Pro bono opportunities

LawWorks develops and supports the delivery of a number of pro bono programmes and initiatives. There are many other pro bono opportunities across England and Wales.

Programmes

Depending on your particular interest and capacity, there are a range of programmes we support which solicitors from member firms can get involved with: 

The Not-for-Profits Programme connects small not-for-profit organisations in need of legal support with the skills and expertise of lawyers, to support the continuation and expansion of their services to people in need. 

Secondary specialisation is a programme to support lawyers in firms and in-house teams to develop expertise in areas of social welfare law and employment where need is significant and supply increasingly limited. 

You can support this work by becoming a member.

Clinics Network

LawWorks runs a Clinic Network, which supports and develops independent pro bono clinics across England and Wales. 

Clinics on the LawWorks Clinic Network are independent, locally run and provide free initial advice to individuals, predominantly in the area of social welfare law on either a drop-in or appointment basis. Advice is delivered face-to-face, over the telephone and in some circumstances via Skype. Solicitors can volunteer at clinics as individuals or as part of a firm/in-house team initiative depending on the clinic and its needs. 

Legal and skills training is offered to clinics on the Clinics Network to give volunteer solicitors the confidence to provide advice at clinics.

Pro Bono Opportunities

Our listings of pro bono opportunities give an overview of current volunteering opportunities across the country. Please see below.

If you would like to learn about other ways to volunteer, please visit the Get involved section of the website or visit the National Pro Bono Centre website at: https://www.nationalprobonocentre.org.uk/volunteer/volunteering-opportunities/.  

University of Staffordshire Legal Advice Service is a student-led legal advice service, operating with the assistance of final year Law degree students, offering free initial legal advice on a wide range of civil matters. The Legal Advice Service are looking for employment law solicitors/barristers/legal executives to support with the increasing number of employment law enquiries they receive.

London School of Economics (LSE) Law Clinic are looking for family & employment law solicitors and barristers to supervise law students providing free legal advice to members of the public who would otherwise struggle to obtain legal advice.

Would you like to use your skills and experience in Housing law to help vulnerable people in South East London with no access to legal advice?

Flag DV are looking for family law solicitors to volunteer and provide free, impartial family law advice to people affected by domestic abuse.

University of Worcester is launching a free legal advice clinic based at The Hive, a joint public and university library, in Worcester city centre.

SWLLC is a community based legal aid practice and a registered charity. Our 50 year history dates back to 1974 when the first Law Centres in Wandsworth were created. We are looking for volunteer solicitors with at least 2 years PQE in Education Law who can commit to staffing a remote clinic and deliver one-off free legal advice on the phone at least once a month.

Veteran's Legal Link are a successful, established clinic owned and operated by Aberystwyth University, providing veterans and their families with advice on a wide range of legal issues. VLL are looking for volunteers with expertise in a range of legal areas. This opportunity can be accessed completely remotely.

The Employment Law Advice Clinic was founded in 2015 and is a partnership between Speakeasy Law Centre, Eversheds Sutherland and the BMA. The Speakeasy is Wales' only Law Centre and has been running for 30 years with the motto of 'Sharing the burden, fighting injustice, bringing hope'. The clinic offers advice on areas of employment law such as discrimination, dismissal and disciplinaries to anyone living in South Wales via in-person and online appointments.

Islington Legal Advice Centre (ILAC) provides free legal advice at weekly drop-in sessions on Thursday evenings at 7pm in the Crypt of St Mary's Church on Upper Street. The service is available to Islington residents but individuals from other boroughs will not be excluded. Since covid, ILAC have also offered an online service.

The Citizens Advice network provides the advice people need for the problems they face and improves the policies and practices that affect people's lives.