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31 January 2019 / Eleanor Campbell
Issue: 7826 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Pro Bono Connect

Barristers & solicitors work together on fee-paid work, so why not provide the same service to pro bono clients, asks Eleanor Campbell

  • Pro Bono Connect is a scheme which aims to facilitate solicitors and barristers working together on pro bono cases in the same way as they would for fee-paying clients.
  • After a pilot in 2015 Pro Bono Connect was launched in 2016, and its network of participating firms and chambers continues to expand.
  • Taking on pro bono work in the litigation context can be daunting. For a barrister it means doing all the work a solicitor would do, in addition to advocacy. A solicitor may find themselves drafting pleadings and appearing at hearings, in addition to liaising with the lay client, preparing the case and conducting correspondence. These difficulties can mean that lawyers may be more reluctant to do pro bono work in the first place—at least where there is the prospect of litigation.

    This was the experience of Jamie Goldsmith, barrister at One Essex Court and founder of Pro

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    MOVERS & SHAKERS

    Newcastle & North of England Law Society—Lesley Fairclough

    Newcastle & North of England Law Society—Lesley Fairclough

    Ward Hadaway partner becomes bicentennial president following regional merger

    Devonshires—four promotions

    Devonshires—four promotions

    Firm promotes four senior associates to partner in annual round

    Fieldfisher—John McElroy & Daniel Hayward

    Fieldfisher—John McElroy & Daniel Hayward

    Co-heads of dispute resolution practice appointed alongside partner promotions

    NEWS

    From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

    Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
    Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
    Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
    The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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