Community, solidarity, and partnership were the key themes that emerged at the 2025 PILnet Global Forum in Rome, which took place November 11-13 and brought together more than 400 in-person and 45 online participants.
Across three days of interactive sessions, the Forum highlighted how pro bono actors are navigating rapidly shifting political, social, and environmental landscapes, and how strategic collaboration between law firms, NGOs, and communities is essential to sustaining access to justice.
Our guiding principle this year was Amplifying Impact: Pro Bono & Public Interest Law in a Shifting World, and with this in mind, we met for sessions on how pro bono is adapting in these times of crisis, the new legal pathways for displaced people, collaborations for climate justice, emerging trends in pro bono, and much more.
Cross-cutting takeaways from the sessions included the idea that flexibility and rapid adaptation are now core competencies for pro bono legal professionals, that deep, long-term, and transparent partnerships between lawyers and NGOs yield the most impactful results, and that the future of pro bono may require bold structural shifts, from shared resourcing to community-led models, to meet the scale of global challenges.
“Really grateful for the opportunity to be apart of the community. Lawyers play a pivotal role in helping to shape our society and it’s nice to be around likeminded people who are trying to help others,” commented one participant.
Forum participants also enjoyed the chance to meet with more than 15 NGOs at our NGO Marketplace of Ideas, as well as the opportunity to learn how they can get involved in seven specific pro bono projects at our Pro Bono in Action Pitching Session.
Inspiration was served up in ample helpings at our Awards Dinner on the final day, when we honored the extraordinary efforts by the legal community and NGOs to advance social justice and protect the public interest around the world. The Awards Dinner was also a chance for Forum goers to socialize and network, as was the Welcome Reception, and a first-ever pizza party trivia night fundraiser organized by participants, which raised more than 4,500 USD to help fund NGO participation at future Forums.
It all came together thanks to the support of our Rome Host Committee, which welcomed the Forum back to the Eternal City exactly 10 years after the first PILnet Global Forum in Rome, presenting an auspicious occasion to reflect on the development of pro bono in Italy during that time.
While Forum participants came from around the world, we were pleased this year to have an especially strong delegation from Africa, a reflection of our growing work on that continent. Participants organized a session dedicated to pro bono developments in Africa, which made a perfect segway to announce the location of the 2026 PILnet Global Forum—Cape Town—where we hope you will all join us in October or November (exact dates to be announced soon).