If you are organising an event whether online or in person, please visit the event planning page or let Mary Dobson Smith know at mary@probonoweek.org.uk
Check out our event ideas and tips page for suggestions of what to do and to see the full list of all events that took place in previous years.
- This event has passed.
“Using the Law for Public Benefit” with John Whitmore – University of Leicester Pro Bono Society – [internal]
November 2, 2021 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
This session is only open to members of the University of Leicester Pro Bono Society
In the 1980s, John was Legal Director of the Commission for Racial Equality (a predecessor body to the Equality and Human Rights Commission) and afterwards as a barrister, he fought racial discrimination cases all over the country for years. He will talk about successful cases he acted in, for example trainee solicitors against law firms and legal academics against his University where a record award for injury to feelings was made when the tribunal wing members outvoted the legal chair!
Back then such cases got enormous publicity in the press and when he won the first case for an Irish man subjected to harassment, The Daily Mail was so incensed at this it ran a failed campaign to abolish what were then called industrial tribunals.
John has also hosted a talk in Maragret Thatcher’s Office. He was a Professor of Law in the 1970, at University of Leicester and sowed seeds of what is now our Pro Bono Society. An absolutely incredible individual, this is not one to miss!