Pro Bono Week will take place this year from 1st to 5th November. In its 20th anniversary year, events and campaigns centred around the week offer a unique opportunity to celebrate and recognise the deep and longstanding commitment of the legal profession across the UK in giving free legal help to those in need.
The 20th anniversary of Pro Bono Week will be a pivotal moment to look ahead to the next twenty years of pro bono whilst also shining a spotlight on some of the key moments and cases from the past two decades. This look to the future will also coincide with the focus on climate change taking place in November with the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow.
Pro bono is vital to making sure that everyone has access to justice, but it is also a key tool in professional development and wellbeing for lawyers, as well as playing a role in staff recruitment and retention.
Firms and chambers are encouraged to start planning how to use Pro Bono Week 2021 to celebrate and promote pro bono, whether through private or public events, or through internal or wider communications.
It’s easy to get involved.
If you are already doing pro bono, you can:
• Submit a standout pro bono case or story from the last 20 years to be featured during the week > tinyurl.com/pbw20stories
• Share case studies & stories of individuals or organisations your lawyers/members have helped on a pro bono basis on your website or social media;
• Celebrate your pro bono programme or partners > spotlight those you work with and the impact of your lawyers’ pro bono work at an event
• Use our “I Do Pro Bono” poster to get your lawyers/members to take selfies talking about why they do pro bono and post these on your social media channels;
• Launch a new pro bono initiative with a press release and event;
• Circulate the Pro Bono Week event list around your organisation, as well as a link to the Pro Bono Week Volunteering page;
• Join the Pro Bono Connect scheme, bringing firms and chambers together to work on pro bono cases;
• Join the Great Legal Bake and help us celebrate our birthday with a 20th birthday cake, 20 candles, and fundraising for your local advice clinic;
• Host a Pro Bono Fair or lunchtime drop-in within your organisation and get new volunteers to sign up to do pro bono through your pro bono partners;
• Conduct a survey on pro bono work and publish the results in Pro Bono Week;
• Chambers: Nominate barristers for this year’s Bar Pro Bono Awards by 12th September;
• Chambers: Appoint a Pro Bono Champion to help you liaise with Advocate;
• Chambers: Circulate a note reminding barristers and clerks of the importance of recording pro bono time, and claiming pro bono costs.
If your organisation isn’t yet engaged with pro bono, Pro Bono Week is the perfect time to announce your pro bono programme:
• Contact your local advice centre and university clinics to see if you can partner with them and supply volunteer lawyers to their sessions;
• Read through the Pro Bono Week Volunteering page, and work out how your organisation wants to get involved;
• Firms: Consider signing the Law Society’s Pro Bono Charter, showing your organisation’s commitment to improving access to justice;
• Conduct a survey on pro bono work your employees are doing, publish the results in Pro Bono Week and use this to launch a pro bono programme.
Resources and updates are available on the Pro Bono Week website, where you can also find plenty of event ideas and tips.
Plan your event now and get it added to the national calendar online by emailing mary@probonoweek.org.uk.
If you want tips on a specific event you would like to host, or details on campaigns you can join, do get in touch via the above email and we would be happy to advise.
For the latest updates make sure you follow Pro Bono Week on Twitter and LinkedIn.