Many law firms struggle with how to involve more partners in pro bono work. The PBEye believes that it is critical to attain meaningful participation by partners. Doing so broadens a firm’s pro bono capacity and helps ensure the long-term vitality of pro bono by sending a clear message that pro bono is an important and lasting firm value.
The Law Firm Pro Bono Project recently collected information from Member Firms and Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Signatories about how they incentivize their partners to do pro bono work. They revealed a variety of ways in which firms do this, such as offering billable or collection credit for pro bono, including pro bono in a partner’s self-assessment or annual review, and using awards or other forms of public recognition. We frequently receive requests from firms regarding partners and pro bono and the updated information received will enable us to more accurately respond to such inquiries.
We’ve created an infographic that summarizes the information obtained from more than 100 respondents at 81 different law firms. Visit our Resource Clearinghouse to download the infographic, which is free for Law Firm Project Members and available to all others for purchase. (If you are new to the Resource Clearinghouse, please contact Law Firm Project Assistant Eva Richardson to register.) For additional hints and best practices for successfully overcoming obstacles to partner involvement, check out our handout about improving partner participation.