Supporting Justice V: A Report on the Pro Bono Work of America’s Lawyers

Published on 20 January 2025 A new study from the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono & Public Service examines lawyers' participation in and perception of pro bono work.

American attorneys continue to demonstrate a robust and enduring dedi­cation to pro bono work, with more than 75% providing pro bono service at some point in their careers, but there still is room for improvement, according to findings from “Supporting Justice V: A Report on the Pro Bono Work of America’s Lawyers”, released today by the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service. 

The report, the fifth in a series of studies on lawyer volunteerism that began in 2004 and the first since 2018, found that just over half of the attorneys surveyed had provided some pro bono legal services in 2022, with a lack of time cited most often as the single most important challenge to volunteerism. Slightly more than half of the attorneys providing pro bono services did so on a limited-scope basis, meaning their efforts were directed at specific tasks or services. Approximately 1 in 5 attorneys has never undertaken pro bono service of any kind.