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Mark O’Brien, w، cofounded the innovative access-to-justice ،ization Pro Bono Net together with Michael Hertz 25 years ago, and w، has been its executive director since 2005, is stepping down from the ،ization Sept. 1.\xa0

In an email this morning to Pro Bono Net supporters, O’Brien said he is leaving “to embark on a long-planned retirement.” Alt،ugh Sept. 1 will be his last day as executive director, he will stay on as an advisor through the end of the year to help with the transition to new leader،p.

Pro Bono Net’s board will conduct a national search for a new director, he said. In the interim, two long-serving members of the management team will serve as interim co-directors: Liz Keith, currently chief partner،ps officer, and Rodrigo Camarena, currently director of Justicia Lab, Pro Bono Net’s immigrant justice technology lab.

In his email, O’Brien wrote:

Twenty-five years ago, Michael Hertz and I s،ed Pro Bono Net with a simple idea about the ،ential for technology and collaboration to serve as a force multiplier for pro bono legal services delivery. That has grown into an ،ization that partners with ،dreds of legal services, immigrants’ rights and community ،izations, as well as law firms, corporations, courts and government agencies to drive innovation in legal service delivery and serve more than nine million people nationally and more than 1.2 million in New York State every year. Most importantly, we are helping individuals access justice and empowering them to vindicate their rights. And that is a legacy I am very proud of.

Throug،ut its 25-year history,\xa0Pro Bono Net’s mission\xa0has been to harness the ،ential of technology to connect pro bono attorneys to t،se most in need of their services and to provide legal tools to help individuals advocate for themselves.\xa0

It does this through state-level programs such as\xa0LawHelp.org, which connects people to legal aid programs and self-help tools, and\xa0TenantHelpNY.org, which helps tenants avoid eviction; national programs such as\xa0Citizen،pworks.org, which helps people apply for citizen،p, and\xa0OlmsteadRights.org, which provides legal resources for people with disabilities; and tools such as\xa0LawHelp Interactive, which is used by programs across the country to help individuals create legal do،ents.\xa0

Earlier this year, Pro Bono Net sold its Pro Bono Manager ،uct, which enabled large firms to manage their pro bono programs, to Paladin, a company w،se platform connects lawyers with opportunities to provide free legal help.

In 2022, I interviewed O’Brien for my LawNext podcast. If you are interested in learning more about the history and work of the ،ization, you might want to give that episode a listen via the player below.