WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Law Firm Pro Bono Project® initiative of Pro Bono Institute (PBI) has released its 2024 report on the 2023 Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® data. In 2023, 120 participating firms performed a total of 5,076,659 hours of pro bono work, a 2.5 percent increase from 2022. This significant contribution places Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge signatories past a significant milestone since the Challenge began in 1995 – accumulating over 100 million hours of pro bono service over the life of the Challenge.
BACKGROUND
- The 2024 Report on the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge Initiative examines the pro bono performance of Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge signatories during the 2023 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.
While there is ground to make up to return to pre-pandemic levels of engagement, this year’s results show that pro bono culture is strong among Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge signatory law firms. Over five million hours of free legal services to support access to justice is a significant contribution to our society, and PBI remains inspired and encouraged by the commitment of law firms to provide pro bono legal services to those most in need.
“Law firms have much to be proud of in this milestone year. Increased engagement in 2023 suggests a path forward following declines seen after the pandemic. This commitment comes at a critical time, as the need for pro bono legal services to support our communities continues to grow. Resources for those of limited means remain vastly insufficient to meet the growing need. In an era of law firm business that is marked by innovation, law firms are urged to continue to harness their talents and their dedication to serve those in need,” said PBI President and CEO Eve Runyon.
Additional key information from the newly issued Report includes:
- On average, reporting law firms devoted 3.76 percent of their total billable hours to furnishing pro bono services – a slight increase from 3.47 percent in 2022.
- About 94.7 percent of reporting firms indicated that they had either increased or maintained their efforts on behalf of racial justice.
- Attorneys spent an average of 54.7 hours each on pro bono matters in 2023, compared to 52.6 hours in 2022.
- About 73.3 percent of the attorneys at reporting firms worked on pro bono matters in 2023, which is up slightly from 2022.
- Pro bono hours for those of limited means represented 74 percent of all pro bono hours for firms reporting on these hours, a slightly higher percentage compared to 2022 (which came in at 73.3 percent).
- PBI has recorded 103.3 million hours of pro bono service by reporting firms since 1995 and expects Challenge signatories will exceed 108 million hours in 2024.
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 a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization. With an unparalleled depth of knowledge, resources and expertise, PBI is the respected resource for all things pro bono. Through our 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.