Next week is the 16th annual National Pro Bono Week. Pro Bono legal work is the provision of legal advice and/ or representation to individuals, community groups, charities, and others, provided by lawyers who, in the public interest, do so free of charge.
Every day, up and down the country, people find themselves in need of legal help. No two people’s circumstances are the same. They might be having difficulty with employment, housing, family law or other issues. What these people have in common is that they seek advice at what is often a difficult time in their lives. In many cases public funding is available, but some cannot access public funding and may not be able to afford to pay for legal advice. It is in those cases where pro bono assistance can be invaluable.
National Pro Bono Week aims not only to raise awareness about the importance of pro bono through a nationwide series of events, but also to showcase the numerous ways in which pro bono has made a difference to people’s lives.
As Attorney General, I take a particular interest in National Pro Bono week. The first National Pro Bono Week was organised by the Attorney General’s Domestic Pro Bono Committee in 2002 and I am grateful to my predecessors for their work in support of this important cause.
To give you an idea of the scale of pro bono work, solicitors provided an estimated 1.8 million hours of professional expertise on a voluntary basis between 2015 and 2016. Meanwhile, the Bar Pro Bono Unit has accepted over 20,000 pro bono applications in the past 20 years.
It is not just qualified lawyers who offer pro bono assistance. Each year I host the LawWorks and Attorney General's Student Awards, which celebrates pro bono activities undertaken by law students and law schools. The eleventh awards ceremony was held in the House of Commons in April. It is encouraging to see the lawyers of the future engaging in pro bono work and I am confident they will take on the mantle of those who have come before them.
Next week, I am looking forward to attending the Pro Bono Week Launch and visiting the Crown Prosecution Service, Kings College London and Birmingham Law School.
Pro Bono work is done around the country and benefits a great many people. Next week is an opportunity to celebrate that.