The Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge initiative is a recognized legal industry standard for pro bono. Developed by law firm leaders and corporate general counsel, the Challenge articulates an aspirational goal embraced by law firms around the globe. Law firms that become signatories to the Challenge acknowledge their institutional, firm-wide commitment to provide pro bono legal services to the disadvantaged and those most in need.

Only firms with 50 or more lawyers are eligible to become Challenge Signatory Firms. When compared to other aspirational pro bono standards, such as ethics rules and state and local bar association goals, the Challenge is unique in several aspects:

• It is national and global in scope.
• It consciously targets one important segment of the bar – law firms with 50+ lawyers – and is tailored to the specific concerns, resources, structure, and role of that segment.
• It offers a progressive, but realistic, performance standard – i.e., a target of either five or three percent of each firm’s total billable hours – in addition to the hours-per-attorney standard commonly used in articulating pro bono goals. (While firms do have the option to select an alternative goal of 60 or 100 hours per attorney, most Signatory firms have elected to use the preferred percentage goals.) By promoting a percentage goal, the Challenge ties pro bono to firm productivity and profitability.
• It calls for an institutional commitment, rather than an individual lawyer commitment, in recognition of the fact that the policies and practices of large law firms are key to the ability and willingness of firm lawyers to undertake pro bono work.
• It creates goals, not only with respect to the amount of pro bono work to be undertaken, but also with regard to the structural and policy elements that are essential for the creation and maintenance of a pro bono-friendly law firm culture.
• It links Challenge firms to technical assistance resources at the Law Firm Pro Bono Project initiative.
• It includes an accountability mechanism and an outcome measurement tool through its annual reporting requirement.

To join the Challenge, sign the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge  statement. For more information about the Challenge, read  the Commentary to the Statement Principles, and What Counts?.

To find current as well as historic data on law firm pro bono performance, read the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge Reports, and to learn more about the amazing work signatories have done to serve those in need, visit the PBI Signatory Showcase.