Australian solicitors give an average of one week per year to pro bono work

20/02/2008

The National Pro Bono Resource Centre has released the results of its national survey on pro bono leagal work done by Australian solicitors. According to the centre's media release,�roughly $250 million of work was undertaken on a pro bono basis by Australian solicitors in 2007 and the figure continues to rise. On average, this amounts to every solicitor giving one week per year of their time free of charge to the community.

Other findings include:

• 80 percent of respondents conducted pro bono work in the previous 12 months. • 52 percent reported an increase in pro bono work compared with the previous year. • Solicitors spent an average of 42.5 hours doing pro bono work in the last year, with 60 percent undertaking more than 35 hours of pro bono work during the past 12 months. • Solicitors are undertaking significant amounts of pro bono work in their own time as well as with their employer. • 71 percent of solicitors thought that their law society should issue a policy statement about solicitors’ commitment to pro bono.

View the National Pro Bono Resource Centre's media release>

20 February 2008