The period for reporting 2022 pro bono information is CLOSED. Reporting will open January 1, 2024, for attorneys and paralegals to report 2023 pro bono hours.
From January 1, 2024, through March 31, 2024, attorneys and paralegals may use the Individual Pro Bono Reporting Form to submit their hours for 2023.
From January 1, 2024, through March 31, 2024, law firms can use the Batch Pro Bono Reporting Form to submit 2023 pro bono hours for their attorneys and paralegals.
We encourage reporting any number of pro bono hours!
Attorneys who reported more than 50 hours of pro bono service for 2022 will be inducted into the 2022 North Carolina Attorney Pro Bono Honor Society which will be announced in mid-May 2023.
Paralegals who reported more than 50 hours of pro bono service for 2022 will be inducted into the 2022 North Carolina Paralegal Pro Bono Honor Society, which will be announced in mid-May 2023..
North Carolina Rule of Professional Conduct 6.1 encourages North Carolina attorneys to engage in a variety of activities to increase access to justice:
– at least 50 hours each year of pro bono legal services to clients who are unable to pay, without fee or expectation of fee (this category solely leads to recognition through the North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society);
– legal services provided at a substantially reduced fee;
– activities to improve the law, the legal system, or the legal profession;
– non-legal community service; and
– financial support to legal service providers.
For more information about the above activities included in Rule 6.1, please visit the Reporting Frequently Asked Questions.
Paralegal Reporting also collects information about the above activities. For guidance on paralegal legal services, refer to the North Carolina State Bar Paralegal Certification program.
Comment 12 suggests that lawyers should report information about those services “in order that such service might be recognized and serve as an inspiration to others.” Each year, the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center provides a venue for this voluntary reporting, joining 22 other states in collecting information about pro bono activities included in Rule 6.1.
There are four major reasons to report your pro bono legal service: (1) it’s a way to showcase attorney volunteerism in North Carolina – we want to share the good work being done by the legal profession in our state; (2) it’s an opportunity to encourage your peers to grow their pro bono involvement by sharing about your own engagement; (3) it’s a mechanism to identify areas to grow pro bono efforts in North Carolina; and (4) it’s an opportunity for recognition. Reporters may elect to opt out of recognition if preferred.
North Carolina licensed attorneys (or attorneys who provide services under North Carolina Pro Bono Practice Status) who report at least 50 hours of pro bono legal service in a year will be inducted into that year’s cohort of the North Carolina Attorney Pro Bono Honor Society and receive a certificate from the Supreme Court of North Carolina recognizing their achievement. Paralegals who report at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services in a year will be inducted into that year’s cohort of the North Carolina Paralegal Pro Bono Honor Society and receive a certificate from the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center recognizing their achievement. To view information about the North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Societies and each year’s cohort, view this page.
The pro bono reporting form is available from January 1st to March 31st of each year and collects information about activities from the prior year. Please visit this page to assist you in tracking this information throughout the year.
If your firm or organization is interested in submitting information on behalf of its attorneys and/or paralegals, please contact Sylvia Novinsky, Director of the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center, or Rachel Royal, Project Manager, by emailing probonoreporting@ncprobono.org for more information.