Pro Bono Week UK

Simmons & Simmons in conversation with Pro Bono clients - [invitation only/internal]
2021-11-02 13:00 - 14:30 UTC | Online event
This event is invitation-only for all at Simmons & Simmons.
Panel event on the importance of pro bono support and collaboration, with speakers from two of our valued pro bono clients Advocates for Animals (Edie Bowles, solicitor) and Amicus alj (Margot Ravenscroft, Director), and our Pro Bono Partner Rob Allen.

In House Counsel and Law Firms Doing Pro Bono Together - In House Pro Bono Group
2021-11-02 12:30 - 13:30 UTC | Online event
The In House Pro Bono Group invites you to join us for a webinar with Clifford Chance and Ropes & Gray on how in house lawyers and law firms can partner effectively to do pro bono together. The session will cover developing a partnership with an in house team/law firm, considerations when working on a pro bono project together, challenges and how they can be overcome. We will also hear from a charity, Refugee Action, on what is most useful in terms of pro bono support.
Speakers include:

David Boyd, Head of Pro Bono for UK & Ireland, Clifford Chance
Felicity Kirk, Head of International Pro Bono, Ropes & Gray
Julie Mansfield, Frontline Immigration Advice Project Partnerships Manager at Refugee Action
Mia Motiee, Compliance, Bloomberg
Sarah Oliver Scemla, Director and Assistant General Counsel, Bank of America

Please register at the Eventbrite link below.

A Refugee Experience (Day 1) - Fragomen
2021-11-02 12:30 - 13:15 UTC | Online event
Marina Brizar, UK Director of Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) will be in conversation with Gemma Hyslop of Fragomen to discuss TBB’s pioneering work on complimentary pathways to the UK for skilled displaced people.
This is a project with which Fragomen are proud to have partnered since its inception in the UK and we look forward to reflecting on the success to date and what more is to come.
Register at the link below.

Pro bono: reflections from the wider legal profession - Government Legal Department – [invitation only/internal]
2021-11-02 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Online event
This event is invitation-only for members of the Government Legal Department.
This talk is aimed at lawyers at all stages of their careers, who can learn about the role of pro bono in the wider legal profession and the different ways that lawyers can volunteer throughout their careers.
The talk will be hosted by Peter King, a Legal Director at GLD, who will be in conversation with Legal Directors working for leading international organisations in the private sector, to discuss their pro bono experiences.

Climate Clauses in Action: Supply Chains – The Chancery Lane Project
2021-11-02 09:30 - 11:00 UTC | Online event, United Kingdom
From 1st – 12th November, and throughout Pro Bono Week and COP26, we are running a 2021 Net Zero Toolkit Workshop Series, which includes events across a number of key themes: built environment, corporate governance, finance, supply chains and transactions and deals.
Each event includes a Climate Clauses in Action (week 1) and Net Zero Drafting (week 2) workshop. This event will be workshopping climate clauses with a focus on supply chains and how to implement net zero across your entire value chain, from procurement to distribution.
The Chancery Lane Project community has been working hard throughout 2021 to prepare our Net Zero Toolkit. The Net Zero Toolkit contains clauses, practical tools and guides to assist legal, business and sustainability professionals to align their contracts with net zero and climate ambitions.
In this free and collaborative workshop, you will:

Learn about TCLP, the Net Zero Toolkit and climate-aligned contractual clauses which you can use in your practice today;

Hear about lawyers and organisations from all over the world who are using the power of contract drafting to embed their climate commitments into their value chain.

Build your own plan of action for using and implementing climate clauses in your business or practice, as part of your work towards net zero or more generally as you align your contracts with climate and environmental considerations.

The workshop is open for both in-house and private practice lawyers of all PQE. Register at the link below.

Poverty and Pro Bono - LawWorks
2021-11-02 08:30 - 09:30 UTC | Online event
In this Pro Bono week, we are look back over the last 20 years of pro bono and forward to the next 20 – after the disruption of Covid, and with so much unmet need what should be the priority for legal pro bono?
There are significant indicators that poverty may increase in future months given the upward pressures on prices, housing, childcare and living costs, the withdrawal of furlough and the Universal Credit uplift, combined with economic uncertainty and increasing personal debt levels. Most social welfare law issues remain outside of the scope of legal aid, but are these the areas that pro bono should be focussed on going forwards? How can pro bono make a bigger policy impact on welfare rights, serve those vulnerable to the on-going effects of the pandemic and push for positive changes in law and policy?
The focus of the session will be on UK rather than global poverty, and where pro bono can make an impact. Subjects that will be covered in the discussion include:-

The development of pro bono projects working on benefit appeals;
pro bono and employment rights for low paid and insecure workers alongside access to support and legal education; and
engaging lawyers in policy reform.

The panel of speakers includes:

James Sandbach, London Citizens Advice
Emma Lough, Director, Lawyers Against Poverty
Anela Anwar Chief Executive, Z2K
Claire Hall, Lawyer, CPAG

Register at the Eventbrite link below.

OFFICIAL LAUNCH Pro Bono Week 2021: panel debate: past, present and future
2021-11-01 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Hybrid: in person and streamed online
The official launch of the 20th Pro Bono Week, recognising and supporting the voluntary contribution made by lawyers across the UK in giving free legal help to those in need. In this year of unprecedented challenges, for both the voluntary and legal sectors, pro bono legal help has never been more important.
The launch event will take place in person and online, and will host a panel of speakers, exploring the past, present and future of pro bono. We are pleased to be joined by the Attorney General who will make a short address. Register to attend via the Eventbrite link: https://pbw2021.eventbrite.co.uk
We are grateful to Gray’s Inn for kindly hosting the in-person element of the launch of Pro Bono Week 2021.

We hope you can join us in person or online for what promises to be an fascinating evening.
18:00 Joining & networking (in person attendees)
18:30 Welcome and panel session
The panel will be chaired by Toby Brown (chair of the Pro Bono Week organising committee), with the following panellists:

Yasmin Waljee OBE (exploring pro bono across the last twenty years). Yasmin is Partner, International Pro Bono at Hogan Lovells and co-lead of the Social Impact Practice.
Kirsty Thomson (exploring the current state of pro bono). Kirsty is Managing Partner/Director at JustRight Scotland, Scotland’s legal centre for justice and human rights.
Emma Rehal-Wilde (exploring the future of pro bono). Emma teaches law at LSBU and previously worked in pro bono management within the legal sector for 12 years before moving into academia.

19:30 Networking (in person)
20:00 End

In Conversation with UOL's Pro Bono Society "Litigants In Person Project" Founders – University of Leicester Pro Bono Society – [internal]
2021-11-01 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Hybrid: in person and streamed online
This session is only open to members of the University of Leicester Pro Bono Society
You will get a chance to hear from Danae Larham and Nigel Smith, who set up the Litigants in Person Project in 2017. Leaving a legacy behind they have both gone onto fantastic careers, Danae as a Family Barrister and Nigel as Bid Writer. They will both give you insight into how their Pro Bono experiences led them there.

Pro Bono Skills - University of Exeter Law Society - [internal]
2021-11-01 18:00 - 19:00 UTC
This session is open to members of the University of Exeter Law Society
Join the Law Society Pro Bono Team and Lawrence Sail from the Royal Literary Fund for a skills session on essay writing.
Hosted in person at the XFI Henderson Lecture Theatre and on Zoom.

Earth to Leicester: Climate Crisis Guest Speaker Networking Event - University of Leicester Pro Bono Society - [internal]
2021-11-01 15:00 - 17:00 UTC
This session is only open to members of the University of Leicester Pro Bono Society
This networking event has been organized by the team on the Climate Crisis Pro Bono Project to provide students with an insight into our work and the ongoing issue of the climate crisis. This event is a great opportunity for networking alongside some amazing guest speakers, including Laura Bee, Stephen Riley and Laura Albertini. The speakers will touch on a range of topics from Climate Change and politics to environmental awareness. There will also be drinks and snacks available to attendees throughout the networking session and Q&A session.

How to conduct a Legal Healthcheck – with LawWorks and Small Charities Coalition
2021-11-01 13:00 - 14:30 UTC | Online event
Do you know what a Legal Healthcheck is?
Have you conducted a Healthcheck before?

Even the smallest of organisations can face big legal issues. That is why preventative measures are a key tool when mitigating these uphill battles. Small Charities Coalition and LawWorks will be providing a session on how to ‘health check’ your organisation.
In this session we will cover key legal issues for small not-for-profit organisations and charities, with topics like corporate and governance, employment, property and more, so that you can identify potential issues before they arise. Alongside a lawyer from the LawWorks Not-for-Profits Programme, LawWorks and the Small Charities Coalition will discuss available resources, pro bono assistance, and support for organisations.
There will be the opportunity for a Q&A following the presentation, although please note that the speakers will not be able to give legal advice / provide specific answers to questions only relevant to your organisation.
Suitable for: Trustees, Staff and Volunteers of Small Charities ands Not For Profits

Register at the Eventbrite link below.

Pro Bono Fair - University of Edinburgh - [internal]
2021-11-01 12:00 - 17:00 UTC | Online event
Kick-off Pro Bono week by joining The University of Edinburgh School of Law, Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education Department and the Pro Bono Society in this year’s online Pro Bono Fair!
The event will be online, with different charities and other organisations offering pro bono and access to justice services throughout Scotland and the global community. The charities and organisations will showcase their work and, if available, highlight any volunteering opportunities for students. There will also be an “online café” for more informal socialising and networking!

The evolution of Pro Bono – in definition and practice - The Law Society - [invitation only]
2021-11-01 12:00 - 13:30 UTC | Online event
This event is invitation-only.
To mark the twentieth anniversary of Pro Bono Week, we look to hold this event to explore how the practice of Pro Bono has begun to change and how, as we look to the next twenty years, what the definition of Pro Bono could and should look like in order to most accurately reflect those activities undertaken by the legal profession.

Our panellists include:

Moderator: I. Stephanie Boyce, President of the Law Society of England and Wales
Kerry Stares: Partner, Responsible Business & Pro Bono – Charles Russell Speechlys
Paul Yates: Counsel and head of global pro bono practice – Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Mia Motiee: Co-lead EMEA pro bono committee – Bloomberg
Rob Powell: Director of Pro Bono & Corporate Responsibility – Weil, Gotshal & Manges

Climate Clauses in Action: Finance - The Chancery Lane Project
2021-11-01 09:30 - 11:00 UTC | Online event, United Kingdom
From 1st – 12th November, and throughout Pro Bono Week and COP26, we are running a 2021 Net Zero Toolkit Workshop Series, which includes events across a number of key themes: built environment, corporate governance, finance, supply chains and transactions and deals. Each event includes a Climate Clauses in Action (week 1) and Net Zero Drafting (week 2) workshop. This event will be workshopping climate clauses with a focus on finance and how to incorporate net zero concepts into debt and equity financing arrangements.
The Chancery Lane Project community has been working hard throughout 2021 to prepare our Net Zero Toolkit. The Net Zero Toolkit contains clauses, practical tools and guides to assist legal, business and sustainability professionals to align their contracts with net zero and climate ambitions.
In this free and collaborative workshop, you will:

Learn about TCLP, the Net Zero Toolkit and climate-aligned contractual clauses which you can use in your practice today;

Hear about lawyers and organisations from all over the world who are using the power of contract drafting to embed their climate commitments into their value chain.

Build your own plan of action for using and implementing climate clauses in your business or practice, as part of your work towards net zero or more generally as you align your contracts with climate and environmental considerations.

The workshop is open for both in-house and private practice lawyers of all PQE. Register at the link below.

Demystifying Contracts (for Not-for-Profits) - LawWorks
2021-10-25 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Online event
Amazon’s in-house lawyers will talk contract basics for your not-for-profit, highlighting key clauses and what to look out for.

To kick off US Pro Bono Week 2021, UK volunteers from Amazon’s in-house legal team will take you through the basics of a contract including:

Basic contract law

Key clauses

What to look out for before agreeing a contract

Format: this will be a on online talk and will include a Q&A session at the end.
Audience: this talk is appropriate for anyone who works at a governance level at a small not-for-profit or charity.

Freshfields Focus Event - Pro Bono
2020-11-12 16:00 - 17:00 UTC | Online event, United Kingdom
Freshfields-only.
We look forward to holding a Freshfields focus event. The event will be attended by our pro bono team who will provide insight into different aspects of life at Freshfields. There will also be a chance to submit your questions.
We want our event to be available to as many people as possible but places are limited. Therefore, please only sign up if you can attend.
Sign ups will close 24 hours before the event and you will receive the relevant joining instructions on the day of the event.

Pro Bono in the City: Local Communities - KCL Pro Bono Society - [internal#
2020-11-11 18:30 - 19:30 UTC | Online event
This session is only open to students of King’s College London.
The King’s College London Pro Bono society is excited to invite associates, partners and graduate recruitment from a range of respected firms to discuss their pro bono initiatives. Our annual panel series celebrating National Pro Bono Week aims to showcase a small number of City Law firms and their pro bono work.
Students will have the opportunity to learn about the firm’s incredible global pro bono initiatives, and network with graduate recruitment in a follow-up Q&A session.
Event Panelists:

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP: Robert Powell
Eversheds Sutherland: Rosie Wallace
Simmons & Simmons: Victoria Channing; Elin Jones

Pro Bono Week closing networking drinks
2020-11-06 18:00 - 19:30 UTC | Online event
Join everyone across the Pro Bono sector for online networking drinks to celebrate this year’s Pro Bono Week.

Pro Bono Through the Pandemic and Beyond! - University of Exeter Law Society
2020-11-06 17:30 - 18:30 (Europe/Paris) | Online event
A virtual panel style event to finish off Pro Bono Week, with a range of speakers discussing how the pandemic has shaped Pro Bono for them and what they think the future will hold for Pro Bono.
Speakers will include volunteers and professionals.

Rule of Law & Access to Justice: where do we go from here? - Pro Bono Week Committee & LexisNexis
2020-11-06 16:30 - 18:00 UTC | Online event
Rule of Law and Access to Justice: where do we go from here?
Does the law need a rebrand?
There can be few times in the modern history of the UK where the Rule of Law has been at the forefront of public attention and discussion – from the Internal Market Bill to the independent panel on Judicial Review, from the backlog in the court system to comments on the role lawyers play in the immigration and criminal justice system. There is no lack of challenge to the Rule of Law. But there is also significant comment on these challenges.
As important as that commentary is, it often leaves a hugely important question unanswered: where do we go from here?
It is easy to get agreement among lawyers that the Rule of Law is fundamental, but is that true outside of the profession? If we are to protect the Rule of Law (and drive an environment where upholding the Rule of Law is seen as non-negotiable), the public at large need to feel the same way.
The panel will give a brief “state of the union” of the Rule of Law in the UK. From there, we will turn to consider what can be done to begin to deliver this. Does the law, the Rule of Law, and justice need rebranding? What, or who might get the public to value the fundamental importance of the Rule of Law and the important access to justice that gives them?
Panellists are:

Iain Anderson (Executive Chairman, Cicero Group)
David Greene (President of the Law Society of England & Wales),
Baroness Hale of Richmond (former President of the UK Supreme Court),
Baroness Helena Kennedy QC (Director of the IBA Human Rights Institute) and
Matthew Ryder QC (barrister and former Deputy Mayor of London (social integration, social mobility and community engagement)).

This event is jointly led by the Pro Bono Week Committee and LexisNexis and is timed to coincide with the finish of Pro Bono Week. It is part of LexisNexis’s central objective of advancing the Rule of Law around the world – further information can be found here. For further information about the events in Pro Bono Week, please click here.
Our thanks to Augusta Ventures for kindly hosting this webinar and for their support of the National Pro Bono Centre and Pro Bono Week.

Trainee Hackathon - Birmingham Law Society Pro Bono Committee
2020-11-06 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Online event
To close the week’s events, participants in the trainee solicitor hackathon co-hosted by Birmingham Trainee Solicitors’ Society and Birmingham Law Society Pro Bono Committee will be invited to share their solutions as to how the trainee community can make a meaningful contribution to pro bono efforts.
Panel:
Natasha Alton, Charities and Corporate Responsibility Officer, Birmingham Trainee Solicitors Society
Rachel Sutcliffe, Trainee Solicitor, Anthony Collins
Katie Rothwell, Corporate Responsibility Manager, Gowling WLG
Michael Bates, Head of Services for Birmingham, Central England Law Centre

The value and importance of pro bono work in light of Covid 19 - Liverpool John Moores University
2020-11-06 11:00 - 13:00 UTC | Online event
We will discuss the value and importance of pro bono work with particular emphasis on the impact on access to justice of Covid-19, local initiatives and future opportunities.
Our speakers are:
– Bambos Charalambous MP, LJMU law graduate and current Shadow Justice Minister
– Siobhan Taylor, Ward of Merseyside Law Centre, Young Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year and another LJMU graduate
– Chris Topping of Jackson Lees, Human Rights Lawyer of the Year 2016.
– Rachel Stalker of LJMU who established the School of Law’s award-winning Legal Advice Centre in 2014.

Pro Bono Opportunities for Young Lawyers in Scotland - Scottish Young Lawyers' Association
2020-11-05 17:30 - 19:00 UTC | Online event
SYLA are delighted to host a panel discussion for Pro Bono Week on the topic of pro bono opportunities for young lawyers.
The event will give attendees an insight in to the benefits of pro bono for lawyers and the reasons why it is so important for our wider community. The event will proceed by way of a panel discussion on key topics followed by a Q&A session.
Attendees will hear from a panel of speakers including:

Rebecca Samaras, Director of Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education at the University of Edinburgh
Seonaid Stevenson, Law Lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University and co-founder of RebLaw Scotland
Eamon Keane, Founder of the University of Dundee Law Clinic
Lucy Mackay, Student Director GCU Law Clinic

Attendees will be sent the web link on the day of the event and are invited to submit any questions for the panel in advance to mail@syla.co.uk

Kenneth B. Clark: a fireside chat - ProBonoSkills.com
2020-11-05 17:30 - 18:30 UTC | Online event
Join ProBonoSkills.com for a Fireside Chat with Kenneth B. Clark as he reflects on his career and the importance of #probono at every point in your legal career.
ProBonoSkills.com presents a Virtual Fireside Chat with Kenneth B. Clark, Partner and Chair of Fenwick’s award-winning tax controversy practice and alum of New York University School of Law. Answering questions put to him by PBS co-founder Aideen Byrne, Kenneth will share stories and lessons learnt from his life in the law, reflecting, in particular, on the value and importance of pro bono to practitioners, the profession and wider society.
This event is only open to students, at Edinburgh and beyond. You will need a .edu or .ac.uk email to register. If you are a lawyer in practice and would like to attend, please contact us at contact@probonoskills.com

Virtual Volunteering in a Pandemic - CLIPS & ELIPS
2020-11-05 17:30 - 18:30 UTC | Online event
With contributions from Chancery Bar Litigant in Person Support Scheme (CLIPS) & Employment Tribunal Litigant in Person Support Scheme (ELIPS).
A panel of CLIPS/ELIPS volunteers, organisers and judges will discuss their experiences of volunteering remotely, their tips for dealing with LIPS and the benefits of pro bono work.
Please submit any questions to: admin@chba.org.uk
Panellists include:

Judge Barry Clarke, President of the Employment Tribunals (England and Wales)
David E Grant, Outer Temple Chambers
HHJ Johns QC
Diana Kirsch, Director of pro bono at the University of Hertfordshire
Daniela Mahapatra, Deputy Director of Legal & Risk Services, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership
Naomi Owen, Barrister
Christine Wheeler, Pro Bono Administrator, ELIPS
Jennifer McGrandle, Chair of the Employment Lawyers’ Association Pro Bono Committee
Chair: Andrew de Mestre QC, Chair of the Chancery Bar Association Pro Bono Committee

Zoom webinar registration link below.

Street Law Quiz - University of Leicester Pro Bono
2020-11-05 17:00 - 18:30 UTC | Online event
During Pro Bono Week, the Street Law team (Pro Bono project) are holding their annual quiz!
Teams of 5 / 6

Celebrating Pro Bono in Bristol
2020-11-05 17:00 - 18:00 UTC | Online event
Bristol Pro Bono Group is passionate about access to justice. We encourage lawyers to work with local universities and community groups to deliver pro bono advice to individuals who don’t have access to legal advice. We also work collaboratively to identify not-for-profit organisations working in the public interest who need legal assistance.
Join us on 5 November (5pm – 6pm) to understand how our members are working together to increase engagement in pro bono projects in the South-West and to learn about how lawyers can really make a difference in their communities.
The session will include contributions from:

BPP
Bristol Law Centre
Osborne Clarke
Simmons & Simmons
TrustLaw
University of Law
University of the West of England

A Zoom link will be circulated to those who have registered a couple of days prior to the event.
Thanks in advance to Bristol Law Society who will be hosting the event.

Law in Society Virtual Session - Edinburgh Law School Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education Department
2020-11-05 12:30 - 14:30 UTC | Online event
The Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education (CLE) Department of Edinburgh Law School is hosting a virtual ‘Law in Society’ session in place of our annual Pro Bono Fair, as part of Pro Bono Week which is commencing on 2 November 2020. Pro Bono Week has ran for the past 19 years and this year, we really want to shine a light on the pro bono work occurring throughout Scotland.
The intention for our ‘Law in Society’ session is to highlight and celebrate the excellent pro bono work of charities and other organisations we partner with throughout Scotland and around the globe. Charities and others will be showcasing their work by making short presentations during the afternoon.
We want to provide an opportunity for students and other members of the legal profession to virtually speak to representatives from these charities and organisations after their presentations and during the Q&A to find out how they contribute invaluably to our society through their pro bono work. It is the perfect time to enquire about any volunteering opportunities available.
Please register your interest here on Eventbrite and we will contact you with the session joining details in due course.

The role of pro bono in environmental protection - Environmental Law Foundation
2020-11-05 12:30 - 13:30 UTC | Online event
An interactive webinar with 4 public interest barristers and one solicitor.
Interviewer Emma Louise Fenelon of 1 Crown Office Row will interview:

Ned Westaway (Francis Taylor Buildings)
Nina Pindham (No5 Chambers)
James Corbet Burcher (No5 Chambers) and
Emma Montlake (ELF)

They are all former ELF interns who will speak about how they started their careers in environmental law through their work on pro-bono public interest and environmental cases. Speakers will illustrate by example the specific skills that can be developed and improved by getting involved in pro bono work.
The event is exclusive for students at ELF partner universities.

Legal Clinic 101: Employment Law with Simmons & Simmons - In House Pro Bono Group
2020-11-05 12:30 - 13:30 UTC | Online event
This session of the Legal Clinic 101 series will be on employment law issues and will be presented by Peter Lockwood from Simmons & Simmons. This will be a one hour lunch and learn session. Employment law is one of the most high demand areas at legal clinics and we expect an increase in queries further to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Peter is a Managing Associate in Simmons & Simmons’ Employment team and has been a regular advisor at Battersea Legal Advice Centre since 2012. Read more about his experiences here.
The session will take place on Thursday 5 November from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. It will cover will cover employment law basics and some practical tips on how to advise on typical employment scenarios.
Dial in details will be circulated before the session.
We very much hope you can make what promises to be an interesting and practical session. Please forward to in house colleagues who may be interested in volunteering at legal clinics in the future, this is an open event. The training sessions are not just open to in-house lawyers – we very much welcome and encourage private practice lawyers interested in doing pro bono to attend.
