Harman: all lawyers should do pro bono work

All lawyers should undertake pro bono work and not hide their lights under a bushel when they do so, the Solicitor-General, Harriet Harman, said this week.It has also emerged that the profession will hold a pro bono week this summer.Speaking on a visit to the Birmingham College of Law's newly opened legal advice centre, Ms Harman - who worked at Brent Law Centre when in practice - said pro bono work was something which should become 'the norm' for all solicitors throughout their careers.'We want to see a situation where all lawyers at all levels give some of their time to free work, and all firms help their employees to do this,' she said.

'We want this work to be fully recognised and publicly valued by the government, as most firms who do free work simply get on with it and do it quietly.' She emphasised that the image of the legal profession was 'not always as good as it should be' and pro bono work often 'helped lawyers to show that they are in touch with the real world.' Sue Bucknall, director of the Solicitor's Pro Bono Group, agreed.

'There is often a stigma attached to pro bono work, with many firms embarrassed and almost ashamed of doing charity work.' She said the attitude was left over from the 1980s, when the prevailing thought was that if you had time to do work for charity, you were not working hard.

'The attitude is beginning to change now,' she said.

'We are encouraging firms to stand up and be proud of their charity work through initiatives such as a pro bono week next June, when people who do pro bono work come out of the closet and are shadowed by their colleagues.'The pro bono week is a joint initiative between the group and the Law Society, though details have yet to be finalised.The Birmingham legal advice centre has been developed in association with local law firm Wragge & Co, which has provided financial support and a number of its lawyers to help law students advise the public.John James, director of the Birmingham branch, said the college wanted to instil the pro bono ethic in its students from as early a stage as possible.Law Society Vice-President Carolyn Kirby said: 'Initiatives which encourage and facilitate pro bono work are very welcome - solicitors have never shied away from offering this service and should be commended for their commitment.'

By Victoria MacCallum