Pro bono public, or pro bono in short, originated from the Latin language meaning “for the public good”. It is defined as “done without compensation for the public good”.

In his speech for the opening of the legal year 2012, our then Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong emphasised how “pro bono as a social value does not come from nature, but from nurture”. SMU warmly embraces the mandatory pro bono program to be implemented for all Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Juris Doctor (JD) students matriculating from academic year 2013/2014 onwards. This is nothing new for SMU as our law students have each, in the past, devoted 80 hours or more of their time to community service at a Voluntary Welfare Organization (VWO) or organizations involved in pro bono and legal aid work.