Law Society launches pro bono toolkit for law firms

The Law Society has published a new guide for lawyers on developing a pro bono programme, as National Pro Bono week gets underway.

Following a series of roundtables up and down the country, law firms expressed a desire for more organised, less ad hoc pro bono programmes.

With firms seeking assistance on how to sustain such programmes, the Law Society produced guidance designed to help them manage their pro bono commitment, track and record it, provide greater opportunities to solicitors, and target and meet the needs of local communities.

The main features of the guide include matching expertise to community needs; deciding on a pro bono model, whether working with legal advice centres or advocacy schemes; providing advice to organisations or conducting legal research on behalf of an NGO; and managing risk, insurance, and costs.

The Law Society's president, Jonathan Smithers, said: 'Pro bono is woven through the working life and identity of so many solicitors. I am immensely proud to belong to a profession that contributes its expertise voluntarily for the public good on such a wide scale.

'The Law Society's guide, "Developing a Pro Bono Programme", has been created in response to demand from law firms, who asked the Society to provide advice on how to set up and sustain pro bono work.

'This toolkit will help them and their firms develop sustainable and effective pro bono programmes which will benefit both solicitors and their communities.'