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The Indiana Pro Bono Network is a centralized platform that connects attorneys with pro bono opportunities offered by civil legal aid organizations across the state. Supported by The Indiana Bar Foundation and Pro Bono Indiana, and powered by Paladin, this platform streamlines the process of engaging in pro bono work. Attorneys can easily browse and accept available cases and volunteer opportunities with just a few clicks, making it simpler than ever to serve communities in need and fulfill professional service goals.

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Information & Tools for Pro Bono Volunteers

I really don’t have time to take a case pro bono. Is there anything else I can do?

Absolutely! Legal clinics are a good way to give back without a major time commitment. Go to our Volunteering page to find a legal clinic that needs volunteers, or answer questions posted on Indiana Free Legal Answers.

What are the benefits of working with a pro bono program?

Individual pro bono programs provide a variety of benefits and resources for their pro bono volunteers, such as:

  • Malpractice insurance coverage for volunteers and volunteer events;
  • Clients and cases that have been pre-screened for financial eligibility and legal merit;
  • Subject-matter experts willing to assist and to answer questions;
  • Access to free or low-cost training and CLE;
  • Meeting space for client consultations;
  • Access to copiers and other office equipment; and
  • Waiver or reimbursement of litigation expenses.

Not all pro bono programs offer all of these benefits, so check to see what is offered before accepting a case or incurring expenses.

What other resources and support are available for pro bono attorneys?

Every pro bono attorney in Indiana, whether or not they are working with a civil legal aid organization, has access to the resources on this website.

As a government lawyer who is not employed by the courts or judicial officers, am I prohibited by the Rules of Professional Conduct from engaging in pro bono work? 

No. There may be some limitations on the types of pro bono and access to justice work you may do because of your specific role and any potential conflicts of interest, but government lawyers are not generally prohibited from doing pro bono work (See, Conflict of Interest Rules generally, RPC 1.7, 1.8, 1.9,1.10, and 1.11). Further, some government employers may limit the scope of pro bono work that you might be able to do or otherwise impose restrictions on legal work beyond that of the government client or the government office employer.

Note: Restricting pro bono work of government lawyers may infringe on attorneys’ rights of free speech and association. But see Garcetti v. Caballos 547 U.S. 410 (2006) (holding that when speaking as a public employee and pursuant to official duties, public employees’ speech has no First Amendment protection; however, a citizen who works for the government is still a citizen and, as such, has First Amendment rights that cannot be limited, incidentally or intentionally, by a government employer).

As a government lawyer who is a judge or court officer or employed by the courts or judicial officers, am I prohibited by the Rules of Professional Conduct or the Code of Judicial Conduct from engaging in pro bono work?

There are limitations on your ability to provide pro bono legal services due to the additional limitations of extra-judicial activities of officers and staff of Indiana courts. For example, the Indiana Code of Judicial Conduct limits the extrajudicial activities of all court officers ( Ind. CJC 3.1 ) and requires the judge’s staff to act consistently with the judge’s obligations under the Code (Ind. CJC 2.12). Indiana Code of Judicial Conduct (CJC 3.10) specifically prohibits judges from practicing law with very narrow exceptions. As a judicial officer or a member of court staff, you should always check with your judge or court about practicing law outside of your government employment before commencing such work.

As a government lawyer, am I exempt from the responsibility to provide pro bono legal assistance under Indiana Rule of Professional Conduct (RPC) 6.1? 

No. RPC 6.1 provides no blanket exemption from the responsibility to provide pro bono legal assistance for government lawyers. Indeed, Indiana faces a critical shortage of attorneys and legal resources to provide legal service and access to civil legal resources to underserved individuals and communities. There are many service opportunities for government lawyers that can addresses these needs in varied, important, and manageable situations and contexts. 

What types of pro bono work meet the pro bono legal assistance guidelines listed under Indiana Rule of Professional Conduct (RPC) 6.1? 

RPC 6.1 identifies the following ways to carry out our pro bono responsibilities:

  • Providing professional legal services at no fee or a reduced fee to persons of limited means or to public service or charitable groups or organizations
  • Providing service in activities for improving the law, the legal system, or the legal profession
  • Providing financial support for organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means

The Comment to RPC 6.1 provides that service under this rule includes work provided without fee or at substantially reduced fee in several areas, which include:

  • Poverty law – work for a client who does not have the financial resources to compensate counsel;
  • Civil rights law – representation of the right of an individual that society has a special interest in protecting;
  • Public rights law – legal representation involving an important right belonging to a significant segment of the public;
  • Charitable organization representation – meaning representation of a charitable, religious, civic, governmental and educational institution on a matter in furtherance of the organization’s purpose where payment of customary legal fees would significantly deplete an organization’s economic resources or otherwise be inappropriate;

The Final Report of the Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future (July 1, 2025) makes numerous recommendations regarding solutions to address the lawyer shortage in our state: supporting and growing the legal profession, creating and supporting undergraduate to law school pipelines, and establishing mentorships around the practice of law and the legal profession.

  • Administration of justice – activity designed to increase the availability of legal representation or improve the administration of justice;
If I work to support other lawyers’ pro bono efforts, would that work qualify as pro bono work?

Examples of pro bono adjacent work that would qualify as pro bono work include:

  • Hours spent doing legal research or drafting for a case in which you, as a government lawyer, would be prohibited from filing an appearance in court
  • Hours spent helping to plan, organize or set up a pro bono clinic
  • Hours spent on preparing training for pro bono opportunities or taking such training (both as the lawyer/teacher and the lawyer/learner)

An example of pro bono adjacent work that would not count as pro bono work would be drafting an office policy on pro bono work. Such work would be a part of your work responsibilities and therefore would not be counted as pro bono work.

I manage a legal office of government lawyers, should my office have a policy regarding pro bono work?  

Yes. Government lawyers face some distinct issues regarding pro bono and access to justice service, including certain kinds of work that are not appropriate for a government attorney to do.  For example, a government lawyer should not perform pro bono work in a substantive area that might implicate the attorney’s work or the work of the attorney’s public agency. Any pro bono policy should be discussed and approved by the agency head of your office. 

I really don’t have time to take a case pro bono. Is there anything else I can do?

Absolutely! Legal clinics are a good way to give back without a major time commitment. Go to our Volunteering page to find a legal clinic that needs volunteers, or answer questions posted on Indiana Free Legal Answers.

What are the benefits of working with a pro bono program?

Individual pro bono programs provide a variety of benefits and resources for their pro bono volunteers, such as:

  • Malpractice insurance coverage for volunteers and volunteer events;
  • Clients and cases that have been pre-screened for financial eligibility and legal merit;
  • Subject-matter experts willing to assist and to answer questions;
  • Access to free or low-cost training and CLE;
  • Meeting space for client consultations;
  • Access to copiers and other office equipment; and
  • Waiver or reimbursement of litigation expenses.

Not all pro bono programs offer all of these benefits, so check to see what is offered before accepting a case or incurring expenses.

What other resources and support are available for pro bono attorneys?

Every pro bono attorney in Indiana, whether or not they are working with a civil legal aid organization, has access to the resources on this website.

What types of pro bono work meet the pro bono legal assistance guidelines listed under Indiana Rule of Professional Conduct (RPC) 6.1? 

RPC 6.1 identifies the following ways to carry out our pro bono responsibilities:

  • Providing professional legal services at no fee or a reduced fee to persons of limited means or to public service or charitable groups or organizations
  • Providing service in activities for improving the law, the legal system, or the legal profession
  • Providing financial support for organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means

The Comment to RPC 6.1 provides that service under this rule includes work provided without fee or at substantially reduced fee in several areas, which include:

  • Poverty law – work for a client who does not have the financial resources to compensate counsel;
  • Civil rights law – representation of the right of an individual that society has a special interest in protecting;
  • Public rights law – legal representation involving an important right belonging to a significant segment of the public;
  • Charitable organization representation – meaning representation of a charitable, religious, civic, governmental and educational institution on a matter in furtherance of the organization’s purpose where payment of customary legal fees would significantly deplete an organization’s economic resources or otherwise be inappropriate;

The Final Report of the Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future (July 1, 2025) makes numerous recommendations regarding solutions to address the lawyer shortage in our state: supporting and growing the legal profession, creating and supporting undergraduate to law school pipelines, and establishing mentorships around the practice of law and the legal profession.

  • Administration of justice – activity designed to increase the availability of legal representation or improve the administration of justice;
If I work to support other lawyers’ pro bono efforts, would that work qualify as pro bono work?

Examples of pro bono adjacent work that would qualify as pro bono work include:

  • Hours spent doing legal research or drafting for a case in which you, as a government lawyer, would be prohibited from filing an appearance in court
  • Hours spent helping to plan, organize or set up a pro bono clinic
  • Hours spent on preparing training for pro bono opportunities or taking such training (both as the lawyer/teacher and the lawyer/learner)

An example of pro bono adjacent work that would not count as pro bono work would be drafting an office policy on pro bono work. Such work would be a part of your work responsibilities and therefore would not be counted as pro bono work.

I regularly do a lot of unpaid public interest work every year that is not required to be reported by of RPC 6.7; is the court interested in learning about those efforts in my annual registration?

It seems the court is particularly interested in tracking only the information sought, reportable pro bono hours. While the court encourages a wide range of pro bono pro bono public interest work through RPC 6.1. ,the annual registration is not built to collect data on other good pro bono work.

As a government lawyer, am I exempt from reporting my pro bono service to the Indiana Supreme Court in conjunction with my annual registration as a member of the Indiana Bar?

Not necessarily. As a government lawyer, RPC 6.7(a)(4) may provide an exemption from reporting your pro bono hours devoted directly to an individual or individuals of limited means. Specifically, if you, as a government lawyer, are “prohibited by statute, rule, regulation, or agency policy” from providing legal services outside of your employment, then you are exempt from reporting. If no law or policy prohibits you from providing legal services outside of your government employment, you are required to report pro bono hours spent in providing legal services directly to individuals of limited means, whether the number of hours is zero or 100 or somewhere in between.

Note: if you are a government lawyer employed by a judge or a court, you are exempt from reporting without limitation.

As a government lawyer who is a member of the judiciary or judicial staff, am I exempt from reporting my pro bono service to the Indiana Supreme Court in conjunction with my annual registration as a member of the Indiana Bar?

Yes, RPC 6.7(a)(4) provides a blanket exemption to any pro bono reporting obligation for lawyers who are members of the judiciary or judicial staff.

Is there a difference between public interest legal service responsibilities of RPC 6.1 and pro bono work required to be reported by RPC 6.7?

Yes. The public interest responsibilities encouraged by RPC 6.1 casts a wider net of activities than the reporting requirement of RPC 6.7. The latter makes clear that the Indiana Supreme Court’ reporting requirement gathers “only a subset” of the pro bono public interest work encouraged by RPC 6.1.

I regularly do a lot of unpaid public interest work every year that is not required to be reported by of RPC 6.7; is the court interested in learning about those efforts in my annual registration?

It seems the court is particularly interested in tracking only the information sought, reportable pro bono hours. While the court encourages a wide range of pro bono pro bono public interest work through RPC 6.1. ,the annual registration is not built to collect data on other good pro bono work.

I regularly do a lot of unpaid public interest work that is not required to be reported by of RPC 6.7; may I report those efforts in my annual registration?

As it currently exists, you are invited to include additional information about helping others in a short survey included with the annual registration process. In addition, you may opt to share your perspectives on this work with future law students.

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