Get ready to celebrate Pro Bono Week in 2024

Lawyers who provide free legal aid to those who might not otherwise be able to access it shine during this year’s Pro Bono Week (November 4-8).*

The 23rd annual celebration celebrates the outstanding voluntary contributions made by lawyers across the UK.

They offer free legal advice to those who could not otherwise afford it and are not entitled to legal aid.

Pro Bono Week 2024 begins on Monday, November 4. Solicitor-General Sarah Sackman and Chief Solicitor for Scotland Catherine Smith KC lead a discussion discussing how pro bono can make a real difference to lives.

The Solicitor General is also hosting a panel discussion on how young lawyers can incorporate pro bono work into their practice.

President of the Law Society of England and Wales, Richard Atkinson, said: “The Law Society is proud to once again be involved in celebrating Pro Bono Week and all the incredible and dedicated work lawyers do to help vulnerable people access justice when they need it. most.

“We would also like to encourage more members of the legal profession to consider ways in which they can help make a real difference to people’s lives.

“The extraordinary work presented this year includes helping refugees in immigration tribunals, supporting people experiencing housing difficulties, helping bereavement families, helping victims of modern slavery and much more.

“We thank these law firms and attorneys for providing free legal advice and support.”

President Richard Atkinson continued: “Everyone has a right to access justice, but pro bono work and other volunteer projects cannot help everyone. Likewise, lawyers who volunteer their time for this work should not be taken for granted.

“While pro bono can truly change lives, it is not, and never can be, a substitute for legal aid and a properly funded justice system.”

Eliot Cohen, a solicitor at Clifford Chance LLP who volunteered at the Refugee Law Clinic**, describes the impressive case he worked on: “It was incredibly rewarding to work closely with the clinic’s clients and see first-hand how advocacy directly facilitates people’s access to justice , and watching them experience positive, life-changing legal outcomes.

“In one case we helped an elderly, vulnerable woman who was trafficked into the UK and subjected to repeated exploitation both in her country of origin and after arriving in the UK. Our role was to get her trafficking status reviewed and to make a new asylum claim, which resulted in her being granted refugee protection.”

Sam Coleman, trainee solicitor at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, who took part in a housing law clinic with South West London Law Centres*** as part of his training contract, said: “We had a phone call with a client, they came to us very upset and crying because of the various housing problems they had. It was about potential eviction and they wanted to know their rights.

“We put together a full tip sheet and got great feedback from them. I was happy that we were able to help them through such a stressful time in their lives.”

Notes for editors

Pro Bono Week is organized by a committee made up of representatives from professional legal organizations, pro bono charities, law schools and law firms.

It aims to encourage the legal profession and law students to volunteer, as well as draw attention to pro bono work and popularize best practices.

This year the Law Society is hosting a roundtable with LawWorks to discuss the Major Incident Response Plan.

This project aims to provide a collaborative approach to providing free assistance to those affected by a major accident.

In addition, the week will include events around one main theme (the power of pro bono) and three sub-themes, including:

• suspended from justice
• implementing pro bono in your organization
• how technology can improve access to justice

**Refugee Law Clinic provides legal advice to asylum seekers in the UK seeking to make new asylum claims based on significant new factors, including changed circumstances and additional evidence.

***South West London Law Centreprovides support to clients through one-off legal advice, including clients facing private rented accommodation issues.

Calendar of events: Pro Bono Week 2024 in the UK

Learn more about Pro Bono Week 2024

About the law society

The Law Society is an independent professional organization that works worldwide to support and represent lawyers, promoting the highest professional standards, the public interest and the rule of law.

Press Office Contact: Kelis Edwards | 020 3657 0144