WASHINGTON, D.C. – The 2026 Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Report showed signs of stabilization in pro bono performed by law firms from 2024 to 2025 with slight declines in some areas offset by encouraging gains in others, including more law firms meeting the Challenge goal and increased charitable giving. Law Firm Challenge signatories reported performing a total of 5.14 million hours of pro bono in 2025.
The Pro Bono Institute (PBI) Law Firm Pro Bono Project initiative released its Report based on 2025 data from reporting Law Firm Challenge signatories. The 2026 Challenge Report comes amid the PBI 30th anniversary, and at a time when law firm pro bono faces unique challenges.
BACKGROUND
- The 2026 Report examines the pro bono performance of Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge signatories during the 2025 calendar year.
- The Challenge is the industry standard for pro bono participation in law firms with 50 or more attorneys.
- Challenge signatory firms have committed to a goal of contributing 3 or 5 percent (or 60 or 100 hours per attorney) of their annual billable hours to pro bono activities as defined by the Challenge and to report their performance to PBI each year.
“For more than 30 years, the PBI Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge Report has provided the profession with an extraordinary body of longitudinal data. These benchmarks illuminate the history of law firm pro bono and help us move forward in innovative and strategic ways to maximize the impact of pro bono legal services,” said Eve Runyon, PBI President and CEO. “The stability shown in the 2025 data is especially insightful and confirms that law firm pro bono continues to adapt to serve communities in need.”
Recent data show that law firm pro bono engagement remains in a period of adjustment after the pandemic and amid increased scrutiny of pro bono legal services and funding cuts to legal services organizations and nonprofit partners. While key measures — including the percentage of billable hours devoted to pro bono, average pro bono hours per attorney, and attorney participation — continue to reflect an overall post-pandemic decline, the picture is not without bright spots. After modest signs of improvement in 2024, performance from 2024 to 2025 remained largely steady. Slight declines in some areas were offset by encouraging gains in others, indicating firms’ ongoing commitment to pro bono.
Key information from the newly issued Report includes:
- 116 firms reported performing an aggregated total of 5.14 million hours of pro bono work in 2025, compared to 4.92 million hours reported by 114 firms in 2024.
- Pro bono hours represented approximately 3.53% of total client billable hours in 2025 – a 0.18% decrease from 2024.
- The percentage of firms meeting the Challenge goal of either 3 or 5 percent of total billable hours devoted to pro bono increased to 51% and 71% respectively.
- Firms reported performing more than 3.5 million pro bono hours for those of limited means and organizations serving them, an increase in hours (159,024) from 2024.
- The percentage of attorneys participating in pro bono was 73.0% compared to 73.6% in 2024.
- The percentage of partners participating in pro bono was 62% compared to 62.9% in 2024.
- The percentage of associates participating in pro bono remained unchanged at 84.1% in both 2024 and 2025.
- The average hours per attorney was 53.8 compared to 55.6 in 2024.
- In 2025, the total amount of charitable giving to legal services organizations increased to $19,438,409 from $14,482,068 in 2024, with 1 fewer firm reporting on giving this year.
View the full Report, including the Executive Summary, data analysis, and Reflections.
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About Pro Bono Institute
Founded in 1996, Pro Bono Institute (PBI) is the respected resource for all things pro bono with an unparalleled depth of knowledge, resources and expertise. Through its work with law firms, in-house corporate legal departments, and public interest organizations, PBI is the global thought leader in exploring, identifying, evaluating, catalyzing, and taking to scale new approaches to and resources for the provision of legal services to the poor, disadvantaged, and other individuals or groups unable to secure legal assistance to address critical problems.
About the Law Firm Pro Bono Project
The PBI Law Firm Pro Bono Project initiative is a global effort designed to support and enhance the pro bono culture and performance of major law firms in the U.S. and around the world. The Project’s goal is to fully integrate pro bono into the practice, philosophy, and culture of firms so that large law firms provide the institutional support, infrastructure, and encouragement essential to fostering a climate supportive of pro bono service and promoting partner and associate participation.