5 great reasons to do pro bono

Learn new legal skills 

• Exposure to clients from various backgrounds can help you pick up people skills. You will learn how to handle emotional and vulnerable clients, which are valuable in the client-facing profession. The compassion that stems from the humanity viewpoint will bring about holistic development to the minds, regardless of the practice area of your interest. 

 Gain exposure to various legal areas 

• For aspiring lawyers that are not yet qualified, you will have the opportunity to explore the niche areas of law, such as housing, family, and employment law. Under the guidance of an experienced lawyers, you will receive support in carrying out the tasks, which typically involve interviewing clients, offering practical in-person support, and drafting letters. 

 Contribute to the community 

• Giving donations and volunteering are certainly two ways of contributing to the community- but try leveraging your legal skills to create an impact for the underprivileged community. You may either support the community by working in a legal clinic or giving an educational presentation to the schoolchildren.  

 Bridge the justice gap 

• While working on pro bono cases, you will be helping a spectrum of people: refugees, domestic violence victims, and children. The rising costs of legal services further call for the provision of free legal advice to ensure these vulnerable people have adequate facilities to help them navigate the law and resolve legal problems. Access to legal representation can ameliorate the justice gap and change their lives. 

Build your network with professionals 

• Working on pro bono cases with a lawyer is a great starting point for students who find networking daunting. You will be able to meet professionals who share genuine passion about making a social impact and build meaningful relationships. City law firms are demonstrating an encouraging commitment to pro bono work, with more firms introducing community schemes that are truly impactful. 

 Pro bono in the current social, political, and economic landscape 

The Law Society has highlighted the following as the themes this year: 

• Crises and emergency response: lawyers stepping forward when it matters 
• The climate crisis is real; what can lawyers do? 
• How to make the business case for pro bono 
• Can remote volunteering truly overcome geographical distance? 
• Pro bono: an ally of funded advice: where mixed interventions have had a positive impact 
• Specialisation: can lawyers be trained to meet the most urgent needs?