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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

Charles Russell Speechlys—Matthew Griffin

Charles Russell Speechlys—Matthew Griffin

Firm strengthens international funds capability with senior hire

Gilson Gray—Jeremy Davy

Gilson Gray—Jeremy Davy

Partner appointed as head of residential conveyancing for England

DR Solicitors—Paul Edels

DR Solicitors—Paul Edels

Specialist firm enhances corporate healthcare practice with partner appointment

NEWS
In this week's issue, Stephen Gold, NLJ columnist and former district judge, surveys another eclectic fortnight in procedure. With humour and humanity, he reminds readers that beneath the procedural dust, the law still changes lives
Generative AI isn’t the villain of the courtroom—it’s the misunderstanding of it that’s dangerous, argues Dr Alan Ma of Birmingham City University and the Birmingham Law Society in this week's NLJ
James Naylor of Naylor Solicitors dissects the government’s plan to outlaw upward-only rent review (UORR) clauses in new commercial leases under Schedule 31 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, in this week's NLJ. The reform, he explains, marks a seismic shift in landlord-tenant power dynamics: rents will no longer rise inexorably, and tenants gain statutory caps and procedural rights
Writing in NLJ this week, James Harrison and Jenna Coad of Penningtons Manches Cooper chart the Privy Council’s demolition of the long-standing ‘shareholder rule’ in Jardine Strategic v Oasis Investments
Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School and the Frenkel Topping Group—AKA The insider—crowns Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP as his case of 2025 in his latest column for NLJ. The High Court’s decision—that non-authorised employees cannot conduct litigation, even under supervision—has sent shockwaves through the profession. Regan calls it the year’s defining moment for civil practitioners and reproduces a ‘cut-out-and-keep’ summary of key rulings from Mr Justice Sheldon
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