As lawyers, courts and businesses adjust to the new realities of hybrid work, many are asking the companion question: will volunteer lawyers come back to pro bono work? Right now, it’s not looking so good. Despite some deceivingly big numbers in national data reports on pro bono service, the big unspoken secret is that we are not meeting the need, and many who can serve, simply are not.

In pre-COVID days, the Support Center for Child Advocates had more than 330 volunteer lawyers serving each year in the representation of 1,100-plus children who had experienced abuse and severe neglect. While the story of service is impressive, it also comes up short. In the decade preceding COVID, even with heavy recruitment and training efforts, we regularly needed 50 or more additional volunteers. Since COVID, the deficit in our pro bono workforce is even greater, as we are chronically 70 volunteer lawyers down.