Submissions are open for the 3rd edition of the TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono, the world’s leading global pro bono survey.
The submission period runs between 11 April and 23 May 2016
About TrustLaw: TrustLaw is the Thomson Reuters Foundation's global pro bono service, which connects NGOs and social enterprises with free legal advice and research from the best law firms and in-house legal teams around the world. TrustLaw is a growing network of over 3,000 members in 170 countries, including 2,500 NGOs and social enterprises and more than 540 of the top law firms and in-house legal teams. For further information, see attached our introductory brochure.
About the Index: In 2014, the Thomson Reuters Foundation launched the first annual TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono. The Index is the first global pro bono survey of its kind, identifying global as well as regional trends in the pro bono marketplace and looking at how much pro bono work law firms are undertaking on a country-by-country basis around the world. To find out more, check out the findings from 2014 and 2015.
This year, the Thomson Reuters Foundation will collect pro bono data from more jurisdictions and law firms to build a broader picture of the global pro bono landscape. Law firms are invited to submit their pro bono data through an online survey before 23 May 2016.
“Pro Bono data matters”, says Serena Grant, Director of TrustLaw, Thomson Reuters Foundation. “This is the feedback we have received from firms large and small - whether used by a pro bono coordinator to advocate for better resources, or a firm setting up its pro bono practice and wanting benchmarks on how their counterparts have structured their practices.”
“Acclaimed pro bono surveys have long collected data on a national basis in markets such as England and Wales, the US, Australia and even in parts of Latin America. Yet, there was not a comprehensive report mapping trends and measuring pro bono engagement on a global basis until we created the TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono”, adds Nicholas Glicher, Legal Director, Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Its unique global reach allows the TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono to unearth relevant, yet previously unexplored trends in pro bono markets from Cambodia to Germany to Colombia, highlighting successful programmes as well as identifying gaps in pro bono participation. “Since different cultures and jurisdictions hold diverse attitudes to pro bono, we created a definition of pro bono that allows for consistent submissions globally, and that enables comparison across the findings”, explains Glicher.
The 2015 findings unveil an incredible enthusiasm for pro bono with 2 million hours of free legal support provided by the 140 respondent firms across 76 countries, and an average of 43 hours of free legal assistance invested annually by individual lawyers.
“More and more around the world, barriers to pro bono are falling, participation is up, and lawyers are excited to make a difference in their jurisdictions and beyond. This sea change is happening in no small part thanks to the TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono. It is an aspirational tool for us to gauge how we’re doing, and inspires us to do more”, commented Louis O’Neill, Pro Bono Counsel, White & Case LLP, in anticipation of the 2016 TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono.
Findings of the 2016 TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono will be launched on 18 July 2016.
Click here for further details.