The number of attorneys and hours of free legal services provided in Tennessee has doubled since the state’s highest court began pushing such work in 2010.
A report released Friday showed that only 18 percent of the state’s attorneys performed pro bono work when the Tennessee Supreme Court first brought up the initiative nearly four years ago.
Numbers from 2013 show that more than 42 percent of the Volunteer State’s 21,645 attorneys did pro bono work.
Tennessee attorneys averaged nearly 74 hours a year. The court’s goal was 50. The national average in a comparable category, according to the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts, is 60.
“The Tennessee Supreme Court remains committed to developing Access to Justice initiatives in the state,” said Justice Janice Holder in a statement. “The results of this report demonstrate that the commission is moving in the right direction.”