A raft of major U.K. law firms have unveiled plans to ramp up their not-for-profit activities on Monday to coincide with the sixth National Pro Bono Week.
The program, which this year will focus on international pro bono and how to involve law students in pro bono projects, is to feature more than 30 events across the United Kingdom -� including the first-ever National Pro Bono Conference at London’s QEII conference centre.Clifford Chance will host The Howard League for Penal Reform Cripps Lecture, featuring the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, as guest speaker.The move comes with the Magic Circle law firm looking to underline its pro bono credentials, having secured a last-minute stay of execution for Jack Alderman, the longest-serving death row prisoner in the United States.Clifford Chance public policy chief Michael Smyth commented: “It is great to see the way in which National Pro Bono Week has now become an institutionalized part of the legal calendar.”He said the firm had ploughed more than 10 million pounds ($20.9 million) into pro bono work last year.Elsewhere, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer recently tied up a three-year deal with Shelter to provide more than 230,000 pounds ($481,000) in cash and extensive legal support for the charity’s new Children’s Legal Services initiative.Meanwhile, Lovells �- which became the first London firm to launch a dedicated pro bono unit with the hire of full-time specialist Yasmin Waljee a decade ago �- has unveiled a new report dubbed “Pro Bono: 10 Lessons From 10 Years.”The London firm, which charts up 16,000 hours of not-for-profit work annually, is hosting a virtual exhibition in the online community Second Life, where it will showcase pro bono clients, including Whitechapel Mission, The Prince’s Trust and Greenworks.Linklaters will also launch the Linklaters Hackney Schools Programme, a new volunteering scheme that will see Silk Street lawyers work with all 76 schools in the area in a bid to help improve the career prospects of students across the borough.Philip Morris is among those companies with in-house teams participating in the pro bono drive, with lawyers from the tobacco giant launching a new initiative with lawyers from regular adviser Dechert.National Pro Bono Week comes as it emerges that U.K. law firms dished out 338 million pounds ($707 million) worth of free advice during the last 12 months.Law Society president Andrew Holroyd said: “This week celebrates the remarkable amount of pro bono work undertaken by all parts of the profession, from law students through to senior partners. The common feature in National Pro Bono Week is the willingness of lawyers to put something back into the community.”
