ALLIES

"A Local Lawyer in Every School"

ALLIES (A Local Lawyer in Every School) is an alliance of key stakeholders in the legal profession and education sector, with the aim to bring together lawyers who are school governors, and encourage other lawyers to consider becoming governors. The initiative is being coordinated by LawWorks.

The initial stage of the scheme is aimed at the East of England, with the launch held in Norwich during National Pro Bono Week 2009.  By working together, the ALLIES stakeholders hope to encourage and assist the legal profession to become school governors, and to facilitate a support network for those involved.

A good school governor has the following skills:

• The ability to work in a team
• A desire to help the community
• An external perspective
• A willingness to challenge assumptions
• The time to get involved

The most important quality is a desire to make a difference to the lives of children.  Volunteering as a School Governor brings benefits to the School, the individual, and to the Law Firm.  There are a variety of roles within Boards of Governors, and you do not need to be a parent to become a governor! 

You can read the mission statement and list of engaged stakeholders here.

Please follow this link to the microsite hosted by the School Governors One Stop Shop which also features an interactive vacancies map, to enable you to find a vacancy in your area.

The following Schools and Colleges have had the assistance of ALLIES in recruiting new School Governors:

• Woodfield Infant and Junior School (Wolverhampton)
• Mortimer St Johns Church of England Infant School (West Berkshire)
• Hertfordshire Regional College
• Hankham Primary School (East Sussex)
• Walshal Le Willow Primary School (Suffolk)
• Waterloo Primary School (Sefton)
• Little Melton Primary School (Norfolk)
• Powers Hall Infant School (Essex)