Washington Goes Big for Pro Bono

November 27, 2018
by NWSidebar
Decorative Scales of Justice in the Courtroom

Leave it to Washington legal professionals to raise the bar. WSBA is proud to highlight the many, many Washington legal professionals named in the 2017 Washington State Supreme Court Pro Bono Publico Honor Roll, which recognizes individuals who reported at least 50 hours of pro bono work in 2017.

The honor roll includes nearly 1,400 legal professionals who generously dedicated their time to Washington residents, ensuring more access to justice for those who cannot afford the high cost of legal services. All together, the honor roll represents at least 68,000 hours of free legal assistance!

But Washington legal professionals elevating the profession is far from out of the ordinary. In 2016, according to the American Bar Association (ABA), Washington reported the highest average number of pro bono hours out of 24 states that participated in a pro bono and public service study. According to the ABA:

“The attorneys in Washington reported an average of 57.4 hours of pro bono in 2016—the highest among all the states that participated in the survey. Just over 68% of the attorneys reported having done at least some pro bono in 2016, and the average hours for these attorneys was 77.4. This state had the lowest percent of attorneys who had never performed pro bono, with only 10% making this claim. Washington state was also one of the highest in terms of the percent of their attorney population that performed 80 or more hours of pro bono in 2016, with 18.6% of the attorneys reporting this. Washington was also one of the leading states in terms of percent of attorneys undertaking limited scope representation pro bono work (53.5% of those who provided pro bono in 2016 provided this type of service) and percent of attorneys providing pro bono services to organizations (49.2%) in 2016.”

Celebrate Pro Bono 2018 banner

Around the country, legal professionals came together in October to celebrate Pro Bono Week. At NWSidebar, we’ve been highlighting the amazing pro bono work by legal professionals in our corner of the Pacific Northwest. Check out these inspiring stories of WSBA members donating their time, energy, and expertise for the public’s benefit.