Starting in January, more than 40,000 Ohio attorneys will receive an email from the Ohio Supreme Court asking them to voluntarily report their pro bono activities. Responses to pro bono reporting are compiled by the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, which will use the information to improve the delivery of civil legal services to low-income Ohioans.

All Ohio attorneys registered as “active” and who have provided an email address to the Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Services will receive the email with a link directing them to a reporting website where they can answer questions about their 2014 pro bono work. It should take about five minutes to complete the report, if information is compiled in advance.

All information submitted will be collected anonymously. Attorneys are encouraged to begin collecting records of any pro bono work from 2014, including financial contributions to organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means.

In reporting for 2013, nearly 70 percent of participating attorneys provided pro bono legal services with an average of 30 pro bono hours per attorney. The reported pro bono legal services were valued at $13.6 million.

On an annual basis, the foundation compiles and reports the information collected to the Supreme Court, bar associations, and legal aids across Ohio. The reporting website will be open from January 7 through March 31, 2015.