Legal Aid Fundraiser: How Lawyers & Law Firms get involved in Legal Aid

Whilst in the USA pro-bono is mandatory given that applicants to the New York Bar have to complete a minimum 50 hours, it is a voluntary commitment in the UK. Law is a unique sector in providing this service as you would struggle to find a pro-bono dentist or accountant! The same could be said about the concept of legal aid, which works alongside pro-bono to ensure access to justice.

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Law Firms and Pro-Bono Work

Most big law firms in the modern day take on pro bono work, either independently or in collaboration with students and universities. The largest law firm provider of pro-bono work in 2019 was Hogan Lovells, who worked 27,704 pro bono hours that year. This kind of work helps protect the most vulnerable from injustice, namely those who do not fall under the limited umbrella of the government's legal aid scheme. This has been the case for some time now, with an example of a fairly recent high profile pro-bono case being the Steven Lawrence case in 1997.

Those who are eligible for legal aid are advised and represented by legal aid law firms, who indirectly perform pro-bono work. These firms work for a set fee per case, meaning if they work considerably more hours on a case than expected, the extra hours may be, and should be, seen as pro-bono work.

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The Benefits of Pro-Bono Work: Clients and Law Firms Alike

Pro-bono has many benefits for everyone involved. The advantages to the clients are clear; they are able to receive the legal advice and representation they need. The advantages to law firms are not so transparent:

From a business standpoint, taking part in pro-bono work offers law firms an opportunity for publicity. For example, by helping those in desperate need of legal support, the law firm attains a positive reputation for their pro-bono contribution. By also involving university students, they help encourage new talent to come and work for them. This publicity extends further to client endorsement. If a pro-bono client speaks highly of a firm or lawyer, any of their connections who require a similar service may be more likely to use that firm or individual in the future.

From a more human perspective, it helps aid the public in desperate circumstances.

There are also benefits for students who take part in pro-bono work. From a career perspective, pro bono-work helps them develop important legal skills such as drafting and time management whilst allowing them to interact with law firms. The latter provides an opportunity to impress prospective employers and show interest in the work the firm does. Students also receive the rewarding opportunity to help those in need of legal support.

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The Impact of Shortfalls in Legal Aid Funding

Currently, law firms are having to make up for the shortfall in legal aid funding by offering more pro-bono work. Whilst pro-bono may be suitable in some shorter cases, it may be unwise to ask lawyers to work a six-month case with no renumeration. One must consider that such cases require a considerable volume of work to be completed. Whilst the introduction of new software and technology may help to manage this volume of work, the importance of state-funded access to justice to help lift this burden cannot be disregarded.

Additionally, whilst legal aid firms are there to handle the cases where legal aid is available to clients, many are struggling due to the small volume of legal aid work available after such drastic legal aid cuts. These firms can be very successful if there are opportunities to allow them to do so. More than 37 million people in England and Wales now live in a local authority without a community legal aid provider as a result of the cuts made by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

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Lawyers and law firms are working incredibly hard to ensure access to justice remains a part of the rule of law. LawWorks, the Bar Pro Bono Unit and CILEX Pro Bono Trust are great examples of lawyers taking the initiative in this. However, without state funding, people in need may continue to slip

through the system.

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This post was written by Rachid Bouamra, the founder of 'In My Legal Opinion'. If you want to check out his blog, please click here!