Pro bono publico: for the public good

In this blog, Francine Ryan, Senior Lecturer in Law, and Director of the Open Justice Centre discusses Pro Bono Week:

Welcome to the 23^rd Annual Pro Bono week which takes place between 4^th to 8^th November 2024. It is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the work individuals and organisations play in providing free legal information and advice across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This year theme is the ‘The power of Pro Bono’ and there are three themes that will be focused on:

Barred from justice – the powerful, everyday stories of the impact of lawyers and law students who give their time to protect the rights of those most disadvantaged in society.
Embedding pro bono in your organisation and career – placing pro bono at the heart of everyone’s practice and hearing from those at the forefront of establishing business structures for pro bono within law firms, chambers, in house, universities and charities.
How technology can enhance access to justice – existing and new tools to ensure pro bono is innovative and effective.

There are lots of ways you can get involved in Pro Bono week. You can visit the pro bono week website join in on social media #wedoprobono and follow us on X @OU_OpenJustice. The Open Justice Centre will be tweeting everyday about pro bono.

There are lots of events happening through the week so you might consider going to an event. There are a mix of in person and online events including the Great Legal Bake 2024. If you are already involved in pro bono you could share your story for the Open Justice Blog - we would really like to hear more about your volunteering and why you do it.

If you are new to pro bono work then Pro Bono week is a great opportunity to find out more. The Open Justice Blog is a great place to start, here you can find writings on law, pro bono and social justice. You can read blogs from fellow OU students about projects they have been involved in and what they have gained from volunteering.

Pro bono work is done in lots of different ways from students and lawyers volunteering in advice clinics to barristers representing individuals in court hearings. You can read some of the case studies on the Pro Bono week website which demonstrate the range of different ways volunteers have made a difference. But Pro Bono week is not just something that happens in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, it is a global event. European Pro Bono week runs from 10^th to 14^th June 2025 recognising the work of volunteers across Europe to promote access to justice. In the United States, Pro Bono week was celebrated from 20^th to 26^th October 2024 and the theme this year was “Making Justice a Reality in Communities”.

As part of pro bono week, I will be attending several events that explore how technology can enhance access to justice. I am interested in exploring the ethical and responsible use of GenAI and how virtual reality may be used to support people representing themselves in court proceedings.

There are lots of reasons why law students might want to get involved in pro bono work. There are opportunities through the Open Justice Centre and you can also sign up for the Opportunity Hub on the Careers and Employability website where they post volunteer opportunities as well as job placements. Pro bono week is a celebration of all the incredible pro bono work that takes place both nationally and internationally. It is a great opportunity to find out what is happening in your community and if it is something you might be interested in, think about ways you can get involved. And if you are on social media use the hashtags: #ProBonoWeek and #WeDoProBono