2024 Index of Pro Bono findings revealed

The Thomson Reuters Foundation 2024 Index of Pro Bono compiles comprehensive data received from 209 law firms in 123 jurisdictions representing nearly 100,000 lawyers.

It is the only truly global survey measuring the amount of pro bono practised by law firms around the world. The Index provides in-depth insights into the evolving global pro bono landscape.

Read our summary of the findings below:

Lawyers are committing the equivalent of a working week to pro bono

Lawyers globally are dedicating an average of 35.6 hours per year to share their knowledge and expertise with non-profits, social enterprises, small businesses, journalists and newsrooms. The work contributes to tackling some of the greatest challenges of our time including climate change, women’s rights and immigration.

This figure is up from 32 hours per year recorded in 2022. The commitment demonstrated by lawyers in 2024 is equivalent to a full working week.

Pro bono is good for business 

There is a clear and growing recognition among law firms around the world that pro bono work is more than just altruism – it’s good for business. 73% of law firms who participated in the survey reported using pro bono work as a tool to train and develop their staff. And just under half (47%) reported that they used this line of work to retain employees.

Firms are using a range of methods to incentivise pro bono work. For example:

• 80% factored pro bono into their appraisal processes
• 68% into fee earning targets
• 57% into compensation decisions.

In almost all cases, incentives drove higher pro bono hours and engagement among lawyers, but it was counting pro bono hours toward fee-earning targets that had the greatest impact. Twice the number of hours were logged by firms that considered pro bono work a contribution to fee-earning targets (31.5 hours) compared to those that did not (16 hours).

Dedicated structure drives effectiveness

Having partner or senior-level buy-in also has a tangible impact on the uptake of pro bono in firms, helping to drive the effectiveness of pro bono initiatives. Firms with more senior roles in charge of pro bono reported nearly three times the average pro bono hours (28 hours) of those with less senior roles (10.8 hours). Firms with a designated person coordinating their firm’s day-to-day pro bono work average almost three times more pro bono (36.2 hours) than firms without (13.6 hours).

Separating pro bono and Corporate Social Responsibility boosts productivity

As discussions continue in the legal sector over the relationship between pro bono and firms’ corporate social responsibility initiatives, this year’s Index also reveals it is the firms that choose to structure and incentivise their pro bono work like a business function that achieve the greatest productivity. The 2024 Index found firms with a separate pro bono department or programme performed 52% more hours (33.9 hours) than firms that combined pro bono with corporate social responsibility initiatives (22.2 hours).

By providing global benchmarks on pro bono participation, the Thomson Reuters Foundation empowers the legal community to expand support for civil society organisations and social enterprises, making the law more accessible to those who need it most. Democracies around the world are facing a surge in repressive legal tactics, aimed at shrinking civic spaces and clamping down on human rights. Pro bono legal support to help individuals and organisations navigate these evolving legal threats is more important than ever before.

About TrustLaw 

The Foundation’s global pro bono legal network, TrustLaw, works with leading law firms and corporate legal teams to facilitate free legal support, research and resources for civil society organisations, social enterprises and non-profit independent media around the globe. 

As the largest pro bono legal network in the world, TrustLaw draws on the expertise of more than 120,000 lawyers in 190 countries. We leverage the power of the law to protect, support and empower organisations at the frontlines of social or environmental change, and to strengthen and defend independent media.