Last week I had the opportunity to attend a meeting with Dean Larry Raful, who is responsible for determining which pro bono projects count for the newly-enacted 50-hour pro bono requirement for bar admission in New York. I do not envy him. The question "what counts?" was a question constantly in the forefront of my mind while I was managing a law firm pro bono program. When I first started out, I developed a chart that listed three of the definitions I encountered the most often: the American Bar Association definition, the Volunteers of Legal Service definition, and the Pro Bono Institute's definition, each of which differed just slightly from the other. Over the years, the American Lawyer, which required law firms to report their pro bono hours, adopted the Pro Bono Institute definition. After that, I basically used that definition for any/all external reporting.

It is somewhat frustrating that the new New York requirement does not use the same definition (and neither does the new reporting requirement, but that's another story), and in fact, the boundaries of "what counts?" is still evolving. The good news is that Dean Raful is thinking about it, and has been quite open to suggestions from those of us who have been in the pro bono field grappling with definitions for years. Stay tuned!