Law schools across the country just opened up for in-person classes, and many students have their future careers on their minds. This year’s early interviews have already wrapped up and many offers have already been made, but how can law students create meaningful distinction between firms? Perhaps they can take a look at the firms’ pro bono numbers.
Over the course of the last year, members of the legal profession have sprung into action to deal with crisis after crisis after crisis, offering their services without cost to those in need. From health and humanitarian aid during the pandemic to racial justice initiatives to assisting with voting rights and combating election misinformation, lawyers in America were inspired to do their very best to help those who needed their assistance the very most.
But which law firms were able to contribute the most to society?
The American Lawyer has compiled a ranking of Am Law 200 firms based on their pro bono work in 2020. Half of their scores come from the average number of pro bono hours per lawyer, while the other half represents the percentage of lawyers who performed more than 20 hours of pro bono work.
Here are the top 10 firms for the “pro bono on steroids” year that was 2020:
- Covington & Burling
- Hughes Hubbard & Reed
- Jenner & Block
- Orrick
- O’Melveny & Myers
- WilmerHale
- Dechert
- Skadden
- Arnold & Porter
- Paul, Weiss
It should be noted that at each firm listed, the average attorney performed 151.6 hours or more of pro bono work last year, and the Am Law 200 as a whole contributed about 5.453 million hours of pro bono work. Congratulations!
With ‘Pro Bono on Steroids,’ Law Firms Met Immense Need by Rising to the Occasion [American Lawyer]
The 2021 Pro Bono Scorecard: National Rankings [American Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
