2013 Médaille de Saint-Yves

Each year, Pro Bono Québec awards the Médaille de Saint-Yves to recognize the outstanding contribution of a lawyer, law office or an organization that has offered pro bono legal services.

We invite you to consult the details for the process and modalities of nomination (french only).

The latin expression "pro bono" means "for the public good".

A Matter of Professional Responsibility

Many organizations representing lawyers acknowledge that the profession has a duty to improve access to justice by helping citizens of limited means and groups defending the interests of society’s disadvantaged.

The Canadian Bar Association encourages lawyers to do 50 hours of pro bono work each year. - Resolution 03-04-M of the CBA

The American Bar Association has adopted this position on pro bono work: “Every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay. A lawyer should aspire to render at least (50) hours of pro bono publico legal services per year.” - ABA Model Rule 6.1

In the United States, seven states require lawyers to report annually on the number of hours dedicated to pro bono work: Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada and New Mexico.

On the initiative of The Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice Initiatives of the New York City Bar, law firms are invited to sign the Pro Bono Declaration of the Americas. 

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