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23 June 2025
Categories: Legal News , Pro Bono , Profession , Charities
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Gearing up for Pro Bono Week 2025

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

Keystone Law—Milena Szuniewicz-Wenzel & Ian Hopkinson

Keystone Law—Milena Szuniewicz-Wenzel & Ian Hopkinson

International arbitration team strengthened by double partner hire

Coodes Solicitors—Pam Johns, Rachel Pearce & Bradley Kaine

Coodes Solicitors—Pam Johns, Rachel Pearce & Bradley Kaine

Firm celebrates trio holding senior regional law society and junior lawyers division roles

Michelman Robinson—Sukhi Kaler

Michelman Robinson—Sukhi Kaler

Partner joins commercial and business litigation team in London

NEWS
The Legal Action Group (LAG)—the UK charity dedicated to advancing access to justice—has unveiled its calendar of training courses, seminars and conferences designed to support lawyers, advisers and other legal professionals in tackling key areas of public interest law
As the drip-feed of Epstein disclosures fuels ‘collateral damage’, the rush to cry misconduct in public office may be premature. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke of Hill Dickinson warns that the offence is no catch-all for political embarrassment. It demands a ‘grave departure’ from proper standards, an ‘abuse of the public’s trust’ and conduct ‘sufficiently serious to warrant criminal punishment’
Employment law is shifting at the margins. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ this week, Ian Smith of Norwich Law School examines a Court of Appeal ruling confirming that volunteers are not a special legal species and may qualify as ‘workers’
Criminal juries may be convicting—or acquitting—on a misunderstanding. Writing in NLJ this week Paul McKeown, Adrian Keane and Sally Stares of The City Law School and LSE report troubling survey findings on the meaning of ‘sure’
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has narrowly preserved a key weapon in its anti-corruption arsenal. In this week's NLJ, Jonathan Fisher KC of Red Lion Chambers examines Guralp Systems Ltd v SFO, in which the High Court ruled that a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) remained in force despite the company’s failure to disgorge £2m by the stated deadline
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