For junior lawyers grappling with the demands of trying to build a career in an increasingly competitive industry, pro bono work—which is not a mandatory requirement at many firms—can be seen as low down on the priority scale. However, as a newly qualified lawyer, I have seen the benefits first-hand of undertaking this work.
A 2020 survey by LawWorks and CLEO (the Clinical Legal Education Organisation) found that pro bono work in law schools is on the rise, a response to growing demand by law school students, with 90 per cent of law schools anticipating greater uptake. Many corporate lawyers assert that we have an obligation to serve the communities in which we conduct business. For example, at Dechert pro bono starts from the moment a lawyer joins the firm and all lawyers at every level are required to undertake at least 25 hours of pro bono work per year, covering a wide range of issues.
