Pro bono work has taken on an entirely different hue under the Trump II administration, with some Biglaw firms afraid to take on work that may be frowned upon by the White House, and others pledging hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of pro bono payola to conservative causes. To put it lightly, Trump’s vision for American has put a real “chill” on traditional pro bono work that would be handled by Biglaw firms, leaving smaller firms and public interest organizations to take on more matters.
Despite pro bono work becoming a controversial topic, members of the legal profession sprang into action to deal with crisis after crisis after crisis, offering their services without cost to those in need. From immigration and asylum work to racial justice initiatives to election law and voting rights cases to protecting reproductive rights in America, lawyers across the country were inspired to do their very best to help those who needed their assistance the very most. So, which Biglaw 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 2025. 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.
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Here are the top 10 firms in terms of pro bono work performed in 2025:
1. Patterson Belknap Webb
2. Covington & Burling
3. Jenner & Block
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4. Munger Tolles & Olson
5. WilmerHale
6. Arnold & Porter
7. Dechert
8. Gibson Dunn
9. Winston & Strawn
10. Hogan Lovells
It should be noted that at almost all of the firms listed, the average attorney performed more than 100 hours of pro bono work last year, and the Am Law 200 as a whole contributed about 5.01 million hours of pro bono work. These numbers are down from 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, and lag behind the hellish year that was 2020 (when the Am Law 200 contributed 5.45 million hours of pro bono work), but leaders in the pro bono space know that meaningful pro bono work is still widely available for attorneys.
Congratulations to the Biglaw firms where attorneys chose compassion during yet another busy year. Your efforts will not be forgotten.
The 2026 Pro Bono Scorecard: National Report [American Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of 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 Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.