Report on UK Pro Bono Week 2025

An estimated 70 events took place during Pro Bono Week 2025. This number is represented from event organisers directly telling us about their event, and also events we have noticed via social media posts. There may have been additional internal events.

Types of events hosted in 2025:

• Topic‑specific workshops 
• Launches and publications 
• Events with a focus on recruiting pro bono lawyers 
• Training sessions
• Networking events celebrating key pro bono achievements and stories of impact
• Firms highlighting the pro bono organisations they work closely with 
• Those with a specific regional or area of law focus 
• University-hosted events to encourage more involvement from students 
• Drop in pro bono clinics
• Fundraisers

Reflecting the annual focal point to help reflect on developments and drive progress, a number of announcements, launches and publications in the pro bono sector took place during Pro Bono Week, whether at events or through comms. 

The Attorney General’s International Rule of Law Committee was announced by the Attorney General Lord Hermer KC when delivering the keynote at the official launch of UK Pro Bono Week, and by the release of a video from the Solicitor General Ellie Reeves MP.

LawWorks launched their new step-by-step guide for Parliamentarians on developing pro bono legal advice clinics.

The National Pro Bono Centre launched their The Pros of Pro Bono Report and published new research from Pragmatix Advisory, revealing how vital pro bono work is to the jurisdiction’s legal system. 

LawWorks announced their shortlisted nominees for the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2025. 

The UK Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono released statistics showing that 84 law firms collectively provided 637,248 hours of pro bono in the previous year.

The Bar Council of England & Wales released data from the Authorisation to Practice process showing the significant amount of pro bono undertaken by barristers.

Law.com International released the findings of their 2025 survey of law firm pro bono.

Under the endorsement of the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Committee, an updated signposting guide for England & Wales was published.

Cripps launched their partnership with Fifth Day raising awareness and acceptance of business pro bono, alongside legal pro bono across the legal industry. 

University of Hertfordshire Law Clinic published their latest Annual Report covering their achievements from the last 12 months and other Real World Learning projects.

Sheffield Hallam University launched their Pro Bono Pledge from Students and Staff.  The pledge seeks to build on their record of providing 30,000 pro bono hours of advice.

Baker McKenzie launched their new Baker McKenzie pro bono team based in London on the first day of Pro Bono Week.

Squire Patton Boggs highlighted their new collaboration with Smiths Group plc, a new pro bono initiative to contribute to their In-House Pro Bono Pledge.

University of Hertfordshire Law Clinic published their latest Annual Report covering their achievements from the last 12 months and other Real World Learning projects.

Mischon de Reya launched a new Pro Bono Mission Statement during Pro Bono Week which articulates Mishcon de Reya’s ethos and approach to pro bono work.

With the shared platform offered by Pro Bono Week to bring together the legal profession, charities and others to discuss the delivery of pro bono, the Week saw a number of now annual convenings, together with first time roundtables.

The Scottish Pro Bono Roundtable held its first Pro Bono Week roundtable, having been established in 2025 with the support of the Faculty of Advocates, the Law Society of Scotland and other organisations to bring together the pro bono sector in Scotland.

The Law Society of England & Wales in partnership with LawWorks held a roundtable to discuss the Major Incidents Response Plan.

The Bar Council’s Pro Bono & Social Responsibility Committee held an open meeting to discuss its strategy and plan for the year ahead.

Public Interest Litigation Support and the Young Bar Association of Northern Ireland brought together members of the legal profession in Northern Ireland to showcase the Pro Bono Register.

The National Pro Bono Centre convened the first Pro Bono Charity Knowledge Exchange at the Justice Hub, bringing together pro bono charities to share best practice and to strengthen connections in the sector.

FTI Consulting brought together corporates and charities to discuss the challenges and opportunities for corporates in scaling their pro bono in the coming years.

The 4^th annual North East Pro Bono Summit took place in Newcastle to share information about pro bono and discuss the strategy for pro bono in the region.

The Yorkshire Pro Bono Committee brought together charities and the legal profession in Yorkshire to celebrate and discuss strengthening pro bono in the region.

Pro bono in Wales: the Cardiff & District Law Society, the Pro Bono Committee for Wales and LawWorks Cymru held a sector wide roundtable and showcasing, to discuss the future of pro bono provision and engagement in Wales.

The Clinical Legal Education Organisation in collaboration with the National Pro Bono Centre organised an online event to showcase and discuss “general practice pro bono”.

The Birmingham Law Society Pro Bono Committee held an online event to discuss pro bono in the Birmingham area and how lawyers can get involved.

Sheffield & District Law Society’s Pro Bono Committee held an event to help spark engagement in pro bono work across South Yorkshire.

Pro Bono Week traditionally provides an opportunity to celebrate the commitment of individual lawyers to undertake pro bono, together with other events and comms to encourage the current and future profession to volunteer.

The 5^th annual young lawyers pro bono event took place in Pro Bono Week, a collaboration between a number of groups, at which the Solicitor General Ellie Reeves MP gave the keynote address.

The Greater Manchester Pro Bono Awards 2025 was hosted by the Greater Manchester Pro Bono Committee. In its second year, the awards welcomed over 180 attendees at the Manchester Civil Justice Centre and offered an opportunity to recognise and honour those who have demonstrated a deep commitment to access to justice and community service.

WYN Legal welcomed organisations to their first Pro Bono Week Parliamentary Reception and Awards.

University of Strathclyde celebrated their own student Pro Bono Awards during Pro Bono Week 2025.

Nottingham Law School celebrated ten years of their Pro Bono Clinic.

LawWorks Cymru in partnership with Cardiff University marks the first anniversary of the Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd Law Clinic.

Vauxhall Law Centre celebrated their four year anniversary Homebaked (legal advice) drop in service.

Free Representation Unit celebrated their Annual General Meeting featuring keynote speaker Lord Justice Dingemans.

Clyde & Co celebrated their new pro bono partnership with Not Beyond Redemption.

The City Law School held a special evening celebrating pro bono at the City Law School.Jenner & Block celebrated the milestone of 10 years of “Pro Bono in Action” at their London office. 

Law students from universities across the UK volunteered as part of the Student Council to report on discussions at the majority of events. It is not possible to reflect the detail of everything that was discussed, though detailed notes have been provided to event organisers for those interested. Below is a distillation of the five key themes raised by different speakers in discussions during Pro Bono Week.

1. Delivering pro bono help to where needed

• The huge, increasing need across the UK for legal assistance was highlighted particularly in certain areas of law, magnified in the context of the issues faced in the justice system, whilst at the same time there was recognition pro bono has limits and cannot be a substitute for legal aid. 
• Need for greater collaboration and coordination to deliver help was underscored by a number of speakers, including given the complicated sector and the siloed nature of some projects or agencies.
• Better use of tech was cited as an opportunity to get help to those in need, as well as providing flexibility to volunteers.

2. Encouraging lawyers to volunteer

• Case studies and storytelling: the role of case studies and stories to inspire both law students and lawyers to volunteer was highlighted, including to help lawyers connect to what motivates them to volunteer to assist others.
• Recognising and incentivising pro bono can encourage busy lawyers to volunteer. Speakers explained that, conversely, a lack of recognition or incentivisation internally within an organisation can be a barrier to engagement.
• Supporting lawyers to help in different areas: the ability of lawyers to assist outside of their usual practice areas was highlighted by various speakers, both through training and supervision by front line agencies, and by lawyers using their common sense and soft skills to offer practical assistance to clients. 

3. The next generation of pro bono lawyers

• Student pro bono was highlighted at a number of events, including as a way to embed pro bono into future legal careers.
• Junior lawyers are often very keen to undertake pro bono, and speakers explained that getting young lawyers involved in pro bono work can help shape compassionate, socially responsible professionals.
• Career development: a number of speakers explained the benefits of pro bono for lawyers to build legal skills, and how pro bono can be included within personal development plans and appraisals.

4. Support and leadership at firms

• Leadership figures who champion and support pro bono within a law firm or corporates were emphasised as being important by a number of speakers.
• Internal structure / pro bono programmes were underlined as being central to supporting lawyers to undertake pro bono, such as by offering volunteer days or having targets, as well as for ensuring pro bono is delivered effectively.
• Pro bono professionals / coordinators were highlighted as being an important element of internal support at a law firm or corporation to support pro bono.

5. Measuring the impact of pro bono

• The difficulties and different methodologies of recording impact was also discussed, reflecting that pro bono is delivered in different ways.
• The increasing importance of measuring the impact of pro bono was underlined both for charities and for law firms/corporates, including to help secure resources or to garner leadership buy-in.
• The need for lawyers to see impact was also highlighted, given that recording the impact on people’s lives of pro bono can provide compelling reasons for lawyers to volunteer their time.

Pro Bono Week 2025 featured various published articles from outlets about pro bono, both regional and national legal press, including articles featured by The Law Gazette, Legal Cheek and Law.com. A selection of articles can be seen below, or read the detailed Pro Bono Week 2025 Media Round Up kindly provided by FTI Consulting.

Gearing up for Pro Bono Week 2025 – Mark your calendars: Pro Bono Week 2025 will take place across the UK from 3 to 7 November: New Law Journal published on 23 June 2025.

Solicitor General: Junior lawyers’ pro bono efforts inspire me – Writing exclusively for Legal Cheek, Solicitor General Ellie Reeves MP says Pro Bono Week is a reminder of what the legal profession does so well: Legal Cheekpublished on 6 November 2025. 

The Best Law Firms for Pro Bono in the UK 2025 – The largest firms were assessed on their total pro bono hours, average hours per lawyer, and overall participation rates: law.com published on 6 November 2025

The Great Legal Bake Returns – raise some dough for justice this November!

The Great Legal Bake takes place as part of celebrating Pro Bono Week, which offers an opportunity to recognise and support the voluntary contributions made by the legal profession across the UK in giving free legal help to those in need: Legal Futures published on 30 October 2025.

Pro Bono: Good, for nothing – Advice projects highlighted for UK Pro Bono Week showcase a legal profession increasingly focused on strategically important advice against a backdrop of soaring unmet need: Law Gazette published on 11 November 2025.

Birketts and Suffolk Law Centre celebrate Pro Bono Week – A law firm and a legal centre are celebrating their partnership as part of UK Pro Bono Week: East Anglian Times published on 4 November 2025

AI as a tool for pro bono – With Pro Bono Week approaching, Julian Taylor of Simmons & Simmons discusses AI’s impact on legal services transforming how the legal profession assists those in need through innovative technology: Solicitors Journal published on 3 November 2025

Pro bono work builds momentum across UK – Lawyers and charities across the UK are marking the 24th annual Pro Bono Week this week, recognising the impact of free legal assistance provided by volunteers nationwide to those who would otherwise be unable to access such support: Scottish Legal News published on 4 November 2025. 

Free event to introduce Northern Ireland lawyers to pro bono work –  Northern Ireland solicitors and barristers are invited to attend an introductory event next week on public interest litigation and how lawyers can lend their support: Irish Legal News published on 30 October 2025.

There were at around 25 blogs and other articles posted by organisations on their websites about pro bono during Pro Bono Week, including:

Stories of impact: how firms are making a difference through pro bono: the Law Society of England & Wales published case studies of how its members are providing free legal services to improve access to justice internationally and make a difference in their local communities.

The Bar Council of England & Wales published daily blogs during Pro Bono Week, by barrister Hazel Samuriwo, clerkDaniel Birch, barrister Harrison Engler, and Advocate CEO Rebecca Wilkie.

CILEX Members: Pro Bono in Action: CILEX published a blog with 5 case studies of pro bono in action.

Celebrating pro bono impact – Pro Bono Week 2025: The Access to Justice Foundation highlighted how pro bono costs orders can make a difference.

Citizens Advice London highlighted examples of Citizens Advice that host pro bono clinics and partner to deliver pro bono.

UK Pro Bono Week: Stewarts’ stories of impact: law firm Stewarts published case studies to highlight the practical ways their pro bono team support those in need and helps them navigate difficult legal challenges. 

Championing River Rights: Dr Joana Smallwood on Pro Bono Work for Nature.

The Environmental Law Foundation published an interview with Dr. Joanna Smallwood, an Associate Professor and Solicitor at the University of Sussex, who leads the University’s Environmental Justice Law Clinic 

Hogan Lovells, Morgan Lewis and Weil wrote about their law firms being recognised on the Law.com pro bono survey.

Kings Chambers reported on the pro bono commitment and activity of chambers over the past year.

Farrer & Co explained the Four Themes that the law firm unveiled during 2025 where they can have most impact on their pro bono work.

South West London Law Centres published a blog with messages from 5 of their volunteer solicitors about their pro bono clinic.

The Norfolk Community Foundation explained how their Skills Exchange supports local legal firms to lend their skills to local charities.

A total of 738 posts about pro bono were seen during Pro Bono Week 2025, which were summarised each day on our Wakelets: day 1, day 2, day 3 and day 4.

The posts ranged across 450 different social media handles on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, ‘X’ and BlueSky. 

These included the official @ProBonoWeekUK handle, members of the Pro Bono Week organising committee, government, law firms, charities, law school, chambers and individuals.

A message from the Chair of the Organising Committee, Toby Brown: 

On behalf of the Organising Committee, can we express gratitude to everyone who participated in Pro Bono Week 2025 with the shared goal of encouraging and supporting the provision of pro bono by the legal profession in the UK.

In addition to thanking all members of the Organising Committee and the Comms Group, can I express our particular thanks to the following for their support for Pro Bono Week 2025:

• Attorney General’s Office and the Law Officers for their support for Pro Bono Week.
• Laura Cassidy for the central administration of Pro Bono Week 2025.
• Jessica Duxbury for organising of the official launch event.
• FTI Consulting for press support.
• Wendy Horrobin for support at the launch event.
• London Legal Support Trust for coordinating the Great Legal Bake.
• Macfarlanes for generously hosting the young lawyers event.
• Mary Dobson Smith for her support for Pro Bono Week from 2020 to 2025.
• National Pro Bono Centre for providing support financially and in kind. 
• Faye Pauffley and the wider team at Advocate for coordinating the young lawyers collaborative event.
• Bea Rossetto for running the Pro Bono Week social media accounts.
• Simmons & Simmons for generously hosting the official launch event.

Thanks to the 2025 Student Council members for attending events and producing write ups to record the discussions about pro bono:

• Elin Jang, University College London
• Larissa Froggatt, LSE
• Nikita   Mattu,  Nottingham Law School 
• Lydia Redpath, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Ebony  Bucknell, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Cailley Allan, University of Glasgow
• Joy Obidi, Plymouth Law School
• Nouf Al Mandhari, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Ella Haughton, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Lucie Etheridge, Manchester Metropolitan Law School
• Manaal Shahid, Manchester Metropolitan Law School
• Nikita Mattu, Nottingham Law School
• Anna Coppinger, Bristol Law School
• Aadya Jolly, LSE
• Solenn Hasle, LSE
• Georgina Wrigg, LSE
• Seraphine Lai, LSE
• Yuxi Zhang, University of Bristol 
• Mohammed Sayedahmed, City St. George’s, University of London
• Rachel Murphy, LSE
• Anna Hardy, City St. George’s, University of London (graduate)
• Iain Lynn, City St. George’s, University of London
• Zainab Iqbal, University of Derby
• Danny Woodbridge, Manchester Metropolitan Law School
• Dillon Stolarski, City St. George’s, University of London
• Ethan Ko, King College London
• Amina Saricicek, University of Derby
• Sharessa Naidoo, Kings College London
• Kaira Touray, Manchester Metropolitan Law School
• Lucie Etheridge, Manchester Metropolitan Law School