Fundación Pro Bono Chile

What Fundación Pro Bono Chile does

Fundación Pro Bono Chile is a Chilean non-profit organization founded in 2000 that promotes and facilitates equal access to justice for vulnerable individuals, NGOs, and microentrepreneurs by coordinating free legal services through a network of volunteer lawyers. Its operational backbone is the Intranet Pro Bono case management platform (intranet.probono.cl), which implements a four-step methodology: web-based case intake, lawyer-led analysis and review, assignment to member law firm volunteers, and ongoing supervision through the life of the case. The foundation restricts case handling to the Santiago Metropolitan Region and excludes certain matter types (child support and direct-contact enforcement, banking fraud).

The organization generates revenue exclusively through donations and membership contributions rather than service fees; its 50+ member law firms and corporate legal departments — including Carey, Baker McKenzie, Cariola, PwC, Santander, Albagli Zaliasnik, Cencosud, and Falabella — supply the in-kind volunteer capacity that constitutes the bulk of its programmatic output. Beyond direct representation, the foundation runs a portfolio of specialized programs: Pro Bono Arbitration, the Innocents Project (Proyecto Inocentes) for wrongful-conviction cases, the Desafío Pro Bono law student competition, Legal and Civic Education programs, the Ayuda Legal Chile public information portal, a podcast, and the Red Pro Bono de las Américas regional network. Strategic partnerships with the Defensoría Penal Pública, Corporación de Asistencia Judicial, the Chilean Bar Association, Columbia Law School, and SENAMA extend its referral and best-practice ecosystem. Pro bono hours contributed grew from 27,220 in 2022 to 35,222 in 2025, with case intake tripling between Q1 2021 and Q1 2023, and the organization has assisted over 14,000 people since founding.

Name

Fundación Pro Bono Chile

Legal name

Fundación Pro Bono

Website

https://probono.cl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fundación Pro Bono Chile is a Chilean non-profit founded in 2000 that coordinates free legal services for vulnerable individuals, NGOs, and microentrepreneurs in the Santiago Metropolitan Region through a 50+ member law firm network and a web-based case management platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pro Bono Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Pro bono legal services
• Legal aid coordination
• Access to justice
• Nonprofit legal representation
• Volunteer lawyer network

Headquarters

HQ city

Santiago

HQ country

Chile

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Fundación Pro Bono Chile is a nonprofit foundation that coordinates free legal representation in civil, criminal, and family law matters for vulnerable individuals and free legal assistance for NGOs and microentrepreneurs in Chile's Santiago Metropolitan Region. It receives case requests through a web-based intranet platform, reviews them with its legal team, assigns accepted cases to volunteer lawyers from a network of 50+ member law firms and corporate legal departments, and supervises cases throughout their proceedings.

Product overview

Fundación Pro Bono Chile operates as a legal services non-profit organization (founded 2000) that promotes and facilitates equal access to justice for vulnerable individuals and social organizations in Chile. The organization does not offer a single software product but rather a suite of interconnected programs and services: (1) the core Intranet Platform for case management and intake, (2) direct legal representation services for individuals (personas naturales) and legal entities (ONGs and microempresarios), (3) specialized programs including the Pro Bono Arbitration Program, the Innocents Project for wrongful conviction exoneration, and the Pro Bono Challenge competition for law students, (4) educational programs through the Legal Education Program and Civic Education Program, and (5) the Red Pro Bono de las Américas regional network. Legal case handling follows a four-step methodology: receiving cases via the web platform, analyzing and reviewing by lawyers, deriving and assigning to volunteer members, and ongoing monitoring throughout proceedings. The organization also maintains the Ayuda Legal Chile legal information portal and a podcast series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Proyecto Inocentes: A program where lawyers represent individuals who have been wrongfully imprisoned without being guilty of any crime.
• Desafío Pro Bono
• Red Pro Bono de las Américas

Products and services

• Intranet Pro Bono (Plataforma de Casos)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 14,000 people assisted since founding
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SENAMAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Service for the Elderly (Servicio Nacional del Adulto Mayor) partnership for elderly legal assistance
• Movidos x ChileminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChilean volunteer coordination network
• Instituto Nacional de Propiedad Industrial (INAPI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Industrial Property Institute partnership for intellectual property legal assistance
• Diario ConstitucionalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstitutional law newspaper partnership for legal awareness dissemination
• Déficit CerominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil society organization focused on public policy
• Defensoría Penal PúblicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Criminal Defender partnership for criminal legal assistance coordination
• Corporación de Asistencia JudicialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal Assistance Corporation partnership for state-provided legal aid coordination
• Consejo para la TransparenciaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransparency Council partnership for transparency and good governance initiatives
• Comité Olímpico de ChileminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChilean Olympic Committee partnership for social programs
• Columbia Law SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partnership with Columbia Law School for pro bono knowledge sharing and best practices
• Colegio de Abogados de ChilecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChilean Bar Association partnership for professional legal community engagement
• City Bar Justice CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership with New York City Bar Justice Center for pro bono best practices
• Chile VoluntariominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChilean volunteer organization network
• Chile UnidominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil society foundation partnership
• Centro Nacional de ArbitrajesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Arbitration Center partnership for pro bono arbitration services
• Red Pro Bono de las AméricascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network connecting pro bono initiatives across Latin America and the Americas
• Member Law Firms (50+ firms)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of law firms providing volunteer legal services including Albagli Zaliasnik, Carey, Cariola, Baker McKenzie, Pwc, Santander, and others

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Defensoría Penal Pública: Chile's public criminal defense service. A core institutional partner of Fundación Pro Bono for criminal matters, it provides state-funded criminal defense — partially overlapping in target beneficiary base.
• Corporación de Asistencia Judicial (CAJ) – Región Metropolitana: State-funded legal aid provider serving Chile's Metropolitan Region, the same catchment area as Fundación Pro Bono. Comparable client population and free-service delivery model, though funded and operated by the Chilean state rather than philanthropy.

Direct peers

• Fundación Pro Bono Argentina: Argentine sister organization of the Red Pro Bono de las Américas network; coordinates pro bono legal services from member law firms to vulnerable individuals and NGOs. Directly comparable mission, model, and network structure in a neighboring Latin American jurisdiction.
• Instituto Pro Bono Brasil: Brazilian pro bono institute promoting volunteer legal services; similarly structures a network of law firm members and coordinates representation for vulnerable individuals and social organizations.
• Fundación Pro Bono México: Mexican pro bono foundation connecting vulnerable populations with volunteer lawyers from leading firms. Operates the same member-firm pro bono model and is part of the same Red Pro Bono de las Américas network.
• Fundación Pro Bono Perú: Peruvian pro bono foundation and Red Pro Bono de las Américas member applying the same volunteer-law-firm coordination model to expand access to justice in Peru.
• Fundación Pro Bono Colombia: Colombian pro bono legal foundation coordinating volunteer lawyers from member firms. Same volunteer-law-firm-network model and access-to-justice mission, making it a close regional peer.

Broad incumbents

• PILnet: Global leader in pro bono and access to justice that operates across multiple jurisdictions, including Latin America. Broader and better-funded, with comparable focus on building pro bono capacity and convening law firm networks.
• Pro Bono Institute: US-based international organization supporting pro bono legal services globally, including in the Americas. Larger portfolio and convening role, but shares the access-to-justice and law-firm-engagement mission.
• City Bar Justice Center: US-based pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association with explicit knowledge-exchange partnership with Fundación Pro Bono. Larger and broader, but operates the same volunteer-lawyer mobilization model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/fundacionprobono
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxC5GbnK1g5Lh5z
• Facebookfacebook.com/fundacionprobonochile
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundacion-pro-bono-chile
• Instagraminstagram.com/fundacionprobono

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fundación Pro Bono Chile