Maryland Pro Bono Report for FY2020

The Administrative Office of the Courts published the Current Status of Pro Bono Service Among Maryland Lawyers FY2020 September 2021.

The report’s introduction states that the purposes of this summary report are: 1. to identify and evaluate the status of pro bono service engaged in by Maryland lawyers; 2. to assess whether a target goal of 50 hours of pro bono service for lawyers in the full practice of law was achieved; 3. to determine the level of financial contribution to legal services organizations by Maryland Attorneys; and 4. and to identify areas that need to be improved for promoting pro bono services.

The report is the first to reflect a fiscal year rather than a calendar year. The last report covered January 2018 to June 2019 so that the reporting period could align with the Attorney Information System (AIS) fiscal year reporting schedule. The change in the reporting period and a change in address from business to primary will affect direct comparisons but it is still interesting to see the change over time.

The report provides data on pro bono service in Maryland counties. How does Anne Arundel County compare? Not so good – Anne Arundel County is still at the bottom in providing pro bono service.

Percentage of Lawyers with Any Pro Bono Hours by County (Figure 2 on page 10 of the report.) Statewide, 38.5% of attorneys provide some pro bono. In Anne Arundel it is 35.7%. Only one other county has a lower percentage.

Percentage of Full-Time Lawyers in Maryland ≥ 50 Hours of Pro Bono Service by Jurisdiction (Table 8 on page 13 of the report) Statewide, 15.6% of attorneys provide 50 or more hours. In Anne Arundel County, it is 13.9% There are two counties with a lower percentage.

Percentage of Full-Time Lawyers in Maryland with No Hours of Pro Bono Service by Jurisdiction (Table 8 on page 13 of the report) Statewide, 55.1% of attorneys provided no pro bono. In Anne Arundel County, 60% reported no pro bono hours. There is one county with a higher percentage.

Percentage of Full-Time Lawyers in Maryland with <50 Hours of Pro Bono Service by Jurisdiction (Table 8 on page 13 of the report) Statewide, 29.3% of attorneys provided less than 50 hours. In Anne Arundel County, 26.2% reported less than 50 pro bono hours. There were two counties with a lower percentage.