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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

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joinscorporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Media and technology expert joins employment team as partner in Cambridge

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
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
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’ 
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