Pro Bono

People talk a lot about Pro Bono but did you know that the term pro bono is short for the Latin “pro bono publico,” which means “for the public good.” 

The term Pro Bono refers to free services that non-profit groups or charitable organisations arrange through Professionals in the field of Law. 

This is to provide to impoverished clients – financially challenged people in that they are just surviving: not people who are earning a reasonable salary but prefer to use their funds on other things.

Being a Pro Bono Client doesn’t mean you’ll get the worst Attorney, or be put to the bottom of the pile, or treated in any other way to how we treat our paying Clients. You’ll receive the same excellent service as anyone else.

Your matter will be attended to most professionally and everything will be done at the same pace as any other Client receives. Most people at that Law Firm won’t even know you are a pro bono Client.

Every Practising Attorney in South Africa under the age of 60 years is required to do 24 hrs pro bono work per year.

However, once you start the matter on a pro bono basis you must finish it the same way, and most matters last in excess of hundreds of hours.

So members of the public that qualify for pro bono get an amazingly good deal – though they’re probably not aware of how good a deal they’re getting.

The pro bono client will always benefit to the hilt instead of just the required 24 hours.

All the pro bono Clients must pay for are the costs of the disbursements, i.e. for sheriffs’ fees and the like – which usually doesn’t amount to very much.

Naturally there are very few Law Firms that you can walk into and expect them to start pro bono on a matter for you immediately.

There are various steps to be taken before that can happen.

First you would approach the Legal Practice Council in Pretoria – or whatever branch that is in your residential area, i.e. Kwa Zulu Natal or Cape Town, etc.

Or conversely, you could approach the organization ProBono.org. 

Many people don’t know about the Law Society, but they have heard of ProBono.org and its many outlets.

Both these Societies are equipped to attend to your legal needs by finding the correct Attorneys who can handle your matter and need to put in their annual pro bono hours.

They will check to establish that your means are low enough to qualify for Pro Bono assistance.

Then, after the necessary form completing, they will assign you and your matter to a Law Firm closest to your residence. One of the Attorneys there will handle your matter.

There will be no charge for their services which are for free and thus satisfy their annual commitment to giving free service to one client.

Naturally, you will only be expected to pay for disbursements as stated above.

Once completed, if you came to us through ProBono.org, they would report back to the Legal Practice Council who are the policing body overall of all pro bono matters.

Contact details to help you are:

ProBono.org:

Address: 1st Floor West Wing Women’s Jail Constitution Hill 1 Kotze Street Braamfontein

Phone: 011 339 6080

email: info@probono.org.za

Johannesburg

Legal Practice Council in Pretoria, South Africa

Address: 123 Paul Kruger St, Pretoria Central, Pretoria, 0002

Hours: 8AM – 4:30 PM

Phone: 012 338 5800

Martin Vermaak Attorneys does much more pro bono work than is required because we don’t do it just because we are required to.

However, allow us to point out that we do not accept pro bono matters from individuals in need.

We only accept pro bono matters that are directed to us from the Legal Practice Council – after they have been approached by members of the public and have vetted their circumstances are being viable for pro bono work.

Pro Bono work gives us Attorneys the chance to ‘give back and help those in real need but cannot afford professional services.

We generally assist by representing children pro bono in the Children’s Court. 

It’s that ‘feel good’ thing where everyone feels good about something for all the right reasons…..and that’s rare! 

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