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01 November 2024 / Yasmin Batliwala
Issue: 8092 / Categories: Features , Profession , Pro Bono
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Pro bono on a global platform

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Yasmin Batliwala highlights the extraordinary work of A4ID in projects across the world
  • Explains how pro bono work can transform global communities.

It is no secret that legal expertise has the power to completely transform communities around the world. But where it can be most impactful is in helping to protect the rights of vulnerable groups and individuals, address systemic inequalities, and even drive social and economic development.

In too many cases, however, these groups and individuals don’t have access to legal expertise. And that is where pro bono work is so crucial.

At Advocates for International Development (A4ID), we draw pro bono advice from thousands of lawyers across the globe to help empower communities that might otherwise be voiceless and marginalised. Our model has a tangible impact on the lives of those we support—and it also serves as a way for lawyers from all areas of the law to develop professionally and personally, and for law firms to help make a real-world difference.

In this article, I’ll

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NEWS
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
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’
Refusing ADR is risky—but not always fatal. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed and Sanjay Dave Singh of the University of Leicester analyse Assensus Ltd v Wirsol Energy Ltd: despite repeated invitations to mediate, the defendant stood firm, made a £100,000 Part 36 offer and was ultimately ‘wholly vindicated’ at trial
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