Pro Bono Resources

The Clearinghouse matches eligible clients facing trademark issues with member attorneys who volunteer to provide services free of charge. A global initiative, it is the only program of its kind dedicated primarily to trademarks.

The Clearinghouse serves low-income individuals, small- to medium-enterprises, and not-for-profit, and nonprofit or charitable organizations with low operating budgets that might not otherwise have affordable access to legal assistance.

In turn, by helping those in need, our participating members have a unique opportunity to stretch their skills and fulfill a commitment to serve the public interest in their field of expertise.

We’re now accepting applications from anywhere it the world. Originally a pilot program serving the United States and then Latin America, we’ve expanded globally based on the program’s success and the need for this pro bono service.

For Potential Clients
To be eligible to participate in the program, you or your organization must have a valid trademark issue and you must have financial need, which must be shown by providing tax information or the past 12 months of bank statements (which is kept confidential). The specifics of financial need vary based on the business category, and by country.

To begin the process, please fill out the application below. If you have questions about financial eligibility before applying, contact us.

Access THE Application FORM

For Member Attorney Volunteers
We encourage attorneys who are members to join our pool of Pro Bono Clearinghouse volunteers.

How to Volunteer: Attorneys, you must: (i) be licensed (in good standing) to practice in your jurisdiction; (ii) carry malpractice insurance, and (iii) be a current member of INTA. To learn more, contact us.

View THE PRO BONO TOOLKIT

Advocates for Children of New York
Promotes access to and advocates to protect all children’s right to an education, focusing primarily on students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.

American Bar Association
Various pro bono programs dedicated to improving the quality and availability of legal representation for individuals facing the death penalty.

Central California Legal Services (CCLS)
Non-profit law firm that provides free general legal assistance to low income families and individuals in several counties of California.

Equal Justice Works
Offers general opportunities and fellowships for law students and lawyers at legal services organizations, and also provides legal training and skills to provide effective representation and increase equal access to justice for underserved communities.

Greater Richmond Bar Foundation
Greater Richmond Bar Foundation is a clearing house that provides various pro bono programs to connect attorneys to pro bono clients.

International Bar Association (IBA)
The IBA is a clearing house that encourages lawyers, judges, law firms, bar associations, law schools, governmental and nongovernmental organizations to participate in pro bono legal service.

LawHelp.org
LawHelp.org provides referrals to local legal aid and public interest law offices for individuals of low or moderate incomes.

LawNY
Non-profit law firm that provides free general legal aid to people with civil legal problems in western New York.

Lawyers Alliance of New York
Network dedicated to expanding the availability of pro bono business legal services for nonprofits, providing business and transactional services for non-profit organizations improving the quality of live in New York City neighborhoods.

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest is a clearinghouse that addresses the general legal needs of New York’s underrepresented communities, protect civil rights and and improve the lives of New Yorkers.

Pro Bono Partnership 
Provides free business and transactional legal services to nonprofit organizations and NGOs serving the disadvantaged or enhancing the quality of life in neighborhoods in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The Legal Aid Society
Provides various pro bono programs in areas such as domestic violence, worker’s justice, immigration, wrongful convictions and others, and provides free legal representation for low-income New Yorkers.

The Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG)
Global pro bono law firm that provides legal assistance to parties involved in peace negotiations, drafting post-conflict constitutions, war crimes prosecution and transitional justice, also offering policy planning assistance and training on conflict resolution.

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
A legal aid and education organization providing legal representation services for artists / arts professionals and members of the arts community in New York.

Exodus 
Ex-detainee general organization

Steunpunt Vluchtelingen
Organization that coordinates legal pro bono work for professionals including lawyers

Vrijwilligers Werk
Refugee center looking for general legal support volunteers

Platform Vrijwillige Inzet
Employment Agency website for general volunteer work

Caro & Asociados
Free legal advice for the public good.

Estudio Echecopar
Set up a Pro Bono program aimed at providing free legal assistance to low-income people and to different non-profit organizations requiring assistance in various circumstances of legal relevance, with consequences that will also generate an impact on society.

Estudio Yataco Arias
Free legal advice for individuals and organizations lacking the necessary financial means.

Fundación ProBono
Free general legal advice

Pacta Abogados
Free basic legal advice by email.

Rey & De Los Ríos Abogados
Free legal advice for those deprived of legal aid.

Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights
A foundation that aims to promote the development of a culture based on the respect of freedom and human rights in Poland and abroad.

National Bar of Legal Advisors

Polish Bar of Advocates

Supreme Bar of Advocates

Confederation of Thai Labour (CTL)
Disseminate information on labor laws, provide general legal assistance to employees, and encourage the government to legislate fair labor law.

Department of Special Investigation
Help general debtors who have not received justice.

Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University
Disseminate knowledge and provide general legal assistance to the people.

Faculty of Law, Thammasat University
Provide general legal services to assist people who are questioning fundamental legal issues that they encounter.

Lawyers Council of Thailand Under The Royal Patronage
Provide free-of-charge general legal counsel to people in need.

Legal Aid Office of the Thai Bar
Disseminate information on labor laws, provide general legal assistance to employees, and encourage the government to legislate fair labor law.

Mekong Region Law Center
Association of professionals from the general legal communities of Cambodia, Lao, Thailand, and Vietnam working together to promote judicial cooperation, legal education, and the rule of law in the region.

Ministry of Labour
Counseling and general legal assistance for employees.

Lara Kayode
O. Kayode & Co (Lagos, Nigeria)

At the time when Lara Kayode founded her firm, O. Kayode & Co, it was unusual for a young female lawyer to venture out on her own—it had been assumed that she would join her father at his firm. Currently, Ms. Kayode’s firm has two offices in Nigeria, in the cities of Lagos and Abuja.

In 1995, Ms. Kayode attended the INTA Annual Meeting in Florida, USA, with her parents in what was guised as a family vacation with her father, who was on business while she was on holiday—and then attended parts of the Meeting as a guest.

The next year, Ms. Kayode attended the INTA 1996 Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, USA, this time on her own—as an attorney representing her newly founded law firm. As fate would have it, she bumped into Professor David Llewellyn, her LLM Trademark Lecturer at the University of London.

Breaking the ice at big conferences such as the Annual Meetings is no easy feat for any attendee, and it can be even more challenging for a first timer. However, the surprise meeting with the renowned professor changed the course of Ms. Kayode’s IP career as he introduced her to many contacts and offered her access to some of the exclusive receptions, dinners, and lunches. Ms. Kayode says her experience that year will forever be etched in her heart because it charted new paths for her career. It also birthed lasting friendships and relationships that she maintains to this day.

When Ms. Kayode’s trademark practice began to expand, her firm’s clientele was i predominantly international—however, with the growth of entrepreneurship in Nigeria, there has been a growing need for trademark protection among local SMEs. Her firm initially focused on trademark prosecution but, with time, it has become heavily involved in IP enforcement matters—and a few clients in the entertainment industry have enabled her firm’s copyright portfolio to grow.

By virtue of her work, Ms. Kayode is not only a practitioner—she is also involved in training and teaching local SMEs about IP. She is a regular speaker at gatherings, clinics, and conferences involving SMEs where she gives free advice and information to business owners that are not able to afford or approach legal counsel for assistance. Every quarter, her firm endeavors to assist at least one SME. She also belongs to various associations including the West African Chapter of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs (AWEP), where she speaks to women entrepreneurs about the protection of IP rights.

Ms. Kayode is convinced that it is important, if time allows, for one to give back—especially in Africa, where many women-led small businesses need the support. More often than not, women who are running small businesses are not able to spare money for legal support.

Ms. Kayode recalls with great fondness one particular woman, a local fashion designer in Nigeria, who was inexperienced with starting and running a business. Ms. Kayode convinced the designer to take three hours so that Ms. Kayode could take her through the fundamentals of running a business. Starting from the ground up, Ms. Kayode gave her advice and tips—even on how to recycle leftover fabric.

Pro bono work gives Ms. Kayode fulfillment and joy, and she believes it helps one progress in whatever one’s field may be. She sees pro-bono work as a win-win situation because sometimes the free services can turn into actual paying work when a business eventually thrives.

Especially within INTA, Ms. Kayode is keen to mentor young people and help them navigate the space. “Sometimes at such huge conferences, one only needs a smile,” she says, and makes it her duty to smile. She is always accessible and open to assist and give advice when requested. She puts in a good word when she identifies talent, especially with regard to women of color, because there are not many in the IP space.

At the start of her participation at INTA, she felt there was need to have mentors. She was fortunate to have a support system at INTA through the people she met during her early years. She looks forward to INTA meetings where she draws her support—and there was no such support at the time she started her law practice. Those in her support system at INTA mentored and encouraged each other as they grew personally and professionally. Together they rose through the ranks, from committees, to chairing committees, and eventually to INTA’s Board. One such friend is Marion Heathcote; she and Ms. Kayode were both awarded the INTA 2019 President’s Award.

Ms. Kayode has made it her duty to assist and to “leave the door open” for others to come in and do the same.

Ranjan Narula
RNA Technology and IP Attorneys (Delhi, India), Former INTA Board Member

Please tell me a little about your day-to-day practice, why you pursued a career as an attorney, and how you got started. Also, how long have you been a member of INTA?
I am a qualified lawyer and a Business Management Graduate with more than 25 years of experience dealing with various facets of IP law. During my career, I have had the opportunity to work in a multi-cultural environment and had an overseas stint with an IP firm. I also worked in-house during the early part of my career. Thus, I have been trained to think and act on IP issues, taking legal and business perspectives into account. I am a first-generation lawyer in my family and my coming into the IP field was more of a coincidence, with me applying for a position at an IP boutique firm as they were looking for attorneys.

My day-to-day practice concerns working on dispute resolution for clients and providing strategic input on protecting their brands and innovation. I have been an INTA member since early 1990 and have attended about 20 annual meetings. I served as an INTA Board member for a three-year term from 2019–2021. It’s been a great learning experience having served on several committees and closely worked on several projects. I am extremely grateful to have known and interacted with the incredibly humble, intelligent, and committed individuals who make INTA such a wonderful organization. INTA has played a vital role in shaping my career and in making friends worldwide. The depth of INTA’s work and its commitment to the IP ecosystem is surreal.

When (and how) did pro bono work become important to you? Are there any particular organizations you volunteer with? What kinds of pro bono services do you offer?
About 10 years back, I started to get involved with an NGO called The Earth Saviours Foundation that looks after underprivileged and homeless people. The initial volunteering was to raise funds for them. As I began to get more involved, I would handle and advise on the legal issues faced by them concerning the running of the organization, the vetting of contracts, etc. I continue to be involved with this organization and provide my input and time for the betterment of the ‘old age’ home that it runs.

About seven years back, our firm was invited to be part of the Trust Law, a Thomson Reuters foundation, and we started to take on IP projects to assist various NGOs and start-ups that Trust Law shortlisted. Some of the organizations that the firm has assisted include:

• Bempu: Bempu Health offers innovative life-saving health products to drastically improve global health, especially in low-resource areas, to address conditions that contribute significantly to neonatal mortality in resource constrained settings but that remain unaddressed, like hypothermia and apneas. Our firm helped them in drafting and filing patent application at the Indian Patent Office for their innovative products, e.g., Kangaroo care wrap and apnea resolver.
• Khethworks: Khethworks helps small-plot farmers across the world through affordable and high-quality technology. Khethworks started at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has a headquartered in Pune, India, since January 2016. We helped in the examination of a patent application to to help ensure a successful grant, for technology that delivers a submersible centrifugal solar-powered irrigation pump with market-leading efficiency and farmer-demanded portability, price, and performance.
• Institute for Transformative Technologies Foundation: ITT is committed to bringing to life the technologies needed to solve the problems integral to sustainable global development. It’s solar powered vaccine fridge bypasses the need for constant power and gives clinics in remote areas the technology they need to deliver life-saving vaccines. Our patents team carried out a patentability analysis, and drafted and filed the patent application for the solar vaccine fridge.
• Training Educational Centre for Hearing Impaired: TEACH is a charitable trust working toward higher education for hearing impaired students. We worked with the TEACH team in understanding their operation, the creation of teaching materials, and advising on IP protection including filing applications for registration of trademark and copyright protection in educational materials.

Any memorable pro bono experiences? What has been your favorite or most impactful pro bono project?
We assisted Bempu in protecting the technology that helps in apnea management. The device, later named ApneBOOT, was intended to resolve the risk of cessation of breath in pre-term new-born babies. I learned that if apnea is not immediately addressed in newborn babies, it can lead to irreversible injury or death. While working with Bempu on this assignment, I understood that the response can be delayed due to a lack of resources and clinical staff in developing and underdeveloped countries. We helped in protecting the technology and filed for its patent. It was quite an exciting project that involved understanding the device’s function. Most importantly, the feeling that we contributed to improving neonatal health in the community and that this device will be sold across many countries that have limited resources was quite satisfying.

Why do you feel pro bono work, particularly as it relates to IP, is important?
IP is at the heart of every creation or innovation. Working with several NGOs and start-ups, over the years, I realized that they are solving problems faced by communities in their respective fields of operation. Further, they are developing economical solutions. In that context, IP protection can help them find partners or investors to fund these innovations and scale up their operations. Thus, as an IP lawyer, pro bono work—whether in terms of trademark, patent, or design filing, or in an advisory capacity to set these organizations in the right direction—is quite important.

Past Spotlights

VIEW All  PAST PRO BONO SPOTLIGHTS