This represents a 5.1 percent increase over prior financial year
The 19th Annual Performance Report of the National Pro Bono Target, newly released by the Australian Pro Bono Centre, revealed a 5.1 percent increase in pro bono legal services undertaken this financial year compared with the previous year.
Gabriela Christian-Hare, the centre’s chief executive officer, calls Australia “a world leader in pro bono legal practice.”
“Few countries can point to the level of institutional commitment to pro bono that exists in Australia today,” Christian-Hare tells Australasian Lawyer. “The Australian National Pro Bono Target has played a significant role in driving that success, providing a national benchmark and encouraging law firm investment in pro bono infrastructure.”
The report shared the following findings regarding the target signatories in the 2026 financial year:
“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,” said Tessa Boyd-Caine, chair of the Australian Pro Bono Centre.
As of 30 June 2026, the national pro bono target applied to 339 signatories, encompassing 20,685 full-time equivalent lawyers, including those employed by signatories. That figure comprised one in every five Australian lawyers.
Signatories included law firms, incorporated legal practices, barristers’ chambers, in-house corporate and government legal teams, and individual solicitors and barristers.
According to Christian-Hare, amid the swift developments in technology and artificial intelligence, the heightened regulatory complexity, and the various social issues transforming legal practice, Australia’s legal professionals have displayed a steady dedication to their pro bono efforts.
“There are more than 170 dedicated lawyers managing pro bono practices in national and international law firms across the country,” Christian-Hare tells Australasian Lawyer. “The success of the Target also rests on the dedication of individual solicitors and barristers who voluntarily give their time and expertise to people and organisations who would otherwise struggle to access legal assistance.”
On 1 July 2020, the target opened to in-house legal teams and lawyers. In-house signatories agreed to deliver a minimum of 20 hours of pro bono legal services.
According to the Australian Pro Bono Centre, pro bono legal services include:
“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.
Here are some other recent news stories involving the Australian Pro Bono Centre.
Last April, the board of the Victoria Law Foundation announced the appointment of Dr Rebekah Farrell, who headed policy and strategy at the Australian Pro Bono Centre, as the VLF’s executive director as of early July 2026.
In its 18th Annual Performance Report of the National Pro Bono Target, the Australian Pro Bono Centre shared that its signatories had recorded 844,999 pro bono hours in the 2025 financial year, representing an 8.11 percent increase over the preceding financial year.
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