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Access to Justice

Introducing Pro Bono CO—Colorado’s New Pro Bono Portal

May/June 2026 By Brett Landis and Jayme B. Ritchie

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Colorado recently launched Pro Bono CO, a clearinghouse of pro bono opportunities to help lawyers and other legal professionals connect to meaningful pro bono service that fits their skill sets and availability. This tool aims to reduce barriers attorneys face in finding pro bono opportunities and connecting with legal service providers.

According to a 2024 report by the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service (ABA report), approximately one in five attorneys has never undertaken pro bono service of any kind during their legal career.1 And although 77% of attorneys believe that pro bono services are either somewhat or very important, only 52% indicated that they were likely or very likely to provide pro bono work in the future.2

These findings suggest there’s a need to better support and encourage pro bono service in the legal sector. Pro Bono CO hopes to provide that support in Colorado.

Pro Bono Aspirations Under Rule 6.1

ABA Model Rule 6.1 is an aspirational rule that urges all attorneys to provide a minimum of 50 hours of pro bono services annually. Although not all states adopted ABA Model Rule 6.1 verbatim, all states have some version of the rule; for example, some states provide lower goals, some don’t specify hourly goals, and some even require mandatory reporting of pro bono hours to the state bar.

In Colorado, Rule 6.1 of the Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct tracks the ABA rule and states that every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay, and that lawyers should aspire to render at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services per year. Because Colorado does not require mandatory reporting of pro bono hours, the data is not perfect, but the available information indicates that Colorado ranks about average among states in terms of attorney pro bono participation.3

Barriers to Pro Bono Work

According to the ABA report, the top three barriers to attorney participation in pro bono work are (1) a lack of time, (2) family or other personal obligations, and (3) a lack of malpractice insurance.4 The report also noted some prevailing negative attitudes surrounding pro bono work, including the perception that pro bono work isn’t feasible for the first few years post-licensure.5 Additional impediments to pro bono service include a lack of clear and accessible information about pro bono opportunities and a lack of training.6 Colorado’s pro bono portal was created with these barriers in mind.

The Role of Pro Bono Portals

A pro bono portal is an online clearinghouse of local pro bono opportunities for legal professionals. Legal services providers post volunteer opportunities, and legal professionals connect through the portal to the opportunities that best fit their skills and availability. The goal is to both amplify the volunteer recruiting efforts of legal service providers and help volunteer attorneys and other legal professionals find opportunities that are meaningful and match their skill sets. According to a project manager for A2J Tech, a Colorado-based public benefit corporation that provides technology tools to expand access to justice nationwide, “These features help volunteers find the right match and make it more likely that they will continue helping in the future.”7

While a pro bono portal is not meant to resolve all barriers to pro bono service, it seeks to provide a centralized clearinghouse of up-to-date information on pro bono opportunities for legal professionals. Increasingly, states across the country have identified the power of pro bono portals to support access to volunteer information and help bridge the justice gap.

Developing Pro Bono CO

The Colorado Access to Justice Commission began envisioning a statewide pro bono portal in 2024. Commission staff met with leaders from legal aid organizations, community nonprofits, private law firms, and technology experts to assess what type of platform would best serve Colorado’s legal community.

After extensive research, the Commission contracted with A2J Tech to create Colorado’s platform. As A2J Tech founder and CEO Joseph Schieffer explained, “We want to make it easier for volunteers to find pro bono opportunities because that will result in more people getting legal help.”8

A key factor in selecting A2J Tech was its ability to create a fully customizable platform that the Commission could continuously refine and enhance based on user experience and feedback from the legal community. The partnership culminated in the launch of Pro Bono CO on March 16, 2026.

Unique Features of Pro Bono CO

Pro Bono CO features several elements specifically designed to meet Colorado’s needs. In addition to filtering by geographic location and limited-scope opportunities, prospective volunteers can search for remote, in-person, and hybrid opportunities. The platform also supports a wide range of contributors. Licensed legal paraprofessionals, paralegals, interpreters, and law students can all search for opportunities that fit their skills and experience.

Prospective volunteers can browse opportunities without creating a profile. Once they create a profile, however, users can sign up to receive notifications when the types of cases they want to volunteer for are posted.

The Pro Bono CO landing page also highlights Colorado-specific resources and encourages engagement with key organizations, including the Colorado Bar Association, the Supreme Court Pro Bono Recognition Program, and other Colorado organizations that work to support access to justice and pro bono needs.

Long-Term Benefits

Pro Bono CO is designed to increase pro bono engagement throughout the state by reducing common barriers to participation. The platform provides a centralized, real-time listing of opportunities, eliminating inefficiencies in finding and matching with appropriate volunteer roles.

Each opportunity includes clear, detailed descriptions so that users know what they are committing to up front. The platform also offers training materials and resources, making opportunities more accessible for all. In addition, users can filter their search to include only opportunities that provide malpractice coverage, helping to reduce risk for volunteers who are not otherwise insured.

Conclusion

Pro bono service creates a sense of community and professional pride in attorneys and other legal professionals. It expands our world view while also providing critical—sometimes lifesaving—help to our neighbors in need.

Pro Bono CO is a technology-driven answer to the challenge of finding clear and accessible information about pro bono opportunities. It is designed to make it easier to find more meaningful ways to participate.

To get started, please visit probonoco.org to create your profile and begin searching for opportunities. Contact Brett Landis at blandis@coloradoaccesstojustice.org with any questions.

Brett Landis is director of pro bono resources for the Colorado Access to Justice Commission. Previously, she was managing attorney for the Boulder office of Colorado Legal Services (2016–2024) and worked in private practice at Warren, Carlson, & Moore in Niwot. She has tried cases in Colorado and Oregon and actively engages in community access to justice efforts. Jayme B. Ritchie is director of pro bono and community impact at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, where she manages the firm’s pro bono practice, charitable giving, and employee volunteerism. Previously, she spent a decade in the nonprofit sector, serving as cofounder and executive director of WeeCycle, a Colorado-based nonprofit that collects essential baby gear and distributes it to families in need.

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Notes

1. ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, “Supporting Justice V: A Report on the Pro Bono Work of America’s Lawyers” at 1 (Nov. 2024) (hereinafter ABA report), https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/probono_public_service/other-documents/supporting-justice-v.pdf.

2. Id.

3. Legal Services Corporation, “2024 LSC by the Numbers: The Data Underlying Legal Aid Programs” at 50–53 (2025), https://lsc-live.app.box.com/s/y5kbvg0x4j07dh9k9p50tl5h8odvu57n.

4. ABA report, supra note 1 at 6–7.

5. Id. at 21.

6. Id. at 23.

7. Spatola, “Creating Connections: How Portals Help Nonprofits Engage Clients and Volunteers,” ATJ Tech blog (June 16, 2025), https://www.goa2jtech.com/blog-posts/creating-connections-how-portals-help-nonprofits-engage-clients-and-volunteers.

8. Email interview with Joseph Schieffer, founder and chief executive officer, A2J Tech (Dec. 15, 2025).