Legal Latin has a way of making simple ideas sound intimidating. These three phrases all start with “pro,” all show up in court, and all mean completely different things. Two minutes and you will never mix them up again.
Pro se: representing yourself
Pro se (pronounced “pro say”) means “for oneself.” A pro se litigant is someone handling their own case without a lawyer.
You have a right to represent yourself in most civil and criminal matters. People go pro se for lots of reasons, usually cost. Small claims courts are built for it. Complex litigation is not, and judges will hold a pro se party to the same rules of procedure and evidence as a lawyer, with only limited leniency on formalities.
If you see “Plaintiff, pro se” on a court filing, it means the plaintiff wrote and filed it themselves.
Pro bono: free legal work
Pro bono is short for pro bono publico, “for the public good.” It means legal work a lawyer does for free, usually for people who cannot afford representation or for nonprofit organizations.
Pro bono is not charity around the edges of the profession; it is built into it. The American Bar Association’s model rules urge lawyers to aspire to at least 50 hours of pro bono work per year, and many law firms treat pro bono hours like billable hours. Law students do pro bono too. My own school requires experiential pro bono work before graduation, and it is often the first real client contact a student gets.
If pro se is representing yourself because you have no lawyer, pro bono is one of the ways the profession tries to make sure fewer people end up in that position.
Pro hac vice: a visiting lawyer
Pro hac vice (roughly “pro hock VEE-chay,” though pronunciations vary by courtroom) means “for this occasion.” Lawyers are licensed state by state. A lawyer licensed in New York cannot ordinarily walk into a Rhode Island courtroom and argue a case. But a court can admit an out-of-state lawyer pro hac vice: permission to appear for that one case only, usually alongside a locally licensed attorney who sponsors them.
You will see this in cases where a client wants an out-of-state lawyer with particular experience, or where litigation spans multiple states. It is routine, it requires a motion and a fee, and it ends when the case does.
The quick recap
- Pro se: a party representing themselves, no lawyer.
- Pro bono: a lawyer working for free, for the public good.
- Pro hac vice: an out-of-state lawyer given one-time permission to appear in a case.
Same preposition, three different corners of the courtroom. For more plain-English definitions, see the full glossary.
Further reading
I am a law student, not a lawyer. Nothing on this site is legal advice. If you are facing a legal issue, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.
