering pro bono service and training opportunities supporting underserved communities globally.
• EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day An annual day of pro bono service established in partnership with Entergy Corporation and Edison Electric Institute, for volunteer attorneys in the energy utility sector.
• ACC Annual Meeting Programming CPBO's programming on in-house pro bono at ACC's Annual Meeting, with sessions covering topics such as sustainability, racial justice, CSR integration, and ethics of in-house pro bono.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80 pro bono service opportunities delivered through Financial Institution Pro Bono Day 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996ACC is the co-founding partner of CPBO, serving as the voice of the in-house bar. The partnership enables CPBO to reach corporate legal departments through ACC's membership network and events. ACC's commitment is demonstrated through the creation and ongoing support of CPBO as well as encouragement of employees' pro bono participation.
• Pro Bono Institute (PBI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996PBI is the co-founding organization of CPBO and administers the initiative. As a nonprofit mandated to explore approaches to helping the poor secure legal assistance, PBI provides the institutional framework, funding, and expertise for CPBO's operations.
• Law Firm Pro Bono ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPBO works closely with the Law Firm Pro Bono Project, the only global effort designed to support and enhance pro bono at major law firms. Many of the world's most respected large law firms are Members of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project, and CPBO encourages corporate signatories to partner with these firms on pro bono initiatives.
• Edison Electric Institute (EEI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEEI partnered with CPBO and Entergy Corporation to establish EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day, an annual day of pro bono service for volunteer attorneys in the energy sector.
• Entergy CorporationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEntergy's legal department partnered with CPBO and EEI to establish EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day, an annual day of pro bono service for energy sector attorneys.
• Bank of America CorporationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBank of America is a Charter Signatory to the CPBO Challenge and has been a leader in corporate pro bono since 2005. Their Pro Bono Committee developed pro bono policies, created intranet resources, and resolved issues around malpractice insurance and staff participation.
• Corebridge FinancialminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorebridge Financial partnered with the Alliance for Children's Rights in Southern California to help children in foster care find permanent homes through adoption and legal guardianship, demonstrating pro bono service that transforms lives one family at a time.
• Citigroup Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCiti has been a CPBO Challenge Signatory since the initiative's inception, partnering with multiple law firms including Strook & Strook & Lavan, Greenberg Traurig, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges on pro bono projects including hurricane relief and senior legal services.
• Comcast NBCUniversalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerComcast's legal department conducts annual MLK Day life-planning clinics for older Philadelphians in partnership with SeniorLAW Center and Blank Rome, preparing wills, living wills, and healthcare directives.
• Koch Industries / Koch Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKoch's in-house counsel help hundreds of low-income residents annually get driver's licenses reinstated or criminal records expunged across the U.S. The company partners with Barnes & Thornburg LLP and has developed a force multiplier model combining partnership, mentorship, and technology.
• Capital OneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapital One launched a Skills-Based Pro Bono program in 2020 that built upon volunteerism from Brand, Design, and Legal departments, now serving as an enterprise-wide effort supporting nonprofits, startups, small businesses, and CDFIs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pro Bono Partnership: Nonprofit that mobilizes volunteer attorneys from corporations and law firms to provide free business legal services to nonprofits - closely analogous operating model and client base to CPBO.
• Pro Bono Net: Nonprofit that develops technology and programs to increase pro bono civil legal aid capacity - similar mission of expanding access to pro bono services through coordination, training, and infrastructure.
• OneJustice: California-based nonprofit that trains and supports pro bono attorneys, including corporate counsel, on access-to-justice matters - similar pro bono capacity-building focus with a regional lens.
• Pro Bono Institute: CPBO's parent/operating organization and co-founder; PBI runs the Law Firm Pro Bono Project and other pro bono initiatives under the same institutional umbrella, making it the most direct peer.
• Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC): CPBO's co-founding partner and the largest association serving in-house counsel; offers pro bono programming, resources, and chapter-level events that directly compete with and complement CPBO's offerings.
• Taproot Foundation: Nonprofit that connects corporate employees (including legal professionals) to pro bono opportunities for nonprofits; similar pro bono matching/coordination model but broader across professional disciplines.
• ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono & Public Service: The American Bar Association's flagship pro bono coordinating body; publishes resources, runs Pro Bono Week, and sets national pro bono standards in parallel to CPBO's in-house focus.
• Law Firm Pro Bono Project: Sister initiative also housed at the Pro Bono Institute; supports pro bono at major law firms rather than corporate legal departments - mirrors CPBO's structure and serves an adjacent customer segment.

Emerging players

• VolunteerMatch: Tech-enabled volunteer-matching platform that, while not legal-specific, addresses the same fundamental challenge CPBO solves: connecting skilled professionals with nonprofit volunteer opportunities.

Broad incumbents

• National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA): Larger, established umbrella organization for civil legal aid and public defense - broader mandate than CPBO but overlapping mission of expanding access to legal services for low-income communities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ProBonoInst
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ProBonoInstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/ProBonoInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/336371
• Instagraminstagram.com/probonoinst

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Corporate Pro Bono