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Firms undertook record-breaking volume of pro bono hours last year
Australian BigLaw firms set a new benchmark for pro bono legal services in 2024, recording the highest total number of pro bono hours ever, according to a new survey.
Grace Robbie
Last month, the Australian Pro Bono Centre released the ninth edition of its Biennial Pro Bono Survey, offering insights into the contributions, challenges, and strategies adopted by some of Australia’s largest law firms in managing and delivering pro bono legal services.
The report found that large Australian law firms are delivering pro bono legal services at an unprecedented level, setting a new record with 704,888 pro bono hours – a sharp rise from the 564,531 hours recorded in 2022.
This aligns with the record-breaking volume of pro bono work undertaken by Australian lawyers, where there has been an 11.5 per cent increase in pro bono hours, rising from 700,910 in the 2022–23 financial year to 781,596 in the most recent financial year.
The report revealed that, on average, 62 per cent of firm lawyers engaged in pro bono work, with each lawyer dedicating an average of 41.9 hours annually – an increase from the previous average of 36.2 hours per lawyer recorded in 2022.
As a result of this growth, “for the first time”, the majority of surveyed firms surpassed the National Pro Bono Target of 35 hours per lawyer per year.
Speaking with Lawyers Weekly previously about the rise of pro bono practices within the profession, former president of the Law Society of NSW Brett McGrath expressed satisfaction with the growing number of pro bono hours contributed by legal professionals.
“People who join law and solicitors who join the profession, they generally do so because they want to make a difference in people’s lives,” McGrath said.
“There is an altruistic side to wanting to be a lawyer and, with firms encouraging their solicitors to undertake that work, it’s part of our tradition and professional obligation”.
The Biennial Pro Bono Survey has indicated that law firms continue to provide assistance to a diverse array of clients. Notably, in 2024, sixty per cent of pro bono activities were directed towards organisations, while 40 per cent were dedicated to individual clients.
The report also highlighted the evolving strategies that large firms adopt to structure their pro bono programs. Approximately 70 per cent of these firms reported having a dedicated pro bono manager, with 61 per cent of those individuals employed on a full-time basis.
Conversely, engagement in pro bono committees has been declining, with only 50 per cent of firms indicating the presence of such a committee, a decrease from a peak of 71 per cent observed in 2016.
Speaking to Lawyers Weekly following the release of the Australian Pro Bono Centre’s 17th Annual Performance Report, chief executive Gabriela Christian-Hare expressed that it is “increasingly expected” that large firms prioritise pro bono within their practice.
“Pro bono is an important part of the profession, reflecting a lawyer’s duty to uphold the rule of law and the principle of access to justice,” Christian-Hare said.
“Given the well-established pro bono sector, it is becoming increasingly expected that firms will prioritise this work, and those that have not yet met their commitments should be encouraged by their clients to do so.”
When asked about the key factors for a successful pro bono practice, firms identified “strong relationships with community partners, a strong pro bono culture, and a dedicated pro bono leader” as crucial elements.
Despite these successes, firms continue to grapple with several challenges. The identified primary barriers to expanding pro bono efforts include “firm capacity, insufficient expertise in relevant areas of law, and concerns about conflicts of interest with fee-paying clients”.
Nonetheless, 71 per cent of firms have set overall pro bono targets, signalling a continued commitment to ensuring access to justice for vulnerable communities.
