The first thing that comes to mind when people hear the phrase “pro bono” is often legal services. And while we at Taproot like to expand on that thinking—pro bono refers to any service offered ‘for the public good’—we’re going back to its roots!
We’re experts in connecting nonprofit organizations with professionals who share their expertise in core business areas, but we’re certainly not experts in legal pro bono. That’s why we partnered with TrustLaw to show you how your organization can access their network for free legal assistance.
What is TrustLaw?
TrustLaw is the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s global pro bono legal service. They connect high-impact NGOs and social enterprises working to create social and environmental change with the best law firms and corporate legal teams to provide them with free legal assistance. With a community of more than 6,500 members in over 190 countries, TrustLaw is the world’s largest global pro bono network.
TrustLaw supports the nonprofit and social sector with legal advice on questions regarding intellectual property and tech, corporate law, commercial contracts, banking and finance, and employment—among other things. Their tools and guidance help nonprofits learn about the legal issues and protections that can save them time, resources, and headaches in the future. They can also help in addressing common legal issues affecting social good organizations in the wake of COVID-19.
What is the Legal Health Check?
TrustLaw has developed a tool—the Legal Health Check—to review common legal issues faced by nonprofits and social enterprises. Members can complete the full Legal Health Check online to identify their legal pro bono needs. Their team is committed to finding the answers to your questions around staffing, branding, contracts/policies, and taxes/finance, and helping your team make the best choices possible.
Additional Resources
Not only does TrustLaw connect you with their vast network of legal experts, they also have an extensive (and free!) online repository of how-to guides, best practices, research on global topics, and interactive tools that help your organization work through your legal challenges. More recently, they’ve been expanding their work to support organizations during the pandemic, covering topics from employment laws to data protection.
How can you get legal pro bono support from TrustLaw?
Get started right away and review the TrustLaw Eligibility Criteria. Processing an application normally takes about a month, but if you’ve worked with Taproot before, our partnership with TrustLaw entitles you to priority review! If accepted, TrustLaw will send membership details along so you can get started working together as soon as possible.
