The benefits of getting involved in pro bono

National Pro Bono Week 2016 is here and it presents a fantastic opportunity to promote pro bono projects and celebrate those who volunteer their time and their expertise. For you as a law student, there is no better time to get involved and LawWorks is here to help. You can get involved with a pro bono project at your law school, help out at your local Citizens Advice or Law Centre, or even develop your own pro bono start-up.

LawWorks is a charity working in England and Wales to connect volunteer lawyers with people in need of legal advice, who are not eligible for legal aid and cannot afford to pay, with the not-for-profit organisations that support them. LawWorks believes strongly in creating an enduring pro bono culture among law students; we see it as an integral way of instilling the ethos of pro bono in the next generation of lawyers.

Pro bono is becoming more and more prominent in law schools, as highlighted in the latest LawWorks Clinics Network Report which demonstrates the breadth of student pro bono activity in England and Wales. The report highlights that over a third of clinics in the LawWorks Clinics Network now operate within law schools – this represents 81 clinics in total. From April 2015 to March 2016, over 2,500 students were reported as volunteering in these clinics and dealt with over 16,000 enquiries. This demonstrates the vital contributions that students and law schools make to pro bono clinics across the country.

LawWorks also conducted a survey in 2015 of law students who had undertaken pro bono activity in the preceding academic year. There were 79 responses from students in England and Wales, and the results are encouraging. The survey results demonstrate that:

• 76% of law students believe that participating in pro bono helped them to decide what career path to follow;
• 97% of law students felt that their pro bono experience strengthened their CV or job applications;
• 96% of respondents felt that, as a result of their student pro bono experience, they would be more likely to participate in pro bono again later in their career; and
• a staggering 98% believe that the experience they have gained through pro bono projects will make them better lawyers in the future.

Every year LawWorks celebrates the valuable contribution students make to pro bono through the LawWorks & Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards. The 2016 awards demonstrated the innovation, commitment and dedication of law students today. Projects commended at this year’s awards included a student project that advises people who have had private sexual images of themselves shared, as well as campaigning about the law in this area and surrounding issues; a legal advice clinic that has been set up to enable students to provide legal advice, under supervision, to clients on a range of dementia issues; and a clinic that has obtained an Alternative Business Structure licence from the Solicitors Regulatory Authority to undertake work through a separate charitable entity.

The value of pro bono work is multi-faceted and in my opinion there are no downsides to getting involved. With that in mind, if you are looking for something charitable, fun and unique to get involved in this National Pro Bono week, why not register a team for the Annual Bar Pro Bono Unit and LawWorks Law School Challenge? We are looking for teams of students representing universities and law schools nationwide to compete against each other and raise funds for both charities to support the facilitation of free legal advice and to raise awareness of the services available. The team that raises the most money will win a LawWorks Student Award endorsed by the attorney general – a great accolade for any aspiring lawyer.

Help us to promote the importance of pro bono work in legal education and get all law students engaged in pro bono. Tell us what pro bono activities you are involved in by using the hashtag #WeDoProBono or #NPBW2016; photos, comments and publications are all welcome. To find out more about the week, please click here.

Grace Kelly works in the Not-For-Profits Programme at LawWorks. Click here for more information on how you can get involved.