2024 TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono findings revealed

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

The 2024 Index compiles data received from 209 law firms in 123 jurisdictions representing nearly 100,000 lawyers. 

Read our summary of the findings below.

You can also read more about our report's findings in the Financial Times' Moral Money newsletter. This edition is free to read, but if you'd like to receive their newsletter on the drive for cleaner, fairer capitalism, FT Premium subscribers can sign up here. Get access for your organisation with FT Professional.

Pro bono is more than just altruism — it’s good for business

There is a clear and growing recognition amongst law firms across the world that pro bono work is more than just altruism — it’s good for business.

Nearly three quarters of law firms (73%) reported using pro bono work as a tool to train and develop their staff, and nearly half (47%), as a means to retain them. Law firms are also increasingly using pro bono to align with the interests of their clients (45%).

A bar chart showing the reasons why firms do pro bono. 93% of firms do pro bono to support the community, 73% do it for training and skill development, 47% do it for staff retention, 45% do it to align with client interests, 34% do it for marketing, 16% do it as an externally mandated requirement and 9% do it for other reasons.

And firms that invest in pro bono like business, do more

This year’s Index also reveals that firms that choose to structure and incentivise their pro bono work like other business functions log the most hours.

Download our ready-made presentation deck for your business meetings, showcasing the key decisions your firm can make to help boost pro bono engagement.

Download our presentation deck

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

Lawyers globally are dedicating an average of 35.6 hours per year (up from 32 hours in 2022) to share their expertise with non-profits, social enterprises, small businesses, journalists and newsrooms tackling some of the greatest challenges of our time.

This commitment is equivalent to a full working week. 

Some firms are missing critical data when measuring the impact of their pro bono

Numbers alone cannot fully capture whether a pro bono intervention had a positive outcome for beneficiaries, yet the Index findings show the top three metrics for impact measurement to all be numbers-based – hours logged (70%), clients served (62%) and matters handled (62%).

There is therefore a significant opportunity for growth in qualitative assessments of pro bono outcomes.

Our new guide - Measuring Pro Bono Impact - outlines a roadmap of industry best practice on measuring the impact of your pro bono projects.

Download our Measuring Pro Bono Impact guide

Help spread the word

We encourage free, attributed, reuse of our text, data or charts within your own websites and social media channels. Download our handy social media toolkit to share the findings of the 2024 Index with your networks.

All we ask in return is that you credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Graphic taken from our social media toolkit. Graphic reads: Globally, 57% of lawyers are engaged in some kind of pro bono work. This is a promising signal that lawyers are actively engaged in pro bono work at all levels. The pie chart shows that 57% of lawyers are engaged in pro bono, and 43% are not engaged.

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