While most attorneys have volunteered pro bono services at some point in their career, many lawyers are not meeting the American Bar Association's goal for every lawyer to provide 50 hours of pro bono work every year, and lack of time was the biggest discouraging factor, according to a recent report.

The ABA report found that nearly 80% of surveyed attorneys have provided pro bono work in their career, and more than half of lawyers volunteered pro bono services in 2022.

However, in the past five years, nearly 50% of lawyers volunteered on average between one and 20 hours of pro bono work yearly, and about a third of attorneys provided between one and 20 hours of pro bono work in 2022, the report found.

Bill Bay, president of the ABA, said in a statement Monday that volunteering pro bono legal services "is at the core of the profession's ethos."

"This report highlights the good work of lawyers across the U.S., while also underscoring the need for more lawyers to volunteer to address the justice gap," he said.

The report is based on a survey of more than 19,000 attorneys in 23 states that was conducted from June 2023 to September 2023. The survey asked lawyers detailed questions about their pro bono work including whom they helped, what services they provided and what technology they used.

While many attorneys reported being very motivated to help people in need, more than 55% of lawyers reported that lack of time most discouraged them from offering pro bono services, according to the report.

Other common barriers discouraging attorneys from volunteering pro bono work included family or personal obligations and lack of malpractice insurance, the report found.

In 2022, the majority of attorneys provided pro bono services to individuals including non-English speakers, the elderly and single parents, according to the report.

The report found that most common practice areas for pro bono work were family law, estate planning, probate and wills, contract law and criminal law. Family law was the most common practice area for pro bono services in 2022, with about 20% of attorneys volunteering in this area.

In 2022, attorneys performed a range of tasks in their pro bono work, including writing letters, interviewing clients, reviewing documents and providing legal advice, the report found. Nearly 80% of attorneys provided legal advice in their pro bono work, and about 70% reviewed and drafted documents, and interviewed and met with clients.

Technology seems to be helping attorneys in their pro bono efforts and allowing them to reach remote clients. Nearly 50% of lawyers responded that they would be willing to assist clients virtually outside their practicing location, according to the report.

"While attorneys cite time constraints and limited knowledge as barriers to engaging in pro bono work, policy and program initiatives can enhance attorneys' capacity to participate in pro bono efforts," the report said.

--Editing by Robert Rudinger.