By Lucianne Baltrock-Nitzsche, Communications Officer, Advocate
Advocate has seen record-breaking numbers of applicants seeking legal advice and representation on a pro bono basis over the last 12 months.
In the last year, applications to Advocate, which is the Bar’s national pro bono charity, have increased by over 20%, making current levels of activity the highest in the organisation’s 28-year history.
Barristers from across the Bar have responded admirably to the challenge – almost 300 barristers have signed up to join Advocate’s panel of volunteers so far in 2024 alone, bringing the total number of volunteer barristers to 4,600 across England and Wales. The increase in take up of pro bono volunteering was illustrated in the 2023 Bar Working Lives Survey (published every two years), which found that 49% of respondents had undertaken pro bono work in the last twelve months, an increase of 14% increase since 2021. In addition, 483 barristers have been recognised on the first ever Pro Bono Recognition List of England and Wales, a new initiative launched this year and endorsed by the Lady Chief Justice, to recognise barristers and solicitors who have undertaken at least 25 hours of pro bono work in the last twelve months.
The Bar’s pro bono contribution was celebrated at the annual Bar Pro Bono Awards and 2024 was the biggest ever in the event’s history. Advocate received a record number of nominations this year of over 100 nominees across the nine different award categories. The nominees’ brochure makes an inspiring read illustrating the remarkable breadth of pro bono work that is undertaken and demonstrating its impact.
To take just one example, Jake Rudman of The Barrister Group, assisted on an Advocate case for a medically vulnerable single mother who was pursued in the County Court since 2020 by her abusive ex-partner for defamation and harassment. She had been in a controlling and abusive relationship with the Claimant for many years prior, and the Claimant had threatened baseless defamation and harassment proceedings against her after they had divorced. Jake Rudman initially accepted the case to offer legal advice. However, given the huge volume of evidence and the aggressive nature of the solicitors representing the ex-partner, he decided to act on the mother’s behalf in the proceedings. Thanks to Jake’s assistance, the claim was struck out and the mother no longer had to pay £60,000 in damages plus legal fees to her abuser. Jake also secured a substantial pro bono costs award of £100,000 to be paid to the Access to Justice Foundation, helping to fund and support the advice sector further.
This is just one story of the life-changing pro bono work happening across the Bar to ensure that some of the most vulnerable members of society have equality of arms in litigation.
How to get involved
There is so much more that can be done, and Advocate are always happy to help more barristers take on pro bono work in order to help more people gain access to justice.
Advocate covers all areas of law, in all courts and tribunals across England and Wales. Barristers can sign up to Advocate to take on pro bono cases both in their specialist area of practice or in new areas they may wish to try. The cab rank rule does not apply to Advocate cases, meaning that you can browse the case list and pick cases that best suit your interests.
All of Advocate’s work has been reviewed by a senior barrister to determine eligibility for pro bono assistance and is authorised on a piece-by-piece basis. Barristers from their second six onwards can volunteer with Advocate, providing a unique way to enhance advocacy skills and develop your practice whilst giving back to the community.
There are opportunities for Young and Junior barristers to receive mentoring from Senior barristers and Silks when they take on a case with Advocate. As one of our younger panel members who has made use of mentoring to expand her experience in Employment cases said: “It was useful to be put in touch with an experienced employment practitioner who could give the answers you won’t find in textbooks.”
As well as providing access to interesting cases, taking on pro bono work often provides an opportunity to be led on a case or to collaborate with colleagues from different sets which can bring its own rewards. All of this experience can be used to help in building your own practice, whether you are starting out or looking to build a strong application for the next step.
Advocate will be showcasing the impact and opportunities that pro bono work presents during the 23rd annual Pro Bono Week (4-8 November 2024). We encourage barristers to get involved by organising a seminar in their Chambers on pro bono work and how to take it on, which Advocate is more than happy to assist with.
The pro bono clients we support are at the heart of why pro bono work has such an impact. The Casework team at Advocate see the way it can change people’s lives daily. Nothing shows this better than the emails received from our applicants to express how grateful they are for being matched with a pro bono barrister through our service – the immense amount of relief it can provide under highly stressful circumstances cannot be underestimated. As one father we recently secured representation for on his case regarding the international abduction of his children said: “This is amazing news! Many thanks and we look forward to hearing from the barrister. I am delighted, I think my shoulders have already dropped a couple of inches!“.
For more information about Advocate and how to get in touch, please visit: https://weareadvocate.org.uk/
Read more about the winners of the Bar Pro Bono Awards: https://weareadvocate.org.uk/what-we-do/nominate/bar-pro-bono-awards-2024-winners.html
See the Pro Bono Recognition List and how to appear on next year’s List: https://www.probonorecognitionlist.org.uk/
Find out more about Pro Bono Week: https://probonoweek.org.uk/
Lucianne Baltrock-Nitzsche, Communications Officer, Advocate
