One hundred thirty-five law firms collectively reported increases in total pro bono hours, pro bono hours for those of limited means, attorney participation rates, and charitable giving to legal services organizations, according to PBI’s Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s recently released Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Report. This annual report examines the pro bono activities of signatories to the Challenge, a unique, aspirational standard. More good news? Lives are being improved, rights are being protected, and access to justice is being advanced every day.
Among the many takeaways from this year’s Report: firms are surpassing their challenge goals. Fifty-six percent of firms either performed the same amount or increased their pro bono hours over 2015. Twenty percent of firms reported significant expansion (in excess of 20% over 2015), demonstrating that major growth is possible. As always, we are grateful to our signatories for their dedication to improving access to justice and leading the way in pro bono service.
Check out the complete Challenge Report including analysis of the data, additional information regarding firm size and pro bono, detailed graphs, and more. Stay tuned to The PBEye for more highlights from this year’s Challenge Report, and the Law Firm Project’s discussion of the Report on our podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour.
If your firm of 50 or more lawyers would like to join the Challenge, please contact Law Firm Pro Bono Project Assistant Elysse DeRita.