During November 2024, 58 events involving an estimated 2,500 attendees took place across the UK to encourage and discuss the role of the lawyers in volunteering to provide legal assistance to those in need. These were accompanied by various stories on legal outlets and posts on social media and websites. Law students from around the UK volunteered to act as rapporteurs to take notes at most of the events, from which the following points have been distilled to summarise some of the key topics and themes that emerged. The Great Legal Bake also took place during Pro Bono Week, raising much needed funds for advice agencies.
‘The power of pro bono lies not only in the impact lawyers can have in helping their clients. It is also critical to upholding the reputation of the profession and the justice system in the eyes of the public, and particularly those on the margins. Whilst pro bono can never be a substitute for a properly resourced legal aid system, it will always have a role to play. Though, regrettably one that is needed more than ever’. – Sarah Sackman KC MP, quoted featured in The Law Gazette.
Pro Bono Week saw a substantial volume of media articles and social media posts. You can check out our daily Wakelets highlighting some of the best bits of Pro Bono Week 2024: day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4 and day 5.
Law students from around the UK volunteered to act as rapporteurs to take notes at most of the events, which have been distilled into a report summarising the discussions:
You can also see a summary of the key publications from legal press to the professional bodies’ websites:
You can see details of all of the events that were part of Pro Bono Week 2024:
The themes chosen for Pro Bono Week 2024 were:
- Barred from justice – the powerful, everyday stories of the impact of lawyers and law students who give their time to protect the rights of those most disadvantaged in society..
- Embedding pro bono in your organisation and career – placing pro bono at the heart of everyone’s practice and hearing from those at the forefront of establishing business structures for pro bono within law firms, chambers, in house, universities and charities.
- How technology can enhance access to justice – existing and new tools to ensure pro bono is innovative and effective.
‘Thank you for providing a platform to promote pro bono events and activities like this in the UK and for celebrating pro bono work in general to highlight its importance.’ – Event Organiser
‘I have derived so much support from the organisers of PBW, for which I am most grateful. The support has been practical, especially to do with organisation. I have also been inspired by the energy and enthusiasm of the organisers and other contributors. I believe the greatest strength, though, is in the reach of PBW- it is an excellent focus that allows a diverse community to come together, whose members might otherwise have laboured on in isolation, achieving less than they can do together.’ – Event Organiser
You can also read the report on previous Pro Bono Week 2023.