Tag Archives: Pro bono: Stories of impact

How Can Corporate and Commercial Lawyers Help Change the World for the Better Through Pro Bono? – ULAW and A4ID

To mark Pro Bono Week, ULAW and A4ID are delighted to host a hybrid workshop exploring how individuals and organisations in specialities such as corporate and commercial law can engage in impactful pro bono work, as well as strategies for addressing current and emerging global challenges to international development and human rights.

This workshop will be of particular interest to members of the legal profession, third-sector organisations, and university law students.

In person attendance will be for ULAW students. For online attendance please use the link: https://a4id-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/5317618552019/WN_d2Ro0u8hQl-JDt_lvo-sLQ to register.

A Windrush Story – celebrating the power of pro bono (internal event) – Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP

To mark Pro Bono Week at the start of November, BCLP are hosting an event showcasing the Windrush Legal Initiative – a collaboration between BCLP, the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit and seven other firms, helping victims of the Windrush scandal obtain justice and fair compensation.

 

We are delighted to be joined by one of our clients, who we are proud to have helped obtain a compensation award from the Windrush Compensation Fund, and by Nicola Burgess – solicitor at GMIAU and head of the Windrush Legal Initiative, for a conversation with BCLP’s EMEA pro bono partner Jamie Wiseman-Clarke.  We will hear our client’s remarkable story and the ongoing struggle to obtain justice of many other Windrush victims affected by the UK government’s so-called Hostile Environment legislation and policies.

Internal Event Only

UK Pro Bono Week 2025: an introduction to public interest litigation and PILS’ Pro Bono Register – PILS Project

UK Pro Bono Week 2025: an introduction to public interest litigation and PILS’ Pro Bono Register.

  • Tuesday 04 November 2025,13.00-14.00
  • The Inn of Court, Royal Courts of Justice, Chichester St, Belfast BT1 3JF (in-person only)
  • 1 CPD point; sandwich lunch served from 12.30

Public Interest Litigation Support (PILS) is dedicated to helping community/voluntary organisations and legal professionals to build public interest litigation in Northern Ireland. PILS supports cases that create positive impact not only for one person, but for communities across the region.

Key to this support is PILS’ Pro Bono Register, which currently includes over 120 barristers, solicitors and academics who have agreed to provide pro bono legal services to PILS’ members. Our members range from community interest groups to law centres to well-known charities.

This in-person, CPD-accredited seminar is open to all practising barristers and solicitors in Northern Ireland, whether or not you have already joined PILS’ Pro Bono Register. PILS will provide an introduction to public interest litigation and offer guidance on how to identify cases which have the potential to change the law for the benefit of the wider public and/or specific communities.

To mark UK Pro Bono Week 2025, PILS is delighted to be co-hosting this event with the Young Bar Association.

Registration link: https://forms.office.com/e/7rWMcUYAwF

 

Pro Bono Week 2025 – Sheffield & District Law Society’s Pro Bono Committee

The Sheffield & District Law Society’s Pro Bono Committee are celebrating Pro Bono Week on Tuesday 4th November at 5:30pm – 6:30pm.

This is an incredible opportunity to help spark engagement with pro bono work across South Yorkshire, and showcase the dedication and commitment of giving back to our communities. We would welcome people to share this event to those they feel would benefit from the event, listening to those who do pro bono work, and how to get involved.

We are looking forward to hearing a number of ‘Stories of Impact’ from legal professionals. A full ‘line-up’ of speakers will follow in due course but will include speakers from the judiciary, Advocate, solicitors and further education providers conducting pro bono work.  

We are also inviting those attending to think about how they can use their legal skills to contribute to their community and make a ‘Pro Bono Pledge’ for the upcoming year.

If you would like to attend, please email caitlin.diamond@irwinmitchell.com  

Pro Bono in Practice: Skills, Stories and Starting Points. How lawyers make a difference – professionally and personally – hosted by CLEO in collaboration with the NPBC

Clinical Legal Education Organisation (CLEO) are proud to celebrate Pro Bono Week in collaboration with the National Pro Bono Centre (NPBC).

We invite you to our event which will explore the idea of General Practice Pro Bono, where lawyers use their core legal skills to give first-tier advice regardless of what their usual practice area is. By focusing on the legal specific skills rather than the specialism,  the pool of potential legal advisors available to the pro bono sector vastly increases and a wider number of people are supported to access justice in the first instance.

It is hoped this event will inspire lawyers to use the skills they already have to help someone access justice and to partner with a local organisation that provides pro bono advice such as a law centre, advice centre or university law clinic.

 

Speaking at the event are:

  • David Powels: CEO at Norfolk Community Law Service.
  • Sarah Clover: Partner at Clyde & Co and CEO of South Westminster Community Law Centre.
  • Diana Kirsch: Pro bono lead at LSE.
  • Rita Gupta: Director at Leiper Gupta Family Lawyers
  • Juan Pena – General Counsel at Visa

Online Event Only.

Registration Link: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Empowering Their Voices: A Celebration of Legal Triumphs for Girls in Latin America and Beyond – Debevoise & Plimpton

In celebration of UK Pro Bono Week, Debevoise & Plimpton invite you to join us for our in person London event; Empowering Their Voices: A Celebration of Legal Triumphs for Girls in Latin America and Beyond.  in partnership with the Center for Reproductive Rights. 

In May 2019, Debevoise & Plimpton, co-counseling with the Center for Reproductive Rights, filed legal petitions before the UN Human Rights Committee on behalf of four young survivors of sexual violence. These petitions held Nicaragua, Guatemala and Ecuador accountable for violations of international human rights obligations. The litigation not only sought justice for the individual survivors but also aimed to confront the structural discrimination embedded in national laws and practices.

This landmark effort was made possible through a sustained and collaborative partnership between pro bono lawyers and human rights advocates. Over more than five years, the law firm and the NGO worked side by side, combining legal expertise, resources and advocacy strategies to build a case that ultimately helped reshape international legal standards.

We are delighted to invite you to our in person event and join the panel of experts who were directly involved in this litigation. They will share insights on how they translated this victory into lasting change.

A drinks reception will follow the discussion, offering an opportunity for further conversation and networking with colleagues.

Registration Link: Social Event 2025 -11-18 (LO) Empowering Their Voices: A Celebration of Legal Triumphs for Girls in Latin America and Beyond | RSVP Blank

Speaker details to follow.

Do you have specific questions you would like addressed? If so, please email Debevoise Events, and we will address them during the discussion or follow up separately.

Screening of Prima Facie and Panel Discussion – In House Pro Bono Group

Join us for a screening of Prima Facie followed by a panel discussion to hear about volunteers’ experiences with the Schools Consent Project.

The In House Pro Bono Group and the Schools Consent Project invite you to a Screening of Prima Facie and Panel Discussion event! Join us for an insightful evening at Covington & Burling LLP where we will be screening the thought-provoking play ‘Prima Facie’ followed by an engaging panel discussion. This in-person event promises to be a great Pro Bono Week opportunity to learn about the Schools Consent Project, hear about volunteer experiences and mix with in-house colleagues.

18:15 – 18:30

Introduction to the Schools Consent Project

18:30 – 20:00

Screening of Prima Facie

20:00 – 20:30

Panel discussion

20:30 – 21:00

Networking and drinks

In person only event.

Registration link: Screening of Prima Facie and Panel Discussion Tickets, Tue 4 Nov 2025 at 17:45 | Eventbrite

When communities and lawyers unite, incredible things happen – The PILS Project

Our staff and board are excited to invite you to the Autumn Social 2025.

This evening of music, food and conversation will celebrate the solidarity that grows when human rights defenders and lawyers team up to defend the public interest.

While some political parties try to distract you with tired, negative narratives, we can choose a proactive path. Together, we can defend our human rights protections, maximising the promise of the Human Rights Act for another 25 years of collective action.

As well as a chance to meet the people at the frontline of legal changemaking in Northern Ireland, you’ll also enjoy:

  • Special guest speaker John Wadham (outgoing Human Rights Advisor to the Northern Ireland Policing Board)
  • Live music and photography exhibition
  • Food, drink and great company

 

Tickets are free. Please RSVP now, it helps us to plan catering!

Breakfast with Advocate: Celebrating Clerks

Clerk’s Breakfast – Calling all clerks and chambers professionals!

Advocate is delighted to be hosting a Clerks’ Breakfast during Pro Bono Week; taking place on Wednesday 5th November, between 8am-10am at the International Dispute Resolution Centre (1 Paternoster Lane, London, EC4M 7BQ).

Drop in at any time for the chance to meet some of the Advocate team, connect with fellow clerks and chambers professionals, share experiences, and hear more about how Advocate supports barristers and chambers in delivering pro bono assistance to those in need.

Come along at any time to share ideas, raise concerns, or simply enjoy the chance to catch up and network in a relaxed setting.

Registration Link: Breakfast with Advocate: Celebrating Clerks