Historically, the provision of pro bono legal services has focused on assisting persons of limited means and providing legal counsel to nonprofit organizations.
However, in recent years, a new generation of innovative entrepreneurs is seeking to solve social and environmental problems in communities around the world. These market-based solutions may be implemented through nonprofit or for-profit enterprises, and increasingly involve a new class of for-profit corporate forms designed to accommodate a variety of missions beyond simply maximizing shareholder value. These organizations are collectively referred to as social enterprises, and while traditional nonprofits will always play a critical role in serving the needs of vulnerable communities and still need pro bono support, social enterprises present unique pro bono opportunities that transactional attorneys are well-suited to provide.
