Sarah Abram KC (Brick Court Chambers) is Vice-Chair on the board of Advocate, the Bar’s pro bono charity. In this Pro Bono Week blog, Sarah talks about Advocate’s work and 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.
Advocate provides free representation and advice to litigants who have deserving cases and cannot afford to pay for legal help, helping the most vulnerable members of society in cases to ensure that justice is done.
We’re the legal equivalent of Maya Jama
We are essentially the matchmakers of the pro bono world. I want to say that we’re the Cilla Blacks of the legal equivalent of Blind Date but worry my reference may be so out of date as to be incomprehensible… Perhaps we’re the Fred Sirieix in First Date or the Maya Jama of Love Island.
People who have legal issues apply to Advocate for legal advice or representation. If their case is strong enough and they can’t afford legal help, we match them with a barrister who is willing to provide advice or legal representation for free.
We help with cases in every area of law – from family to employment to housing to commercial. And we work in every court in the country – from Magistrates’ courts to the Supreme Court. Example cases might include a housing disrepair claim by a tenant living in a mouldy property whose landlord was not prepared to pay for repairs, or a claim for compensation for damages caused by a wrongful refusal of job-seeker’s allowance.
How we work
We work essentially in two ways. First, barristers volunteer their help for specific cases – whether for a piece of advice or a court hearing. Second, we operate duty schemes where barristers turn up to help litigants in person in a particular court on a particular day – for example the CLIPS scheme where you provide that help in urgent cases before the Chancery Division.
Why we need your help
The only way we can do any of this is with help from barristers. The demand for Advocate’s services is increasing exponentially due to a range of factors including the reduction in legal aid, the cost-of-living crisis, and the after-effects of Covid. In the last 12 months, Advocate’s core casework service has seen a 25% increase in applications for help.
Barristers give their time and help tirelessly. In 2023 , barristers took on over 1,200 pieces of work through our core casework service alone – not even counting the 200 barristers who regularly review applications for help or the work done through duty schemes. We get help from all levels of the Bar, from second six pupils to the most senior barristers. Very junior barristers in their first few years of practice are particularly generous with their time.
We think and hope that this is mutually beneficial both for the client, who wouldn’t otherwise have access to legal help, and for the barrister. Barristers who are prepared to act pro bono will benefit from exposure to new areas of law and gain new experience. I’ll illustrate that from my own experience.
My pro bono experience
I’m a competition and commercial barrister. It is so interesting, and I can’t recommend it strongly enough. But every practice area comes with frustrations. For many commercial practitioners, it’s hard to get into court on your feet when you’re junior. You are always led by one or more silks so you’re not at the sharp end of dealing with clients and developing those skills. And for me, it is working with Advocate that gives me a sense that my work has social utility.
So many of the firsts in my career – particularly in terms of advocacy – have come through pro bono work, whether through Advocate or other pro bono organisations. Even before Advocate, when I was at Bar school, the first trial I did was through the Free Representation Unit, which provides free legal representation for the public and advocacy experience for junior lawyers.
The first time I cross-examined a witness was a case for Advocate – in which I learned to write the name of the person you’re cross-examining in very large letters on every page of your notes in case you forget it in the heat of the moment…
I did my first and only ever trial in the criminal courts and my first employment case acting pro bono. The first case I won as sole counsel but also the first case I lost as sole counsel were both done pro bono – helping me to start to learn coping skills that I’m still using all too frequently these days!
As you get more senior the firsts keep coming. The first time I did oral advocacy in the Court of Appeal and the first time I spoke in the European Court of Justice were both in pro bono cases. And when I was ready to apply for silk, pro bono cases helped there too.
How can you help?
The starting point is to sign up as an Advocate panel member – any time from the start of your second six onwards. You will then get offered cases in your specialist practice areas through the Advocate system. You can stick to just what you know – whether that be housing, family or employment. But I would encourage junior barristers to use it as an opportunity to branch out, to explore new areas of law adjacent to those in which you practise.
In our paid day jobs, we are always picking up new legal questions and running with them. Advocate cases are a great opportunity to do the same. If additional support would be useful, we can match you with a mentor for the case. Alternatively, you can sign up for duty days – we run schemes in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle and the South-West.
However you do it, please do volunteer – you’ll be making a real difference to the lives of Advocate’s clients and learning skills that will stay with you for decades as a barrister.