Pro bono
Many barristers devote their time to pro bono work by:
- Providing legal advice or representation for free to those in need
- Volunteering their skills in another capacity e.g. careers advice in school
- Acting as a trustee or even coaching teams of students for mock trial competitions
What pro bono advice and representation does and doesn't do
Pro bono work is intended to help people who aren't eligible for state-funded legal assistance. It helps prevent some people from falling through the holes in the legal aid safety net.
It is not a substitute for legal aid; there is wide support within the legal profession for an increase in legal aid provision for those in need.
Pro bono work does not undermine the basic and essential statutory provision.
Barristers: are you considering pro bono work?
To join 4,500 barristers who volunteer with Advocate, the pro bono charity of the Bar, fill in the registration form to join the panel.
Barristers (in chambers and employed) can sign up from second six all the way to KC. Pick cases that suit your interests and expand your knowledge and skillset, or take work in a new practice area.
- Find out how to volunteer for Advocate
- Apply to volunteer for Advocate
- Explore Advocate’s partner schemes
- Guide to Pro Bono for Movers and Returners - explains why pro bono work is useful for movers and returners and how you can get involved.
- Guide for KC applications: How pro bono work can assist when applying for silk - sets out ways senior barristers can derive experience relevant to silk applications through work with Advocate.
- Useful guides for pro bono work - Advocate has several guides available to help different groups from pupils to retiring lawyers get involved in pro bono work.
- Guidance on pro bono advocacy and judicial liaison - guidance for discussion between the Chairs of the Bar Council’s Pro Bono and Social Responsibility Committee with lead or resident judges at selected court centres with a view to commencing a pilot on pro bono barrister and judicial liaison.
- If you're already a panel member, browse the members’ area of Advocate’s website for a full list of pro bono cases in all areas of law that is updated every day. If you're not a panel member, fill in this form to join.
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Pro bono costs orders: the Access to Justice Foundation’s website has guides and templates as well as FAQs on applying for a pro bono costs order.
- Receive mentoring on cases you take on with Advocate through the Collaborate mentoring scheme.
- Strengthen your chambers' commitment to access to justice through The Chambers Pro Bono Framework.
- Become a Pro Bono Champion for your chambers, and help share pro bono news and initiatives from Advocate.
- Chambers professionals: explore the Guide for Pro Bono in Chambers, made in partnership between Advocate, the IBC and the LPMA and full of ideas and resources on how to build a pro bono ethos in your chambers.
- Keep up with the latest developments: sign up to Advocate’s monthly newsletter, or browse the news section of their website.
- For retired lawyers: The National Pro Bono Centre with Advocate and LawWorks has put together practical information explaining how to do pro bono work in retirement, as well as ways to give your time. Read the information for retiring lawyers.
- For pupils and supervisors: The Pro bono guide for pupils and supervisors is for pupils and their supervisors on providing pupils with experience in pro bono work.
The Bar Council established a dedicated committee to support policy pro bono work in 2016. If you want to contact the committee with a policy issue related to pro bono please get in touch.
The Bar Council's Pro Bono and Social Responsibility Committee is responsible for:
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Collecting (and communicating) information about the Bar (and individual barrister's) pro bono and social responsibility activity
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Working with partners to support pro bono and social responsibility activity (and tackle any barriers faced by barristers interested in pro bono work)
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Supporting pro bono and social responsibility charities
To achieve these objectives, the committee works closely with Advocate: The pro bono charity of the Bar.
Our pro bono blogs
Pro bono gave me many ‘firsts’ in my career – and can for you too
Sarah Abram KC discusses how how acting pro bono gave her a lot of ‘firsts’ in her career, from cross examining a witness to speaking in the European Court of Justice.
Pro bono and the silk road
Edward Lamb KC explores how the pro bono work he has undertaken helped him take silk.
The importance of pro bono work: a lifeline in challenging times
Barrister Liam Kelly, who has undertaken pro bono work since pupillage, explores the multifaceted benefits of pro bono work, both for clients and barristers.
Advocate and securing pupillage: not so mutually exclusive
Emily McCurrie is set to start pupillage after working as a caseworker at the Bar's pro bono charity Advocate, experience she said was 'crucial' in helping her obtain offers.
Listing for pro bono counsel’s convenience? When court listing policies and access to justice collide - and what the Bar Council is doing about it
In the first of our Pro Bono Week blogs, co-chair of our Pro Bono and Social Responsibility Committee Samantha Singer discusses the Guidance on Pro Bono Advocacy and Judicial Liaison, a pilot project to help solve the issue with listing for pro bono counsel's convenience.
If FRU didn’t exist, the Bar would have to invent it
To mark National Volunteers’ Week, Free Representation Unit Chief Executive David Abbott explains why the organisation is a crucial resource for its volunteers and the Bar.
Access to justice - follow the money
Stephen Kinsella discusses the important work of Law for Change in a time when access to justice is in crisis.
Bar in the Community: how and why to get involved
What is the Bar in the Community initiative? Learn about how it works, and why you should get involved.
From other sources
Pro Bono Week
We were proud to support Pro Bono Week. In 2024 we celebrated the voluntary contribution made by the legal profession across the UK, focussing on:
- Barred from justice – the powerful, everyday stories of the impact of lawyers and law students who give their time to protect the rights of those most disadvantaged in society.
- Embedding pro bono in your organisation and career – placing pro bono at the heart of everyone’s practice and hearing from those at the forefront of establishing business structures for pro bono within law firms, chambers, in-house, universities and charities.
- How technology can enhance access to justice – existing and new tools to ensure pro bono is innovative and effective.
Visit the Pro Bono Week website for more information.
The London Legal Walk
The London Legal Support Trust is an independent charity that raises funds for free legal advice services in London and the South East. Each year, their flagship event – the London Legal Walk – brings together thousands from across the legal sector to take on 10km for justice. We are proud to support this event which celebrated its 20th year in 2024 and raised £1million for the first time.
Find out more about the London Legal Walk and the London Legal Support Trust’s other events run throughout the year.
Find out more about Pro Bono Week and how you can get involved.
Pro Bono Awards 2024
The Bar Pro Bono Awards took place in May 2024 to recognise individuals and chambers who have made a remarkable pro bono contribution in support of access to justice in the last year. View the winners and find out more about the Bar Pro Bono Awards.
Pro Bono Recognition List
We are proud to support the annual Pro Bono Recognition List which recognises barristers and solicitors who gave 25 hours or more pro bono legal assistance over the last year. Congratulations to the 483 barristers recognised on the inaugural 2024 List. Find out more and take a look at the List in full.
Barristers provide pro bono support via different routes, including: Advocate (formerly the Bar Pro Bono Unit) and day schemes like CLIPS; an instructing solicitor; legal advice centres, and direct access.
In 2022, Advocate celebrated their 25th anniversary and ran a challenge asking barristers to commit to 25 hours of pro bono work for Advocate’s 25th year. The work could be undertaken with any pro bono scheme, not just through Advocate. As part of this:
- 356 individuals completed 25+ hours of pro bono, 52 of whom were KCs
- 125 different chambers took part, and
- Over 15,430 hours of pro bono were completed
As part of Advocate’s core service:
- 360 barristers joined our panel of volunteers in 2023.
- On average, 16.5 requests for help per working day were received in 2023 (4,294 total).
Barristers' Working Lives 2023
The Bar Council commissions a survey of barristers’ working lives every two years, undertaken by the Institute for Employment Studies, building on previous surveys carried out in 2013, 2017 and 2021.
The survey was designed to explore the lived experience of working as a barrister in 2023, and asked various questions about views on aspects of wellbeing and work-life balance, working hours and patterns, experiences of bullying, harassment or discrimination, practice development and working practices, and Bar Council services. This included questions of issues relating to pro bono work.
Summary of results, taken from 3,237 respondents:
- 49 per cent of respondents had undertaken pro bono work in the last twelve months - up from 43 per cent reported in 2021.
- One in three barristers surveyed (35 per cent) had provided five or fewer days of pro bono work in the last year, seven per cent had undertaken 6-10 days, and seven per cent had provided more than ten days.
- When respondents were asked about the benefits of undertaking pro bono work, “making a difference by helping people or charities" (38%) as well as “finding the work interesting and professionally fulfilling" (26%) were the most reported benefits.
Pro Bono Guide for Pupils and Supervisors
Guidance for pupils and supervisors for providing pupils with pro bono experience.
Are you a member of the public looking for pro bono legal support?
We cannot assist with requests for pro bono services from members of the public, but we can advise that you:
- read the 'Guide to Pro Bono: free legal advice in England and Wales'
- contact the Advocate charity
- contact the Free Representation Unit (FRU)
Guide to Pro Bono: free legal advice in England and Wales
Published by the Bar Council in partnership with the Law Society and CILEx, this guide provides advice about how to obtain or provide free legal support in England and Wales. The advice in this guide is designed for individuals, advisors, charities and lawyers.
Contact the Advocate charity to find free legal assistance
Advocate finds free legal assistance from volunteer barristers. Visit Advocate's website to find out if a volunteer barrister may be available, or see their signposting to other sources of help.
Free Representation Unit (FRU)
For employment tribunals, benefit appeals, and criminal injury compensation, FRU provides free legal representation for members of the public based in London, the South East and Nottingham. Referral must be via an agency.