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

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 South Wales Pro-Bono Employment Law Clinic, founded in 2015, is run by the Speakeasy Law Centre in Cardiff. The Speakeasy has been running for more than 30 years with the motto of 'Sharing the burden, fighting injustice, bringing hope'. It is currently Wales’ only Law Centre. The clinic offers free, one-off advice on areas of employment law such as discrimination, dismissal, disciplinaries and the employment tribunal process 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.

ELIPS provides much needed pro bono assistance to unrepresented litigants. It currently covers London Central, Cardiff, Bristol, Midlands (West), Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester Employment Tribunals.

The Legal Advice Clinic offers free legal advice to the general public. We welcome people from all backgrounds.