What’s in it for me?

A previous winner of the Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year at the Law Society (JLD) Pro Bono Awards (2009), the LawWorks Best Individual Contribution Award (2010) and City Lawyer of the Year Award (2011), Bobby Kensah was recently honoured as one of the 10 outstanding young persons of the world by volunteer network Junior Chamber International UK (JCI). As such, he is in an excellent position to talk about the value of volunteering and pro bono work.

What sparked your interest in volunteering?

I want to help my community by being part of it, understanding it and discharging my responsibilities. In addition to this, it is also a great learning exercise and an extremely fulfilling experience, particularly when dealing with challenging cases - and yes, I have had a few of those in my time.

How and when did you first get involved?

Although I was born on an aeroplane heading to the UK, I lived outside the UK until the age of 12, when I returned. Learning English was a challenge, so I decided to speak to my head teacher about setting up a networking forum for those in similar situations. The forum developed into a mentoring scheme whereby we acted as buddies for new students starting in my school, and other local schools, who were not able to speak English. This scheme was very successful and a positive experience for me, so I decided to get more involved in volunteering work.

When did you start doing pro bono work? How did you get involved?

I started with City and Hackney Mind as an ‘appropriate adult' by contacting them to let them know of my interest. I have now been in the role since 1 September 2004. My role is to ensure that vulnerable detained persons at the police station understand their rights and that police procedures are carried out fairly.

How does the community benefit?

My goal is to open up the legal system to all members of the community by working with vulnerable people, ranging from juveniles to those with mental health issues, most of whom do not understand their legal rights or have been misinformed. My pro bono clients are often inadequately informed about their rights, treatment or services, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the police and legal professionals. In particular, in my City and Hackney Mind role, my clients often feel powerless and I am able to give my time to support them to make informed decisions.

How does it help you learn/benefit your legal knowledge? What did you get out of it?

I am able to use my professional skills and experience to help members of our community, as well as allowing me to learn and grow as a lawyer. I am able to sharpen my research, interviewing, negotiation, analytical and communication skills.

What sort of help and advice to you provide?

The type of advice I give varies, from situations where fundamental rights are in dispute and there is no access to the legal system, to those where legal aid is not available (eg, for representation at Industrial Tribunals or Immigration Appeals Tribunals).

What are the common challenges that you face?

In my role as an appropriate adult, I often deal with difficult clients who are in an environment they are not used to and may react negatively as a result. I try and overcome this by building a strong rapport with both the clients and police officers. At Tooting Law Centre, one of the main challenges is clients who enjoy telling me all about their family history rather than the actual legal issues. This is resolved by learning to direct the client politely to the key issues.

What has been your most rewarding project?

I have had lots of great results from my cases, but one of the most recent examples is when a bank gave my client just one month to remortgage or sell their property, or face losing it. I called the bank's representative and successfully negotiated a four-month extension by explaining that the period was unreasonable given the current property market. The client was able to sell the property within two months, and both the client and the bank were happy to have received the asking price. This case shows that you can make a great impact without having to do endless tasks - in this case, all that was required was a few phone calls to make a significant difference to the client.

Would you encourage others to get involved in pro bono activities?

Definitely, yes. For most people, time is the biggest barrier to active volunteering. I recommend that you start slow and underestimate your availability a bit. You can always increase your level of participation as you become more involved and most organizations will do their best to accommodate your needs.

Bobby Kensah is an associate in the corporate finance department at Norton Rose.