FAQs
This page provides responses from The Global Pro Bono Bar Association ("The Global Pro Bono Bar") to some of our most frequently asked questions ("FAQs") as follows: If the below information does not fully address your inquiry, please do reach out to us via the Contact Us page to request more information. Thank you for your interest in The Global Pro Bono Bar.
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The critical challenge facing volunteer legal services organizations is ensuring quality in volunteer service and resultant work products. The Global Pro Bono Bar employs a redundant system of team assignment as one tool to address such concerns. In the event that a volunteer from a given team fails to perform assigned tasks satisfactorily, members from the redundant team may serve as ready alternative volunteers to carry the work forward. The Global Pro Bono Bar also employs a system of peer volunteer evaluation in the form of a consolidated rating for each volunteer based on past evaluations from supervising team members, local advocate partners, and peers as appropriate. Future volunteer opportunities will be made available on the basis of these individual ratings as an incentive to reward consistency and quality. |
The Global Pro Bono Bar focuses its resources in support of local advocates on the ground, where greater public interest legal capacity is needed most. While coordination may sometimes be difficult in situations in which the advocacy work of such local advocates may be unwelcome in their home jurisdictions, The Global Pro Bono Bar prioritizes long-term expansion of the capacity necessary to overcome such deep-seated challenges. Only time and hard work will improve many of today's challenges, but The Global Pro Bono Bar is working to set the conditions for such local advocates to be successful while keeping them in control of the flow of legal research and support services from The Global Pro Bono Bar Network to bolster their local advocacy efforts. |
No. In order to practice law in a given jurisdiction, one must comply with local jurisdictional requirements (e.g., being a member of the local bar, etc.). As such, The Global Pro Bono Bar reviews specific requests for support in a given jurisdiction to identify necessary requirements and to make arrangements for project support accordingly. The Global Pro Bono Bar’s targeted legal scholarship projects are unlikely to involve the practice of law in any relevant jurisdiction per se, and any scholarly work product of The Global Pro Bono Bar is not offered as legal advice. Additionally, The Global Pro Bono Bar works to ensure that all legal support services comply with relevant rules regarding the local practice of law. Importantly, as local advocate partners are likely to be local law practitioners in many cases, support relationships in The Global Pro Bono Bar Network may have certain parallels to the relationship between a local law firm and international law firm (or paid legal support service) working in collaboration on the same matter (e.g., as with paid litigation support service providers). To the extent that such working relationships are allowed in a given jurisdiction and do not violate applicable rules on the local practice of law, The Global Pro Bono Bar anticipates no issues with compliance under such rules. |
If a given project were to involve the practice of law, applicable rules of professional conduct would likely require that only individuals who have no ethical or legal conflict to acting in relation to that project do so. Members of The Global Pro Bono Bar are only assigned to a given advocacy team or cluster in such cases after either (1) a thorough review confirms that no potential conflicts exist; or (2) informed consent has been obtained where appropriate to remove any conflict. Given the virtual nature of The Global Pro Bono Bar Cluster Architecture, each cluster works on its assigned project independently of the others, with project information to be kept confidential as required. In the event that concerns relating to potential conflicts arise under applicable rules of professional conduct, such potential conflicts will be resolved on a case-by-case basis as appropriate in the circumstances. |
Data security and the preservation of legal privilege in appropriate circumstances are critical concerns for the smooth functioning of The Global Pro Bono Bar Operating Model. Where projects require confidential treatment to avoid improper disclosure of data or the potential loss of legal privilege, confidentiality may be critical. The Global Pro Bono Bar utilizes data security solutions developed for virtual law firm case management in accordance with applicable law to address this concern. |
Not at this time. Developing such coverage for those members of The Global Pro Bono Bar who do not already have legal professional insurance in place is a priority for the future. Many of our projects do not involve the practice of law, however, and many of our members who are presently engaged in the practice of law may already have effective coverage. Please get in touch via our Contact Us page if you would like to get involved in our projects and have concerns over legal professional insurance. |
The Global Pro Bono Bar generally utilizes its online presence and word-of-mouth advertising to develop membership enrollment and volunteer engagement. We are also proud to have adopted an open collaboration policy with other organizations, recognizing that our efforts are only strengthened by working with others toward achieving similar goals in the public interest. Ultimately, The Global Pro Bono Bar’s innovative approach leverages the networking potential of globalization to create value in collaboration for all involved, placing a global legal support network in the palm of the local advocate's hand. |