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Gearing up for Pro Bono Week 2025

23 June 2025
Categories: Legal News , Pro Bono , Profession , Charities
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Mark your calendars: Pro Bono Week 2025 will take place across the UK from 3 to 7 November

This annual celebration shines a spotlight on the vital role the legal profession plays in providing free legal support to individuals and communities in need. This year’s theme, Pro Bono in Action, will showcase the real-world impact of pro bono work, emphasising its value not just to clients, but also to the professionals who offer their time and expertise.

The organising committee has announced three key sub-topics that will shape the week’s events:

  • Stories of Impact: Sharing powerful, frontline accounts of how pro bono advice transforms lives and strengthens communities both in the UK and abroad.

  • A Win-Win for Professional & Business Development: Exploring how lawyers and law students gain skills, grow their networks, and enhance career opportunities through pro bono work.

  • Getting Involved: Offering practical advice and insights to encourage new volunteers to take their first steps in delivering legal help to those who need it most.

The organisers are calling on law firms, chambers, legal societies, charities, in-house legal teams, universities, and law schools to join in. Whether by hosting events, launching new initiatives, or recognising outstanding contributions, there are countless ways to support and celebrate pro bono work during the week.

Participation isn’t limited to events. Supporters are encouraged to amplify the message online. From spotlighting inspiring cases to thanking dedicated volunteers, social media posts during the week will help spread the word. Follow @ProBonoWeekUK on Twitter/X, LinkedIn or Bluesky, and use the official hashtags: #ProBonoWeek and #WeDoProBono.

To discover highlights from last year and spark inspiration, see the 2024 Pro Bono Week Report and curated Wakelets of standout articles and posts.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Boies Schiller Flexner—Tim Smyth

Boies Schiller Flexner—Tim Smyth

Firm promotes London international arbitration specialist to partnership

Katten Muchin Rosenman—James Davison & Victoria Procter

Katten Muchin Rosenman—James Davison & Victoria Procter

Firm bolsters restructuring practice with senior London hires

HFW—Guy Marrison

HFW—Guy Marrison

Global aviation disputes practice boosted by London partner hire

NEWS
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
A construction defect claim in the Court of Appeal offers a sharp lesson in pleading discipline. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains how a catastrophically drafted schedule of loss derailed otherwise viable claims. Across the areas explored in this week's column, the message is consistent: clarity, economy and proper pleading matter more than ever
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