Are Florida Attorneys required to provide pro bono service?
The Florida Pro Bono Rule, Section 4-6 of the Florida Bar Rules, encourages Florida Bar members to provide pro bono legal services to the poor. The professional responsibility to provide pro bono help is aspirational, not mandatory. The Rule suggests attorneys satisfy the responsibility by donating 20 hours or more annually or making an annual contribution of $350 or more to a legal aid organization. Although there is no statewide requirement that attorneys do pro bono, all Florida Bar attorneys are required to report whether they have done any pro bono on their annual Bar dues statement. In addition, some local bar associations in Florida do require members to provide pro bono assistance as a condition of membership. • If I help someone for free, isn’t that pro bono? Pro bono service is legal assistance provided without charge or expectation of fees at the time the service commences. Legal services written off as a bad debt or cases in which an attorney cannot collect fees do not qual
