State Reporting Policies
States with Mandatory Pro Bono Reporting |
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| State | Reporting Status | Date of Adoption | Type of Bar | Number Reporting | Comments | Contact |
| Florida | Mandatory Reporting
on dues statement--failure to report is treated as a secondary offense |
1993, upheld 1997 | Unified | Rule 6.1.Compliance rates: 90% in '97 and '98; 87% in '99; 88% in '00; 86% in '01; 90% in '02; 85% in '03; 81% in '04; 77% in '05. Annual cost approx. $10,000. Effected significant increases in participation and monetary contributions. | Contact: Sheila M. Meehan 850-385-7900 sheila@floridalegal.org |
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| Hawaii | Mandatory Reporting | 2007 | Unified | Rule 6.1.Compliance rates: 10% in '95; 33% in '96; 33.5% in '97; 28.41% in '03; 23.31% in '04; 27.17% in '05; 27.37% in '06. | Contact: Moya Gray 808-528-7051 moya@vlsh.org |
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| Illinois | Mandatory Reporting
on dues statement |
6/6/2007 | Voluntary | Contact: Dina Merrell 312-554-1206 dmerrell@chicagobar.org |
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| Maryland | Mandatory Reporting
failure to report leads to loss of license. If fill out report, Court will reinstate |
2/2/2007 | Voluntary | Response rate: 7-8% in '96. Mandatory reporting adopted along with rule for local committees system in 2002. 99% response rate annually since pro bono rules implemented in 2002. | Contact: Sharon Goldsmith 410-837-9379 sgoldsmith@probonomd.org |
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| Mississippi | Mandatory Reporting
failure to report is a disiciplinary offense |
3/5/2007 | Unified | Requirement is by Order of the Supreme Court amending Rule 6.1. Response rate: 90% in '06. | Contact: Shirley Williams 601-948-4476 swilliams@msbar.org |
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| Nevada | Mandatory Reporting
form sent w/dues statement |
5/3/2007 | Unified | Rule 191 was amended in 2006 to Rule 6.1. The new rule gives the State Bar the authority to assess a fine, after a 30 day warning, if an attorney fails to report. Compliance rates: 74% in '03; 79% in '04; 71% in '05. | Contact: Kimberley Mucha Abbott 702-386-1070 kabbott@lacsn.org |
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| New Mexico | Mandatory Reporting
Mandatory Reporting form provided with annual dues statement |
1/22/2008 | Unified | Rule 6.1.Compliance rates: 32% in '97; 33% in '98. | Contact: Nita Taylor 505-797-6077 ntaylor@nmbar.org |
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States with Voluntary Pro Bono Reporting |
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| State | Reporting Status | Date of Adoption | Type of Bar | Number Reporting | Comments | Contact |
| Arizona | Voluntary Reporting on dues statement |
1994 | Unified | Response rates: 31% in '95; 35% in '96. | Contact: Betty Flores 602-252-4804x215 Betty.Flores@staff.azbar.org |
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| Georgia | Voluntary Reporting on dues statement and on webpage |
6/1/2000 | Unified | Response rate: 8% in '98 via CLE Form; Rule 6.1 adopted 6/00; reporting policy adopted after promotion by two members of S.Ct. | Contact: Michael Monahan 404-527-8762 mike@gabar.org |
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| Kentucky | Voluntary Reporting on dues statement |
6/14/2005 | Unified | Rule 6.1.Response rates: 12% in '96; 15% in '98; 16% in '07. | Contact: Jackie Duncan 859-255-9913x18 jduncan@ajfky.org |
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| Louisiana | Voluntary Reporting full page form enclosed with dues statement |
6/1/1998 | Unified | Response rates 8-9% in '98 and 15% in '01; 11% in '02; 11% in '03; 11% in '04; 11% in '05; 10% in '06. | Contact: Monte Mollere 504-619-0146 mmollere@lsba.org |
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| Michigan | Voluntary Reporting Underconsideration |
Unified | Working Group WG of Planning Cmte. PC of Access to JWorking Group WG of Planning Cmte. PC of Access to Justice Task Force AJTF recommended later consideration of mandatory if voluntary "does not sufficiently increase attorney participation." | Contact: Gregory P. Conyers 877-247-8233x6358 or 517-346-6358 |
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| Montana | Voluntary Reporting |
6/22/2005 | Unified | Contact: Ann Gilkey 406-442-7660 agilkey@montanabar.org |
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| Ohio | Voluntary Reporting |
9/20/07 | Voluntary | X | Supreme Court commentary Response Rates: 12% in '08 |
Contact: LeAnna Gipson 614-752-8919 lgipson@olaf.org |
| Oregon | Voluntary Reporting Reporting Form |
Unified | Contact: Cathy Petrecca 503-431-6355 cpetrecca@osbar.org |
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| Tennessee | Voluntary Reporting on TBA dues statement since 2006 |
6/27/2005 | Voluntary | X on TBA dues statement | Compliance rates: 4% in '05; 6% in '06; 20% in '07 increase due to more prominent placement on dues statement. | Contact: |
| Texas | Voluntary Reporting in 2005, began doing an annual telephone survey of 500 randomly selected attorneys about their pro bono work instead of voluntary reporting - more statistically reliable |
6/14/2005 | Unified | Resolution.Response rates:94/95 - 39.5%; 95/96 - 40.1%; 96/97 - 34.7%; 97/98 - 21.3%; 98/99 - 17.3%; 99/00 - 21.1%; 2000 - 38.7%; 2001 - 37.9%. Format changes '97-'99 reduced prominence of legal services to poor category. | Contact: Emily Jones 512-463-1463x2155 ejones@texasbar.com |
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| Virginia | Voluntary Reporting |
The Virginia State Bar is mandatory and unified, while the Virginia Bar Association VBA is voluntary. | Resolution to Enhance Pro Bono Publico passed by Bar Council several years ago that encouraged attorneys to report voluntarily. | Contact: Maureen Petrini 804-775-0522 petrini@vsb.org |
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| Washington | Voluntary Reporting a separate form included with the annual licensing packet |
9/1/2003 | Unified | Compliance rates: 13% in '03; 13% in '04; 13% in '05; 15% in '06. | Contact: Allison Durazzi 206-733-5942 allisond@wsba.org |
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States with No Pro Bono Reporting |
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| State | Reporting Status | Type of Bar | Number Reporting | Comments | Contact | |
| Alabama | No Reporting | Unified | X | Contact: Linda Lund 334-269-1515x2246 linda.lund@alabar.org |
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| Alaska | No Reporting | Unified | X | Contact: Krista Scully 907-272-7469 scullyk@alaskabar.org |
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| Arkansas | No Reporting | Voluntary | X | Committee recommended new mandatory reporting 6.1 rule - not adopted yet by Supreme Court. | Contact: Ron Lanoue 501-376-3423x112 rlanoue@arkansaslegalservices.org |
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| California | No Reporting | Unified | X | Contact: Sharon Ngim 415-538-2267 sharon.ngim@calbar.ca.gov |
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| Colorado | No Reporting
Mandatory Reporting rejected |
Voluntary | X | Rejected S.Ct. rejected in 5/99 | Contact: Kathleen Schoen 303-824-5310 kschoen@cobar.org |
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| Connecticut | No Reporting | Voluntary | X | Contact: Patty Renaud 860-612-2003 prenaud@ctbar.org |
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| DC | No Reporting | Unified | X | Contact: Maureen T. Syracuse 202-737-4700x290 msyracuse@dcbar.org |
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| Delaware | No Reporting | X | Contact: Janine Howard 302-478-8680x207 jhowarddvls.org |
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| Idaho | No Reporting | Unified | X | Contact: Carol Craighill 208-334-4510 ccraighi@isb.state.id.us |
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| Indiana | No Reporting | Voluntary | X | Rule 6.5 re: judicial committees adopted 10/97, later renumbered to Rule 6.6. Pro bono district projects report on the number of voluntary attorneys, hours and numbers of cases and attorneys can voluntarily report as well. | Contact: Tricia Zorn-Hudson fellow until August 2008 317-269-2415 tzorn@inbf.org |
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| Iowa | No Reporting | Voluntary | X | Contact: Brett Toresdahl 515-244-8617 isbavlp@dwx.com |
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| Kansas | No Reporting | Voluntary | X | Contact: Meg Wickham 785-234-5696 mwickham@ksbar.org |
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| Maine | No Reporting | Voluntary | X | Contact: Mary Richardson 207-774-4518 mrichardson@vlp.org |
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| Massachusetts | No Reporting
Mandatory Reporting rejected |
Voluntary | X | Cmte. of Supreme Judicial Court SJC recommended mandatory in preliminary report 4/98 but eliminated from final report 11/98 due to controversy. | Contact: Meg Connolly 617-423-0648 mconnolly@vlpnet.org |
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| Minnesota | No Reporting | Voluntary | X | In 7/99, MSBA approved recommendation to petition S.Ct. for "required reporting" to be included with annual attorney registration statement. Petition to S.Ct. filed 10/99, hearing 12/99, denied 4/00: "Would not significantly advance or assist in the obligation of lawyers to provide pb. svcs." | Contact: Caroline Palmer 612-278-6308 cpalmer@mnbar.org |
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| Missouri | No Reporting | Unified | Rule 6.1. Average 10% response rate. | Contact: Steve Murrell 573-638-2240 smurrell@mobar.org |
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| Nebraska | No Reporting | Unified | X | Contact: Jean McNeil 800-927-0117 jmcneil@nebar.com |
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| New Hampshire | No Reporting | Unified | Contact: Virginia Martin 603-224-6942 vmartin@nhbar.org |
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| New Jersey | No Reporting | Voluntary | Statewide mandatory pro bono - attorneys can be assigned one pro bono case per year unless exempt b/c provided 25 hours of pro bono services to an approved provider. | Contact: Sharon Balsamo 732-937-7505x7544 sbalsamo@njsba.com |
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| New York | No Reporting | Voluntary | X | Anonymous, voluntary mail surveys sent to a 10% random sample of members of the New York Bar inquiring about services performed in 1997 and 2002 that fit within the definition of pro bono set forth in a 1997 Resolution of the Administrative Board of the Courts. | Contact: Gloria Herron Arthur garthur@nysba.org |
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| North Carolina | No Reporting | See Comments | X | The North Carolina Bar Association is a voluntary bar association. The North Carolina State Bar is the mandatory, regulatory agency in North Carolina. | Contact: Michelle Cofield 919-657-1565 mcofield@ncbar.org |
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| North Dakota | No Reporting | Unified | X | Contact: Carrie Molander 701-255-1404 carrie@sband.org |
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| Oklahoma | No Reporting | Unified | X | Contact: Karen "Sunny" Langdon 918-295-9422 karen.langdon@laok.org |
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| Pennsylvania | No Reporting | Voluntary | X | http://www.pabar.org/pdf/StateBarArticleProBonoService.pdf. Also, http://www.pabar.org/public/probono/countyprobono.asp for a county-by-county report of pro bono activities | Contact: David Trevaskis 800-932-0311 david.trevaskis@pabar.org |
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| Rhode Island | No Reporting | Unified | X | Contact: Susan Fontaine 401-421-7722 sfontaine@ribar.com |
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| South Carolina | No Reporting | Unified | X | Contact: Jill Rothstein 803-799-6653 jill.rothstein@scbar.org |
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| South Dakota | No Reporting | Unified | X | Contact: Cheryl Hanna 605-222-5159 access.to.justice@sdbar.net |
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| Utah | No Reporting | Unified | Rule 6.1.S.Ct. rejected Bar Commission's mandatory proposal. | Contact: Toby Brown 801-297-7027 tbrown@utahbar.org |
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| Vermont | No Reporting | Voluntary | S.Ct. Cmte. examining pro bono issues, including reporting. | Contact: Angele Court 802-863-7153 acourt@lawlinevt.org |
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| West Virginia | No Reporting | Voluntary | X | Contact: Heidi Seamon 866-401-6439 hseamon@lawv.net |
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| Wisconsin | No Reporting | Unified | X | In 2006, Supreme Court's Ethics 2000 Commission proposed mandatory reporting. The State Bar opposed the changes, urging the Court to adopt ABA Model Rule 6.1 instead, which the court did - effective 7/1/07. | Contact: Jeff Brown 608-250-6177 jbrown@wisbar.org |
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| Wyoming | No Reporting | Unified | X | Contact: Leigh Ann Manlove 307-632-9061 lamanlove@wyomingbar.org |
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