Recent discussion in the Gazette about pro bono work has again brought the issue into focus.

Several misconceptions have floated to the surface of murky waters.

The worst appears to be that pro bono work is harmful to those clients who most need help.In 1968, without any funding, two solicitors set up a law centre to provide free advice and representation for those unable to pay for legal services.

Over the next decade, more law centres were created by the voluntary efforts of local solicitors and law s ocieties.Solicitors formed steering committees and provided management advice.

Today, 30 years later, hundreds of volunteer solicitors have contributed to the law centre movement.

What an honour roll-call there could be of these overworked, underpaid high-street practitioners who have volunteered year-on-year with their local law centres and Citizen's Advice Bureaux.In the past 10 years, the Law Society's Trainee Solicitors Group (TSG) and Young Solicitors Group (YSG) have debated pro bono work.

At first there was hostility to the idea of volunteering free legal services.

In the voluntary sector, partnerships between paid staff and unpaid volunteers are normal, but a huge gap in work culture exists between the majority of the legal profession and the approximately 250 solicitors employed in the voluntary sector.Law centres specialise in social welfare law, and the public clamour for their services is so great that they cannot meet demand.Some law centres provide additional evening advice sessions with the help of private practice solicitors, part of the Law Works network, which is a partnership scheme formed by the Law Centres Federation and the Solicitors Pro Bono Group.

For many, their day jobs involve the demands of the global economy, while in the evenings they advise those who cannot afford a lawyer.

Each solicitor volunteers for an evening advice session about once a month.Perhaps hostility shown towards these volunteers in recent correspondence will diminish as the profession reviews the contribution made by pro bono solicitors to the community.

A volunteer may only interview a couple of people at an advice session but his or her skill, awareness of the client's problems, and advice in the first instance is extremely important for the client.Casework and representation is then carried out by law centre staff.

Those solicitors who condemn pro bono volunteers should try to stand in the shoes of overworked law centre solicitors.

Without volunteers there would be no evening advice sessions.The TSG and YSG carried out a survey in 1997 on the extent of pro bono work being done by younger members of the profession.

Respondents were faced with varying attitudes at their firms and for many volunteering was a subversive activity not encouraged by their employers.

It has been a welcome change that there has been a move towards actively encouraging and enabling volunteering by several City firms.

Individuals from some of these firms have been volunteering for decades, without looking for credit.The YSG recognised the difficulties faced by younger members of the profession and in 1999 inaugurated the YSG Pro Bono Awards scheme -- sponsored by the Gazette -- to commend the efforts of volunteer solicitors.

It revealed huge and sustained commitment from the finalists in a variety of projects.

Opposition from some members of the profession to being asked to aspire to pro bono work must not be allowed to discourage those who want to volunteer.For some, volunteering is still not talked about at work.

Others would like to volunteer but do not know how to begin.

They are welcome in the law centre movement to join a valuable service for those members of the public who otherwise have no access to justice.Let's make a resolution that 2001 will be a year for thanking those who at present volunteer and a year for expansion of volunteering with the support of the profession, its leadership and its members.