We support the wider community and the public interest through a range of initiatives, both through providing Pro Bono (free) legal advice, and through the following projects.

Pro Bono Legal Work

We provide Pro Bono legal advice to some charities, social enterprises and to other organisations and individuals. Our Pro Bono work focuses on advising those who cannot afford to pay for legal advice, and on matters where there is an issue of wider public interest at stake. This includes taking referrals from LawWorks and Advocates for International Development, providing volunteers for three legal advice clinics, advising parents of children with special educational needs through our links with the charity IPSEA.

Please see our Pro Bono page for more details.

Charity Trustees

Virtually every department at BWB has charity clients and we regard it as a high priority for our people to get involved as charity trustees. We currently hold over 60 voluntary trusteeships, school governorships and similar positions across the firm. We have solicitors with charity law experience who would be willing to serve as a trustee. If you are seeking a trustee, we suggest you use the Trustees Unlimited service or ask your usual contact at BWB for more information.

Charity Fee Discount

We offer discounted fees to charity and social enterprise clients, who account for a significant proportion of BWB’s work. In total, the fee discount is worth over £1 million each year compared with our commercial charge out rates.

Pro Bono Use of Facilities at BWB

For charity and not for profit clients we regularly offer the use of our wonderful conference room facilities overlooking St. Paul’s Cathedral. We estimate that benefit to be worth over £30,000 per year. The rooms are particularly useful for trustee meetings, launches and other special events.

Training

We speak at many external events and conferences to help charities and social enterprises keep up to date with the law which affects them. We also run regular training sessions for lawyers who are not charity law specialists. These aim to equip other lawyers to provide pro bono advice on issues such as charity registrations, incorporations and mergers.

Contributing to the development of charity law

Our experience of advising thousands of clients in the third sector means we are able to contribute to significant developments in the law which benefit many charities and social enterprises. We have instigated a number of groundbreaking legal reforms including:

• obtaining tax relief for amateur sport through the introduction of community amateur sports clubs,
• the creation of the community interest company as a legal vehicle specially for social enterprises,
• the right for most charities to buy trustee indemnity insurance for their trustees.

We regularly contribute to consultations and working parties about proposed changes in the law which affect charities and social enterprises. Recently we have been responding to the Equality Act 2010, the impact of the Finance Act 2010 on charity tax reliefs and regulation, and the Academies Bill.

Volunteering and fundraising

We operate a payroll giving scheme to promote charitable donations by staff, and have recently formulated a volunteering programme and policy to encourage all staff, not just lawyers, to get involved in volunteering. We are currently developing policies on staff fundraising and sponsorship.

Working with other organisations

We are members of Advocates for International Development, Heart of the City, City Action, LawWorks, and the Legal Sector Alliance.

We also support Poet in the City and host occasional breakfast poetry readings.

All other activities

What BWB are currently doing

• Charitable giving via PAYE
• Formulated a volunteering programme and policy for staff
• Continue to run work experience placements from a range of schools following articulation of a work experience policy
• Supporters of London Living Wage

Recent achievements

• Organising a 'Kids in the City' day with The Brokerage
• Sponsoring The Guardian Social Enterprise Competition in association with haysmacintyre

Our targets for 2011/12

• Properly record our pro bono hours
• Find a permanent replacement for the Barts will service
• Increase the number of trustees via ‘Trustees Unlimited’
• Develop a BWB 'Volunteer of the Year' Award