Not long ago, law firm pro bono operated on a case-by-case basis. A client in need found a lawyer or firm to offer its time, and together they sought justice. Individual crises, though, are often symptoms of systemic failures, and in recent years law firms have begun collaborating in an effort to address both.

“As firms have gotten more sophisticated about pro bono, they have asked the question, ‘How can we make the most impact?’” Ronald Flagg, Legal Services Corp. president and former pro bono counsel at Sidley Austin, says. “Traditionally, the measurement of their impact was solely in output.”