Recent News

June 10, 2011

Pro Bono Work Reported Up in 2010

More attorneys in Ohio appear to be volunteering legal service to people who need it, according to statistics released by the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Ohio attorneys reported 45 percent more pro bono hours for 2010 than 2009 for a total of almost 140,000 hours, the most in the three years the statistics have been collected.

The Ohio Supreme Court the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation asked attorneys to report their pro bono activities to gather meaningful information about the extent and nature of pro bono work in Ohio and to encourage pro bono activity to aid those who cannot afford an attorney. The information is used to identify gaps in the delivery of legal services in order to strengthen the network of legal services available to Ohioans in need.

In early 2011, the Court sent an email to all Ohio attorneys registered as “active” with email addresses on file with the Office of Attorney Services. Attorneys were asked to report their pro bono activity during the preceding calendar year by visiting a reporting Web site to answer eight questions.

All information voluntarily submitted was collected without identifiers, keeping the results anonymous.

On an annual basis, OLAF compiles and reports the information collected to the Court, bar associations and legal services organizations throughout Ohio.