Pro Bono at Microsoft
Working together to close the gap in legal services
The need for pro bono services
In the United States, those needing help with a civil legal issue must find and pay for those services. For someone with limited means, this obstacle may become insurmountable. Many legal aid organizations work to meet the demand, but few can do so on their own. More than ever, pro bono is needed to close the gap in legal services.
9.3
Low-income Washingtonians faced an average of 9.3 legal problems in 2014, triple the average experienced a decade prior.
86%
86 percent of the civil legal problems reported by low-income Americans received inadequate or no legal help.
60%
More than 60 percent of unaccompanied children in the United States—tens of thousands of children— do not have lawyers in immigration court.
90%
In eviction lawsuits nationwide, an estimated 90 percent of landlords are represented, and 90 percent of tenants are not.
The evolution of pro bono at Microsoft
The pro bono program continues to grow since its launch in 2003, with US attorneys striving to volunteer 30 hours of annual pro bono work, the creation of additional pro bono opportunities, and the provision of malpractice insurance to enable employees to provide services for other causes.
The impact of pro bono at Microsoft
From upholding immigrants’ rights to guarding the right to equal justice, Microsoft pro bono volunteers take action to advance social and economic well-being in the community.
20,000
Number of unaccompanied immigrant children Kids in Need of Defense has served since Microsoft co-founded the organization in 2008.
9,840
Number of average annual pro bono hours committed collectively by Microsoft attorneys in the US.
1,500
Number of pro bono hours Microsoft employees have volunteered to assist Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2019.
3,000
Number of pro bono hours Microsoft employees have spent in service to mothers and children detained at the Texas border in 2019.
Microsoft and the Seattle Clemency Project
Grady Mitchell received clemency in January 2021 through the work of the Seattle Clemency Project. He then began a mentorship with a Microsoft employee volunteer, who helped him start his own business and offered him lifelong friendship. Here, he shares about his experience after incarceration.
Learn more
Read more stories about the Pro Bono Program at Microsoft
Legal help from an unexpected source
At age 12, Enni Ramirez fled her country to find safety. Now she has a green card and a new life with the help of Meghan Yoshimura, KIND, and the Microsoft Pro Bono Program.
Evolving the in-house pro bono program
To inspire other in-house legal departments to evolve their own pro bono programs, Microsoft and the Pro Bono Institute co-created this maturity model as a tool for assessment and growth.
Pro bono helps inventors curb pollution
Four Microsoft pro bono volunteer attorneys and the MakeWhatsNext Patent Program helped inventors at Greenon High School in Ohio obtain a patent on their invention to address local water pollution.
Protect journalists to defend democracy
Learn about the Protecting Journalists pro bono initiative and the work to defend the pillar of our democracy that is journalism and journalists' rights.
