As the “justice gap” continues and worsens with more low-income and disadvantaged clients in need of diminishing legal aid resources, policymakers, the courts and the legal profession are seeking to address the crisis in access to justice, in part, by increasing sources of legal assistance including pro bono service.
The most recent pro bono initiative, undertaken by the New York court system, which took effect May 1, requires all lawyers admitted to practice in New York to report their pro bono time and financial contributions as part of their biennial registration report. Under that new rule, information on individual lawyers will be available to the public. The rule has encountered opposition from the New York State Bar Association, which does not support mandatory pro bono reporting and also views the public availability of information under the rule as an invasion of privacy.
