The 22nd annual Pro Bono Week took place in the UK from 6th to 10th November 2023, with additional events taking place later in November. Pro Bono Week offers an opportunity to recognise and support the voluntary contribution made by the legal profession across the UK in giving free legal help to those in need.
For updates and news follow us on Linkedin or on Twitter/X at @ProBonoWeekUK. The official hashtags are #ProBonoWeek and #WeDoProBono
Looking to catch up on articles, social posts and events? Check our daily Wakelets highlighting some of the best bits of Pro Bono Week 2023: day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4 and day 5.
Law firms, chambers, legal societies, charities, in-house lawyers, law schools and universities are encouraged to plan comms and events both internal or external. It is also an opportunity to publish reports or launch new initiatives to an engaged pro bono audience.
This year’s Pro Bono Week themes are:
- Changing lives through pro bono – Exploring how and why lawyers and law students across the UK transform lives through pro bono, including celebrating inspiring examples of pro bono and exploring the business case for legal volunteering.
- Maximising the impact of pro bono – An opportunity to think about how to measure pro bono and to maximise its impact through, for example, collaborative projects responding to crises; focussing early advice on debt or housing; partnerships with the healthcare sector; incorporating evaluation into projects.
- Pro bono within ESG: from climate to sustainable development – Pro bono will be explored as a pillar of an Environmental, Social, and Governance strategy, including how lawyers can help tackle the climate crisis, and how the Sustainable Development Goals can be championed.
If you are planning an event in 2023, we’d love to hear about your plans so we can support you, please visit the event planning page. If you have any questions please contact Mary Dobson Smith mary@probonoweek.org.uk.
Don’t forget, the Great Legal Bake takes place during Pro Bono Week – get baking and raise money for local advice charities!
Last year’s Pro Bono Week
The last Pro Bono Week took place 7th – 11th November 2022, with further events in November, involving 68 external and internal events with an estimated 5,000 attendees in person and online. See the 2022 report for a roundup of the events, news, social media, and a report summarising the discussions.