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27 June 2025 / Bea Rossetto
Issue: 8122 / Categories: Features , Pro Bono , Charities , Profession , Career focus
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Turning the page on pro bono

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It’s time for a new story on pro bono, says Bea Rossetto: one that grounds it as a vital public service delivering justice for all

We hear it all the time—‘pro bono work has never been more vital’. This is true. But it has also never been more vulnerable to misrepresentation.

From Trump’s recent attacks on pro bono lawyers assisting migrants at the US border to the targeting of immigration solicitors and legal advice centres during the 2024 UK riots, it is clear that the toxic narrative surrounding the justice system is not just rhetoric—it is fuelling real-world hostility and undermining the principle of equal justice.

That’s why the Law Society’s new Reframing Justice toolkit, developed with FrameWorks UK, is a timely resource. At the National Pro Bono Centre, we believe this strategy isn’t just for public affairs teams at law firms. It offers powerful guidance for everyone in the pro bono sector—particularly those of us trying to grow lawyer involvement, build public understanding, and secure long-term support for access to justice.

It is time

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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