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New research shows that the average number of pro bono hours undertaken per lawyer has risen to 43.2 hours, with lawyers across the country who are signatories to the National Pro Bono Target contributing more than 887,000 hours of pro bono legal work in FY2025–26.
The Australian Pro Bono Centre has published its 19th Annual Performance Report of the National Pro Bono Target, showing that signatories across the legal profession contributed 887,910 hours of pro bono legal work in FY2025–26, with lawyers averaging 43.2 hours of pro bono work each – above the target of 35 hours per lawyer per year.
The number of lawyers covered by the National Pro Bono Target has grown to 20,685, with practitioners either signed up individually or employed by Target signatories now representing around one in five lawyers nationally.
Results
Across the legal profession, lawyers working in different types of organisations, as well as those volunteering in a personal capacity, continued to contribute significant amounts of pro bono work.
Individual solicitors and barristers reported an average of 93.1 pro bono hours in FY25–26, with almost three-quarters meeting or exceeding the target.
Lawyers working in large firms with 50 or more lawyers reported an average of 43.1 pro bono hours in FY25–26, up from 41.8 hours the previous year, while 59.1 per cent of lawyers participated in pro bono work, broadly consistent with the previous year’s 60.5 per cent participation rate.
Smaller firms recorded an average of 44.2 pro bono hours per lawyer in FY25–26, down from 51.4 hours the previous year, while 68.8 per cent of lawyers participated in pro bono work.
Overall, 57.8 per cent of target signatories met or exceeded their respective Targets in FY25–26, up from 51.6 per cent the previous year.
Paralegals also made a significant contribution to pro bono work, with 733 full-time equivalent paralegals across 69 firms undertaking a combined 24,655 hours in FY25–26.
This equated to an average of 31.5 hours of pro bono legal work per paralegal, up from 25.5 hours the previous year.
Discussion
Speaking about the results, Australian Pro Bono Centre CEO Gabriela Christian-Hare said: “This year, the legal profession has continued to navigate a period of profound transformation. Rapid advances in technology and AI, increasing regulatory complexity and evolving social challenges, including cost-of-living pressures and digital exclusion, are reshaping the practice of law.
“Yet amid this transformation, this year’s Target results highlight the profession’s unwavering commitment to pro bono work, a cornerstone of Australia’s legal culture and a vital contributor to access to justice.”
Meanwhile, the centre’s chair, Tessa Boyd-Caine, highlighted the significant impact that pro bono work has on the lives of Australians every year.
“While pro bono legal services can never be a substitute for adequate government investment in the legal assistance sector, this report demonstrates the impact of pro bono work on the lives of thousands of Australians each year,” Boyd-Caine said.
“From large law firms to dedicated individual practitioners, lawyers across the profession are committed to ensuring that people who are vulnerable to unmet legal need or experiencing disadvantage can access the legal help they need.”
