The 20th annual Pro Bono Week will take place this year from 1 – 5 November 2021. It will offer an opportunity to recognise and support the voluntary contribution made by the legal profession across the UK in giving free legal help to those in need.
The 20th anniversary of Pro Bono Week will be a pivotal moment to look ahead to the next 20 years of pro bono whilst also shining a spotlight on some of the key moments and cases from the past two decades. This look to the future will also coincide with the focus on climate change taking place in November with the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow.
As in previous years, during Pro Bono Week, organisations will be encouraged to organise events, comms and publications which focus on one of three topics:
- Celebrating pro bono: commending those who give back and recent successes in pro bono.
- Pro bono pathways: exploring the different ways lawyers can volunteer throughout their careers.
- Effective pro bono: sharing best practice and discussing what makes an effective pro bono service.
Law firms, chambers, legal societies, charities, in-house lawyers, law schools and universities are encouraged to plan events or comms campaigns, both internal or external, to take place throughout the week.
Many organisations will also take the opportunity to publish reports or launch new initiatives to an engaged pro bono audience. Events will be a mixture of online, in-person and hybrid events.
Pro bono through the pandemic & beyond: 2020 catch up
Pro Bono Week 2020 saw over 50 events take place across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, involving over 2,000 attendees from all branches of the legal profession. The overarching theme was ‘Pro bono: Through the pandemic and beyond’.
To watch the Legal News Wales Pro Bono Week 2020 event we hosted, that attracted hundreds of attendees last October, please click here. For a round up of other Pro Bono Week 2020 events across the UK, click here.
Looking to host a Pro Bono Week 2021 event?
Legal News Wales is delighted to help host your event, collaborate or promote events in and for Wales during Pro Bono Week 2021. Please contact the Editor for more via email: emma@legalnewswales.com.
To share your events with Pro Bono Week UK, please contact Mary Dobson, project lead, at mary@probonoweek.org.uk
Social media updates & hashtags
- For updates follow Pro Bono Week 2021 on Twitter at @ProBonoWeekUK or on the Linkedin page.
- This year’s social media the hashtags are #ProBonoWeek and #WeDoProBono
