Burns & Levinson seeks to provide effective pro bono representation to persons of limited means by concentrating its efforts in those areas of the law where it possesses significant expertise. Those areas include:

• Real estate: Burns & Levinson lawyers represent indigent defendants in housing court proceedings and represent charter schools and other non-profit entities in real estate leasing, acquisitions and financings.
• Probate: Burns & Levinson lawyers serve as guardians for the elderly and handicapped by court appointment and assist indigent parties in obtaining custody of abused and abandoned children.
• Education: Burns & Levinson is a leader in the field of charter schools, independent public schools that serve students who are disproportionately poor and members of minority groups.
• Non-profits: The firm is counsel to a wide variety of non-profit organizations, and members of the firm serve as trustees and directors of non-profits in the areas of healthcare and education.
• Improvement of the Law and the Legal System: Burns & Levinson lawyers are active in organizations that work to improve the law and the legal system, including the Massachusetts Bar Foundation.

Burns & Levinson accepts pro bono cases both from recognized outside referral sources such as the Volunteer Lawyers Project, the Women's Bar Association and Senior Partners for Justice, and from contacts generated internally by partners and associates in the firm. The firm gives lawyers wide latitude to accept pro bono cases regardless of the political implications of the potential outcome of a matter.