Sylvia Novinsky, director of the NC Pro Bono Resource Center, a program of the NC Equal Access to Justice Commission, explores this new tool in a Q&A with Mary Irvine, executive director of NC IOLTA.
Introducing Pro Bono Go, NC’s New Tool for Pro Bono Matchmaking
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In October, the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center launched Pro Bono Go in partnership with three legal services providers in North Carolina — Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Legal Aid of North Carolina, and Pisgah Legal Services. Sylvia Novinsky, director of the NC Pro Bono Resource Center, a program of the NC Equal Access to Justice Commission, shared more about this new resource for North Carolina lawyers with NC IOLTA Executive Director Mary Irvine.
I want to hear about the new exciting tool that launched this October, but first, what is the Pro Bono Resource Center?
The NC Pro Bono Resource Center is a program of the Equal Access to Justice Commission. Our mission is to harness the power of volunteer legal professionals to target unmet legal needs by promoting, supporting and developing pro bono opportunities. We convene the NC Pro Bono Coordinators’ Network with participants from the private and public sectors. We incubate and create pro bono projects such as our Driver’s License Restoration Project and disaster assistance and COVID-related pro bono projects. We also provide technical assistance to support those launching new projects or improving existing ones. And, we recognize pro bono lawyers through our social media and by coordinating voluntary pro bono reporting and recognition of those lawyers and paralegals who do 50 or more hours of pro bono service in a year.
We are very excited to share a new project, an online tool that we hope will make it easier for legal professionals to engage in pro bono service.
OK, so, tell me about this new tool, Pro Bono Go. What is it, and how do you think it will help increase pro bono in our state?
Legal professionals can now visit one website — Pro Bono Go — to find pro bono opportunities from the state’s civil justice organizations. Volunteers can search and filter opportunities by keyword, location, practice area, type (for example, cases, clinics, etc.) and sponsor organization. Volunteers can also set up customized email alerts when new opportunities matching their preferences hit the site. Pro Bono Go is a pilot project by Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Legal Aid of NC, Pisgah Legal Services and the NC Pro Bono Resource Center.
The Pro Bono Go portal assists legal professional in finding and sharing pro bono opportunities across the state. (Screenshot taken Oct. 1, 2025.)
How exactly does it work for attorneys that want to take a case?
Just visit probonogo.org. Interested users can scroll through pro bono cases, projects and clinics posted by Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Legal Aid of NC, Pisgah Legal Services and other legal services providers. If a lawyer is interested in volunteering they click on “Interested” and submit their name, email address and bar number. That information will be sent to the legal services provider, and someone will get back to them with more information such as training materials and the name of the adverse party to start a conflict check if appropriate.
Volunteers can also set up customized email alerts so new opportunities matching their preferences can be sent to them. All they need to do is click on “Notify Me” and submit their email address and indicate the subject matter areas of interest.
We know attorneys want to be mindful of various ethical rules, and using a new system means understanding how the system works in light of their ethical obligations. Is there a process for a conflict check through Pro Bono Go?
Conflict checks are done between the legal services provider and the volunteer attorney. This will happen after the volunteer submits an interest form. There are no party names or other identifying information on the platform.
We are so grateful for the partnership of the NC Pro Bono Resource Center and our sister legal services organizations. Pro Bono Go provides a single place for legal professionals to find pro bono opportunities, which makes it easier for volunteers to engage with our organizations. The easier we can make it for volunteers, the more likely they are to serve, meaning that we can all help more clients together than we can separately.
— Alison Constance, Director of Pro Bono Programs, Legal Aid of North Carolina
What about malpractice insurance? Are volunteer lawyers who take a case covered?
Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Legal Aid of NC and Pisgah Legal Services generally offer malpractice insurance to their volunteer attorneys. However, if there is an opportunity that is posted for which an organization does not offer malpractice insurance, this will be communicated to the volunteer.
OK, so you convinced me, Sylvia. How do I sign up for Pro Bono Go?
Just go to probonogo.org.
Lastly, for attorneys who are hesitant to sign up because they are worried they might be inundated with emails or requests to take cases, what would you tell them?
Volunteers can control what information is sent to them. The goal is for Pro Bono Go to be a one-stop hub for pro bono cases, projects and clinics. We know that lawyers are busy, but they also want to find volunteer opportunities that are interesting to them. When NC legal professionals think “pro bono,” we want them to think “Pro Bono Go.”
This story was originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of the North Carolina State Bar Journal and has been lightly edited for style.