CBA Record September-October 2026

PRO BONO WEEK 2026 – A MORE PERFECT JUSTICE SYSTEM

own challenges, there is something uniquely meaningful about helping a client build and protect a long-term dream. Expanding Access to Opportunity The need for transactional pro bono services is especially significant for entrepreneurs who have historically faced barriers to accessing legal sup port. Many small business owners start with limited capital and must make difficult decisions about where to invest scarce resources. Legal services are often deferred in favor of inventory, equipment, rent, or payroll. Yet postponing legal assistance can create vulnerabilities that become more difficult and expensive to address later. This challenge is particularly acute for entrepreneurs from low income communities, first-generation business owners, and histori cally underserved populations. These entrepreneurs frequently possess extraordinary talent, determination, and innovative ideas, but may lack the professional networks that make legal assistance more accessible. Transactional pro bono programs help bridge this gap. By connecting entrepreneurs with volunteer attorneys, these pro grams ensure that access to legal counsel is not reserved exclusively for those with substantial resources. Instead, business owners can obtain the guidance necessary to launch, grow, and sustain their enterprises. The benefits extend beyond individual businesses. Strong small busi nesses create jobs, revitalize brick-and-mortar commercial areas, and contribute to the economic health of their communities. Supporting entrepreneurs ultimately strengthens neighborhoods and expands eco nomic opportunities. A Broader Vision of Pro Bono Pro bono is often defined through the lens of crisis intervention, and that work remains essential. But transactional pro bono invites us to broaden the frame. It asks us to see pro bono not only as a response to legal emergencies, but also to help people pursue opportunities before obstacles arise. For small business owners, timely legal guidance can provide the building blocks they need to protect their work, make informed decisions, and move forward with confidence. Whether helping an affordable housing entrepreneur prepare for investment, assisting a consultant with contracts, or guiding a small business owner through trademark protection, transactional pro bono attorneys help transform risk into stability and ideas into sustainable enterprises. Their work strengthens more than individual businesses. It supports families, neighborhoods, and commercial corridors across Chicago. It expands access to the legal infrastructure that too often determines who gets to build, grow, and thrive.

Are you a transactional attorney looking to empower entrepreneurs, local artists, or non-profit organiza tions to further their missions? Take a look at these three great organizations: l Legal Aid for New Entrepreneurs (LANE) LANE provides free legal services to low-income small business owners in Chicagoland. Volunteers assist with transactional matters such as entity formation, contract drafting, commercial lease review, employment issues, and intellectual prop erty. Opportunities are flexible and discrete—ideal for busy professionals. LANE also offers chances to lead community legal presentations. Learn more and sign up at lanechicago.org/volunteer_oppor tunities. l Lawyers for the Creative Arts (LCA) Help artists, arts nonprofits, and emerging enter tainment professionals establish the solid legal foundations they need to thrive creatively and professionally. Volunteer attorneys support clients with legal issues such as business formation and governance, contracts and negotiations, intel lectual property protection, and more. Whether you’re a seasoned litigator, transactional expert, or specialist in another area of law, your skills are valu able to LCA’s clients. Most matters range from 5 to 25 hours of commitment. Learn more and register to volunteer by visiting law-arts.org/volunteer attorney-information or by emailing LCA’s Director of Legal Services, Weston Dombroski, at wdom broski@law-arts.org. Transactional Pro Bono Opportunities l Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (CLCCR) The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee’s Economic Justice program plays a critical role in spurring economic development in historically disinvested communities. Pro bono attorneys can help by providing free, nonlitigation legal assistance to individual clients, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community-based groups that would otherwise not have access to those services. To learn more, visit clccrul.org/pro-bono-works or email Amy Cook at acook@clccrul.org.

Melissa Picciola is Executive Director of Legal Aid for New Entrepreneurs.

28 September/October 2026