CBA Record September-October 2026

PRO BONO WEEK 2026 – A MORE PERFECT JUSTICE SYSTEM

to keep doing legal work, and she didn’t want to keep up her license just to stay connected to the law. Then she heard about PBN’s Name Change Project in partnership with Legal Council for Health Justice. Streit had been looking for a way to support the transgender community after her son transitioned. Through PBN, she found a project that connected her legal skills and experience with something deeply personal. When her son went through the name change process on his own during the pan demic, Streit remembers wishing she could have been there to reassure him during the court hearing. That experience stayed with her. “I thought people probably feel a lot more at ease if they have a lawyer helping them, holding their hands,” she said. Since joining PBN, she has helped cli ents navigate name changes and has also volunteered on a U-Visa matter through PBN’s partnership with Chicago Volun teer Legal Services, even though immi gration law is outside her background. PBN’s training, step-by-step instructions, and support helped make these new areas feel possible. For Streit, volunteering with PBN has shown her that retirement doesn’t have to mean leaving the law behind. Even as an attorney on inactive status with the ARDC, she has found a way to keep using her legal experience to help others, without taking on more than she wants to in retirement. Streit observes that something she heard at a PBN training last year has really stayed with her: “What a precious commodity it is to have this law license that we can use for good.” Making Pro Bono Part of a Busy Practice Matt Sokolowski’s story with PBN begins much earlier in his career. After participating in a legal clinic in law school, he knew he wanted pro bono work to be part of his career. Soon after becoming licensed in 2014, he opened Sokolowski Law Office, focusing on family law. A year later, he found PBN.

Pro Bono Network: A Place for Every Lawyer By Ronak Maisuria

E very week, attorneys express interest in participating in pro bono work. In fact, if you ask most attorneys why they don’t currently do pro bono work, lack of interest is seldom the reason. When attorneys think about volunteering, concerns like these often come up: What if I don’t know that area of law? Do I have the time? Those concerns come up whether someone is a solo practitioner trying to keep a practice running, an attorney at a small or midsize firm balancing client demands, a government attorney who may not have pro bono opportunities through work, an in-house attorney, or a retired or nonpracticing lawyer looking for a way to stay connected to the law. For the past 15 years, Pro Bono Net work (PBN) has worked to make volun teering easier for attorneys who want to make a difference. Founded in 2011 by a group of women attorneys, PBN was built Is malpractice insurance provided? What happens if I have questions?

on the belief that, while many lawyers want to take on pro bono work, finding the right opportunity and fitting it into their busy schedules can feel daunting or even overwhelming. PBN creates flexible volunteer opportunities, provides train ing and support, and connects attorneys with clients who need legal assistance. Beth Streit and Matt Sokolowski are two great examples of attorneys who came to pro bono through PBN from opposite ends of their careers—one after retirement, the other while building a law practice. When Retirement Opens a New Door After nearly 41 years practicing law, includ ing almost three decades with the Com modity Futures Trading Commission, Beth Streit thought retirement would mark the end of her legal career. While she had spent much of her career in public service, direct pro bono work wasn’t always easy while working for the federal government. By the time she retired in 2025, Streit wasn’t planning

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