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29 October 2025
Categories: Legal News , Pro Bono , Charities , Legal aid focus
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Gear up for Pro Bono Week with bake-offs & brain-teasers

The London Legal Support Trust (LLST) is calling on the legal community to don aprons and sharpen their pencils for two of its most popular fundraising events—the Great Legal Bake and the Great Legal Quiz. The events, which take place in November, raise vital funds for free legal advice charities across London and the South East

Running from 3–7 November, the Great Legal Bake coincides with Pro Bono Week and has already attracted 90 teams keen to show off their culinary skills. Participants are encouraged to host their own bake sales, bringing colleagues together for a sweet way to support access to justice. LLST is urging more teams to sign up and help make this year’s bake the 'biggest and tastiest yet'.

Later in the month, on 26 November, quiz lovers will have their turn to shine in the Great Legal Quiz. Teams across the country can take part either in person or online, with LLST providing the questions and materials. Funds raised will support the Trust and local legal advice charities. LLST will also host its flagship quiz night at Ye Olde Cock Tavern on Fleet Street, promising a fun and competitive evening for a good cause. Sign up for the quiz here, and book a spot for the live event here.

The festivities form part of Pro Bono Week 2025, which celebrates the contribution of lawyers and law students who volunteer their time to help those in need. The official launch event will take place on Monday 3 November at Simmons & Simmons, London, featuring keynote remarks from the Attorney General, the Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC—register for a free ticket here.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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