Small wonders in pro bono

Research: 30% of firms with two to four partners embrace work and outshine big players

Large City firms are lagging behind their colleagues in small practices - and especially legal aid lawyers - in carrying out pro bono work, according to Law Society research published to start this week's second National Pro Bono Week.

The survey of 1,127 solicitors nationwide found that just 15% of solicitors in firms with more than 81 partners carried out pro bono work.

Solicitors in smaller firms were the most likely to carry out pro bono work - 30% of those in two-to-four partner firms and 19% in five-to-ten partners.

It also found that solicitors who spent more than three-quarters of their fee-earning time on publicly funded work were more likely to undertake pro bono work.

Firms of 26-80 partners were the worst performers - 11% of solicitors did pro bono work in the past year.

Of solicitors questioned, 56% had done some pro bono work in the past, but just 33% did so in the past year.

Men were more likely to have worked on a pro bono basis than women, and spend more time on it.

Law Society chief executive Janet Paraskeva said: 'This survey shows that many solicitors are giving free legal advice to people unable to pay for it and ineligible for legal aid.

While this is really important work, it must not be seen as a substitute for a proper publicly funded system.'

Meanwhile, pro bono week was launched at the Law Society this week, with the Attorney-General's special pro bono envoy, former Law Society President and Irwin Mitchell senior partner Michael Napier, stressing the need for pro bono work to 'explode the popular myth that lawyers only exist to send bills'.

The winners of the fifth annual Young Solicitors Group pro bono awards were also announced.

George White, a legal aid lawyer at Liverpool-based James Murray & Co, won the small firm category for his work volunteering at Liverpool Law Centre, where he works with young people coming into contact with the criminal justice system.

Nerissa Warner-O'Neill, a commercial litigator at City firm Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw, won the medium firm award.

She volunteers at the Royal Courts of Justice advice bureau advising litigants in person.

There were two winners of the large firm category: Julian Clark from Clifford Chance and Linda Okeke from Allen & Overy.

Mr Clark volunteers at the Wandsworth and Merton law centre, and Ms Okeke works at SKILL - the national bureau for students with disabilities - advising on disability rights and discrimination law.

There were two winners of the best team award: the Green-Works team at City firm Lovells, for its project recyling furniture to create jobs and training for the homeless and disabled; and the legal team at the Toynbee Hall charity in London for its work against poverty and distress.

Victoria MacCallum