-For immediate release-
Held on the 5th December at the Law Society, the event hosted by the journalist and presenter Samira Ahmed, and the awards were presented by Richard Atkinson, Vice President of the Law Society of England and Wales.
The Awards recognise and celebrate the pro bono commitment of LawWorks members, their charity and corporate partners, and the work of independent clinics in the LawWorks clinics network.
Winners were chosen in ten categories, each representing the breadth and range of pro bono across England and Wales and internationally – by individuals, firms, in-house teams, law schools and law students, supported by charities, advice agencies, law centres and many non-legal volunteers.
The awards are kindly sponsored by LexisNexis and supported by the Law Society of England and Wales.
Commenting on the awards winners, Rebecca Wilkinson, the Chief Executive of LawWorks, said:
"A huge congratulations to the winners and all those who were shortlisted – all deserve recognition and celebration of the difference they make in enabling access to justice.
There is a reason the LawWorks Annual Awards are the highlight of our year; hearing the impact pro bono work makes on people’s lives continues to reaffirm our commitment to developing and supporting solicitors pro bono work within the access to justice ecosystem. We are so proud of the work of our member organisations, and the individual solicitors within them, who give up their time to help others."
The winners of the 2023 LawWorks Pro Bono Awards are:
- Best Contribution by a Small or Medium Firm: Pallas Partners LLP
- Best Contribution by a Large Firm: Reed Smith LLP
- Best Contribution by an In-house Team or Solicitor: The Financial Conduct Authority Pro Bono Group, Financial Conduct Authority
- Best Contribution by a Junior Lawyer: Alessandro Angelico, Covington & Burling
- Best Contribution by an Individual: Naga Kandiah, MTC Solicitors
- The LawWorks Cymru Award: University of South Wales Legal Advice Clinic, University of South Wales
- Best Contribution by a Pro Bono Clinic: Kent Law Clinic, University of Kent
- Best International Pro Bono Award in partnership with A4ID: Rule 39 Pro Bono Initiative
- Best New Pro Bono Activity: Islamophobia Response Unit
- Most Effective Pro Bono Partnership: Green Tech Legal Collaborative
The judging panel for the 2023 Pro Bono awards were:
- Richard Atkinson, Vice President of The Law Society of England and Wales
- Yasmin Batliwala, Chief Executive of Advocates for International Development
- Julie Bishop, Director of the Law Centres Network
- Chris Minnoch, Director of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group
- Professor Richard Owen, Chair of the Law Society’s Access to Justice Committee
- Paul Rogerson, Editor of the Law Society Gazette
- Rebecca Wilkie, Chief Executive of Advocate
You can find out more about all those shortlisted and the winners in the 
2023 LawWorks Pro Bono Awards programme.
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Notes to editors:
- LawWorks (the Solicitors Pro Bono Group) is a charity that promotes, supports and facilitates pro bono legal services that extend access to the law for individuals and communities in need and the organisations that assist them. LawWorks supports a network of over 300 independent pro bono clinics across England and Wales, and facilitates free legal advice for smaller charities and social enterprises through its Not-For-Profits Programme. LawWorks is supported by the Law Society of England and Wales, the independent professional body for solicitors.
- A4ID is a global charity that works in partnership with the world’s leading law firms, providing access to the best legal advice for those engaged in the fight against global poverty, and contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the new “Best International Pro Bono Award” special attention is given to pro bono projects that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. www.a4id.org
- LawWorks are extremely grateful for the sponsorship of the awards by LexisNexis Legal & Professional. At LexisNexis, our mission is to progress the Rule of Law around the world. Everything we do is about making the law easily accessible and simple to understand. To achieve this, we empower and enable legal, compliance and tax professionals with access to the very best in legal intelligence – wherever they are working. Our feature-rich solutions provide access to advanced research, data-driven insights, practical guidance and enhanced legal tools, all in one easy-to-use legal solution, Lexis+.
- DARA partners include: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld; DLA Piper UK; Debevoise & Plimpton; Eversheds Sutherland (International); Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Hogan Lovells International; Latham & Watkins; Reed Smith; Slaughter and May; and Travers Smith.
- KIND UK partners include: Allen & Overy LLP; Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP; Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP; Bank of America; Baker McKenzie LLP; Clyde & Co LLP; Cooley (UK) LLP; Covington & Burling LLP; Dechert LLP; Dentons UK and Middle East LLP; DLA piper (UK) LLP; Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP; Fieldfisher LLP; Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP; GSK; Gowling WLG (UK) LLP; Hogan Lovells (International) LLP; K&L Gates LLP; Mayer Brown (International) LLP; Microsoft, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP; Pinsent Masons LLP; PRS for Music and VMware, Reed Smith LLP; Ropes & Gray LLP; Shearman & Sterling LLP; Sidley Austin LLP; Simmons & Simmons LLP;Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett LLP; and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (UK) LLP.
- Rule 39 Pro Bono Initiative partners include: CILD and Orrick, Freshfields, DLA Piper, Linklaters, Herbert Smith Freehills, Osborne Clarke, Reed Smith and Eversheds Sutherland
- Green Tech Legal Collaborative partners include: Imperial College London, Bloomberg L.P., Ropes & Gray, Willkie Farr and Gallagher, Ashurst, Mayer Brown, Travers Smith, Shearman and Sterling, Venner Shipley.
Contact: Peter Jackson: peter.jackson@lawworks.org.uk