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We survey the legal industry every year to better understand how firms approach pro bono work—the issues that matter most to them, the challenges they face in seeking to make an impact, and the numbers that define their pro bono programs. This year, as the industry navigates through a pandemic that will surely increase the need for pro bono legal services in the coming months, pro bono takes on added significance.

In this report, we look at how law firms are approaching pro bono work during the coronavirus crisis and what it will mean in the long run. We also check in with lawyers who were diverted toward pro bono or public interest work during the last recession, explore the trend toward competitive law firms collaborating on pro bono projects, and highlight some of the most interesting matters firms handled last year. And, of course, our rankings identify the firms that excel in a variety of metrics.

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The Pro Bono Scorecard shows Big Law contributed more than 5 million hours of pro bono last year. Now, as the pandemic pushes millions of Americans to the brink, pro bono leaders are ready for a surge of clients in need.

Our Pro Bono Scorecard recorded more than 5 million hours of pro bono among the Am Law 200 in 2019. Where did all those hours go? This slideshow explores a sampling of the causes that captured Big Law's attention.