Pro Bono Week

29 Oct 2025

3 minute read

Pro Bono Week promotes and supports the work of lawyers who volunteer their services for free to people and organisations who couldn't otherwise afford legal advice. It's part of a global celebration of pro bono that takes place every year.

Pro Bono Week 2025 logo written in blue and yellow over a white background

Pro Bono Week 2025 will take place from 3 to 7 November.

The overall theme for 2025 set by the organising committee is 'Pro Bono in Action', with three subtopics:

stories of impact – hear from the frontline about how pro bono lawyers transform lives and support charities to make a difference in our communities and abroad
win-win for professional and business development – develop skills, experience and a professional network and an asset in recruitment and retention
getting involved – advice and practical steps about how to start making a difference through pro bono

Find out more on the Pro Bono Week website.

For the latest updates, follow #ProBonoWeek on X (formerly known as Twitter) and LinkedIn.

2025 events

The Pro Bono Week launch event will take place on Monday 3 November with the attorney general. The launch is a hybrid celebration in taking place in London.

The event will highlight the impact of ‘Pro Bono in Action’ across the legal sector.

You will hear from:

the attorney general, the Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC
Claire Butler (pro bono & social impact manager; co-chair, AGO International Rule of Law Committee)
Matthew Gingell (general counsel, Oxygen House; chair, Chancery Lane Project)
Nic Hart (London managing partner, Duane Morris)
Lord Goldsmith KC (London co-managing partner, Debevoise & Plimpton; former attorney general; chair, LawWorks)
Hannah Whitehouse (barrister, Coram Chambers)

Explore all the upcoming Pro Bono Week events.

LawWorks, in partnership with the Law Society, is also holding a private roundtable to discuss our Major Incidents Response Plan.

The Major Incidents Response Plan is a centralised online platform. It was set up by the Law Society and run by LawWorks to help coordinate pro bono advice from the legal profession in the event of a major incident.

The vice-president of the Law Society, Brett Dixon, will be chairing this discussion.

How to support pro bono week

It's easy to get involved:

plan your own event
celebrate your pro bono successes and raise awareness
find out about volunteering opportunities
sign up to respond to major incidents with pro bono legal advice via the Legal Pro Bono Platform

Hosting an event

Planning an event during Pro Bono Week is a great way to launch a new initiative or spotlight your programme, partners and the impact of your lawyers’ pro bono work.

Consider hosting a pro bono fair or lunchtime drop-in to encourage new volunteers to sign up for pro bono projects.

Contact the Pro Bono Week team to share your event: info@probonoweek.org.uk.

They will share your event on the Pro Bono Week calendar, even if it’s a closed event.

Celebrating your pro bono work

The week offers a unique opportunity to celebrate the deep and longstanding commitment of the UK legal profession to giving free legal help to those in need.

If you’re already doing pro bono, you can:

share stories of people or organisations your lawyers or members have helped. Share these via your website or social media. Use hashtags #WeDoProBono or #ProBonoWeek, or the “I Do Pro Bono” poster
conduct a survey on pro bono work and publish the results during Pro Bono Week
launch a new initiative in your firm

New to pro bono work?

Pro bono is vital to making sure that everyone has access to justice. It's a key tool in professional development and wellbeing for lawyers. It also plays a role in staff recruitment and retention.

If your organisation is not yet engaged with pro bono, Pro Bono Week is the perfect time to announce your pro bono programme.

Partner up: contact your local advice centre or university clinics to see if you can supply volunteer lawyers to their sessions
Survey your employees to find out what pro bono work they're doing. Publish the results and use this to launch a programme
Join the Pro Bono Connect scheme. The scheme brings firms and chambers together to work on pro bono cases
Consider signing our Pro Bono Charter to show your organisation’s commitment to improving access to justice

Find out how you can volunteer for pro bono work.

More about Pro Bono Week

Pro Bono Week was first held in 2001. It’s endorsed by the Law Society, the Bar Council and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx), who assist the pro bono sector by:

publishing a guide to pro bono support
raising awareness of initiatives and areas of concern
organising events and giving support during Pro Bono Week

Resources and updates are available on the Pro Bono Week website, where you can also find plenty of event ideas and tips.

Other resources

For Pro Bono Week 2024, the national network of pro bono committees in England and Wales launched a joint website.

The website supports the effective, collaborative and coordinated provision of legal pro bono.

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Find out more

The Law Society does not provide legal advice. If you're looking for help getting pro bono support, our page for the public lists some organisations that can help.

Find out more about free legal advice.