The partners and staff at BWB are committed by our ethos statement to “do worthwhile work to the best of our ability, for clients we respect …and always with a commitment to justice and the public interest.”

This is reflected partly in the discounted fees we offer to all charity and social enterprise clients. We also know that in some cases Pro Bono work – that is, work for which we do not charge a fee – is more appropriate. The partners recognise that Pro Bono has its own unique reward of providing fresh experience and insight for those who take part. We encourage every lawyer to be involved and feedback from our staff tells us that they value the support and opportunities given for Pro Bono work.

We aim to focus our Pro Bono activity to ensure that our efforts are directed where the need is greatest and where we can make the most effective contributions.

As the following list shows the type of activity we undertake is very wide and includes:

Individual Pro-Bono Instructions

The following are the criteria which we use to determine whether we can offer Pro Bono legal advice;

a) Ability to fund by the client - many of our clients are charities and social enterprises undertaking important and worthwhile work. Our focus for pro bono work is on those who cannot afford to pay for legal advice.

b) Availability of alternative funding - in some matters it may be more appropriate to work under a conditional fee arrangement.

c) BWB’s capacity and competence to undertake the work - for example, we do not deal with criminal matters. Sometimes we cannot accept new Pro Bono instructions because our lawyers are already committed to other Pro Bono projects.

d) Public interest - for example, we may take on a matter Pro Bono if important or novel legal issues are involved.

e) Planting the seed corn - if we think some initial Pro Bono support would help launch an exciting or worthwhile project towards self sufficiency. We looking at projects and organisations that are starting up we take into account other aspects of the organisation’s plans for the future to ensure that we focus our help on those organisations which have the most viable plans and where our input can be most strategic.

f) Current clients - this is not to say we will turn away non-clients but if a current client needed assistance that fitted these criteria we would be more likely to assist.

g) Personal interest of our lawyers - our Pro Bono work is undertaken on a voluntary basis. If a member of staff is willing to commit to a project, we are more likely to support them.

h) Referrals from other organisations – we often taken on cases which are referred to us by LawWorks or Advocates for International Development. Referrals from these organisations are more likely to meet the Pro Bono criteria outlined above. We also offer a free meeting for advice on property law to clients who are referred to us by the Ethical Property Foundation.

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 (some very extensive) experience who would be willing to assist as a trustee. If you are seeking a trustee, please contact your usual contact at BWB, or use the Trustees Unlimited service.

Free Legal Advice Clinics

We supply volunteers to support a regular free legal clinic at a local advice centre, who arrange for us to meet some of their clients. This often involves advising individuals on employment issues, consumer law and other areas.

We also provide volunteers to Holborn CAB and a legal clinic operated by Kalayaan to give migrant domestic workers. Both these clinics provide free advice on immigration law.

Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal

We also work with the charity IPSEA – Independent Parental Special Education Advice - to provide advice and representation for parents at Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunals for parents.

Access to our Pro Bono services

The best first point of contact is your normal BWB contact.

Our Pro Bono co-ordinators are Lucy McLynn and Stephanie Biden. Please note that we receive many requests for Pro Bono advice. Most of our Pro Bono work is taken on through referrals from agencies where we have an established relationship or through contacts with existing clients. Although we aim to help where possible, we can only take on a small proportion of the other requests we receive for Pro Bono work. If you contact our Pro Bono co-ordinators for help, we are more likely to be able to assist if you explain how you meet the criteria for Pro Bono support which are set out above.

Pro Bono is only one part of our wider Corporate Social Responsibility programme. For information about other ways in which BWB is supporting our community and the environment, please see the Corporate Social Responsibility section of our website.