Pro Bono Ontario

Founded in 2001, Pro Bono Ontario is an access to justice charity that leverages lawyers’ goodwill to help low-income Ontarians address legal issues that interfere with their ability to lead secure, healthy and productive lives. PBO delivers on this mission by creating and managing programs that provide high-quality legal services to the public and offer risk-managed, supported opportunities for lawyers to give back. PBO addresses common but underserved civil, non-family legal issues. They include employment, consumer protection, housing, civil procedure and education law matters. We provide low-barrier services by embedding them in frontline environments like hospitals and using technology. Our Free Legal Advice Hotline handles over 30,000 calls annually, with 86% of callers saying it’s their first chance to speak with a lawyer about their issue, and 72% resolving their legal problems through hotline consultations alone. Volunteer opportunities are available for: • private practice lawyers • government lawyers • in-house counsel • retired lawyers • law students