Press Release - Nominations open for LawWorks Annual Pro Bono Awards and Lecture 2016

LawWorks is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2016.  The Awards recognise and celebrate achievement in legal pro bono undertaken by organisations and individuals and the dedication and commitment of the legal sector to positively impact individuals and communities.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Monday 5th December 2016.  The annual Awards lecture will be given by Sir Terence Etherton, the incoming Master of the Rolls and the evening will be hosted by the legal commentator and journalist Joshua Rozenberg.  The event is kindly being hosted by the London office of Allen & Overy. 

Martin Barnes, Chief Executive of LawWorks said:

“The LawWorks Awards celebrate the passion, excellence and commitment that so many firms, in-house teams and individuals show in making a difference through pro bono. 

While pro bono should never be seen as an alternative to legal aid and funding for advice services and law centres, it can and does make a significant difference to the lives of individuals and their communities.  The important contribution that pro bono can make towards enabling access to justice deserves to be encouraged and celebrated”. 

The judging panel will include Mick Antoniw, Counsel General for Wales, Andrea Coomber, Director of JUSTICE and Paul Rogerson, Editor-in-chief, Law Society Gazette. 

Awards will be given to recognise the quality and impact of pro bono legal work and the judges will consider applications in the following categories: 

  • Most effective pro bono partnership. 
  • Best contribution by a small firm. 
  • Best contribution by a firm with an English regional head office, outside London. 
  • Best contribution by a firm with a London head office. 
  • Best contribution by an international firm. 
  • Best contribution by an in-house team. 
  • Best contribution by an individual. 
  • Junior Lawyers Division Pro Bono Award. 
  • The LawWorks Cymru Award. 

The nominations form and guidance are available on the LawWorks website at the following links:

Nomination Form: https://www.lawworks.org.uk/solicitors-and-volunteers/get-involved/lawworks-pro-bono-awards/lawworks-awards-2016-nomination-form

Guidance: https://www.lawworks.org.uk/solicitors-and-volunteers/get-involved/lawworks-pro-bono-awards/lawworks-awards-2015-nomination-fo-0

To be eligible nominees need to be a member of LawWorks, but the pro bono work does not have to be delivered through a LawWorks project, programme or member of our Clinic Network. 

The deadline for nominations is Monday 10th October 2016, midnight.

 

 

-Ends-

Notes to editors:

  1. LawWorks is a charity working in England and Wales to connect volunteer lawyers both with people in need of legal advice, who are not eligible for legal aid and cannot afford to pay and with the not for profit organisations that support them and their communities.
                                                                         
  2. LawWorks believes in the power of pro bono legal advice to improve the lives of people in need.
     
  3. The full list of LawWorks members can be found at: https://www.lawworks.org.uk/about-us/our-members
     
  4. For further information about LawWorks visit: www.lawworks.org.uk
     
  5. Join the conversation about the awards on Twitter using #LawWorksAwards
     
  6. Press Contact: Valerie Hudson t: 0207 092 3952 e: valerie.hudson@lawworks.org.uk

 

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