Pro bono publico is a Latin expression that means for the public good. Shortened to pro bono, within the legal community it refers to the provision of legal services for free or at a dramatically reduced cost to persons and organizations in need of representation but without sufficient financial resources to retain a lawyer.
Jackson & Campbell, P.C.’s dedication to service within its community finds expression through maintaining our long tradition of providing pro bono legal assistance to persons and organizations of limited means. We do this not because we are required to do so, but because of our conviction that attorneys have a moral responsibility to contribute their time, skills, and other resources to provide legal representation to members of the public who could not otherwise afford them.
This commitment has been institutionalized within the firm through the work of a committee which reaches out to individuals and organizations in our community who need legal assistance, and ensures that our available pro bono resources are allocated to do the most good among those who are less fortunate.
Our lawyers have represented clients on a pro bono basis in our local, state, and federal courts. Most cases fall within the areas of landlord and tenant, employment, estate planning, creditors’ rights, and personal bankruptcy law, as that is where our assistance creates the most benefit, but we also have represented clients in more complex civil matters ranging from tax cases to those involving important immigration/deportation and asylum issues. We have accepted pro bono matters from the Legal Counsel for the Elderly, the Whitman Walker Health, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee on Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program, the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center (including helping to staff its Advice and Referral Clinics), and the Pro Bono Program of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Ultimately, the respect in which Jackson & Campbell is held by the local legal community for its commitment to its pro bono program is most plainly visible when, as has happened on more than one occasion, a judge asks one of our lawyers to take on a pro bono matter, knowing that it will be handled with skill and compassion.