By all key measures, Big Law firms did significantly less pro bono work in 2021 than in 2020, a development likely related to the dramatic spike in client demand that led to record industry revenue for the year as lawyers concentrated on billable hours.

According to The American Lawyer’s 2022 Pro Bono Scorecard, lawyers at 117 Am Law 200 firms reported a total of 4.59 million pro bono hours in 2021, down 15.8% from 5.45 million hours in 2020. Lawyers averaged 54.5 pro bono hours in 2021, a 12.9% decline from 62.6 hours the year before.