pro bono

     Pro bono is short for the Latin phrase pro bono publico, which means for the good of the public. Many years ago, if you didn't have enough money to pay a lawyer, you might have been able to convince one to take your case for free. Now we are all guaranteed a lawyer if we are accused of a crime, thanks to Gideon, of Gideon v. Wainwright
     Some cities have a public defender's office, staffed by lawyers hired by the city to represent defendants who cannot afford lawyers. In the absence of a public defender's office, lawyers take turns representing clients who can't pay them. They represent them pro bono publico, or in the public interest. We are all better off if courts are fair, and if people convicted of crimes are convicted fairly. No one can be expected to respect the courts if they are not fair, so our interest is served--the public interest--when every defendant has a lawyer to represent him or her.
     You can watch the story of Gideon v. Wainwright in the movie Gideon's Trumpet.