Celebrating a bono fide cause

Following its rise from a smoky London pub in 1972, the Free Representation Unit celebrates its 30th year as a leading provider of pro bono work

The Free Representation Unit (FRU) is a registered charity, dedicated to the provision of free legal representation for those unable to pay for it.

This month the FRU is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

The FRU has come a long way since it began in 1972 with no premises and no staff.

A group of radical students, calling themselves 'Bar Students for Legal Advice' were keen to gain practical experience representing clients in industrial and supplementary benefit appeal tribunals.

They met weekly in a smoke-filled room above a pub in London's Clerkenwell Road, where cases were distributed with revolutionary zeal.

We have grown phenomenally over the years and are now the foremost provider of pro bono legal representation in greater London in the fields of employment and social security law (plus Criminal Injuries Compensation Board applications and immigration appeals).

We have charitable status and offices just off the Gray's Inn Road.

The FRU is supported by two full-time specialist case workers - one employment and one social security - and a management committee, drawn from the 100 to 150 volunteer representatives and elected annually.

The volunteer representatives handle more than 1,000 cases a year, making us a vital part of the overall service for those unable to pay for themselves in areas of law excluded from legal aid.

We are frequently the only way individuals can take part in proceedings, equipped with the knowledge and vocabulary to ensure a fair hearing.

John Cavanagh QC, like so many at the bar, made his first appearance as an advocate as an FRU representative.

He says that 'FRU work is still the best experience a bar student can get'.

However, it is no longer simply bar students or junior barristers who volunteer time to the FRU while enhancing their legal skills.

The FRU has embraced the growing number of solicitors enjoying their newly won higher court rights of audience and many of the volunteers are now trainee and qualified solicitors.

Indeed, some of the large City firms contribute to the FRU by seconding a trainee solicitor for six months.

This provides a full-time caseworker for the FRU but also gives the trainee invaluable experience which the donor firm enjoys on the trainee's return.

I myself am a qualified solicitor increasing my advocacy experience through the tribunal work I undertake on behalf of the FRU.

The value of the work is recognised at all levels.

Clients who would otherwise be unrepresented benefit from legal advice and assistance, tribunals are protected from the time-consuming task of dealing with litigants in person, and young lawyers learn lessons in advocacy, human relations and case management which cannot be taught in the classroom.

During the past five years, FRU volunteers have recovered more than 1.5 million for clients through settlements, awards and improved rates of benefits, as well as establishing important legal precedents.

As well as providing this vital pro bono service, the FRU continues its role as provider of clinical education, of the type sought by those zealous students back in 1972.

We are an important training ground for the legal profession, giving law students, trainee solicitors and barristers, as well as qualified lawyers, advocacy and case management experience.

However, despite this impressive record and the efforts of all those involved, the FRU is perennially strapped for cash.

Our 30th anniversary is a laudable achievement and we hope that many of you will see fit to give the FRU a celebratory donation to enable us to continue to provide for many years hence the excellent pro bono service and legal training provided for the last 30 years.

Nicki Barclay is a freelance solicitor-advocate who does volunteer work for the FRU and at Camden Law Centre