Volunteers Week 2025

Tell us a little about your self

My name is Benjamin, and I am a volunteer legal advisor at the University of Exeter Community Law Clinic (CLC).   Where I have volunteering since September 2024. 

What motivated you to start volunteering?

I began volunteering to gain experience as a legal advisor while, hopefully, making a tangible impact in the lives of people in my community. 

What do you enjoy the most about volunteering?

The aspects of volunteering which I have enjoyed most are twofold. First, I appreciate the personal connections with people who come to the clinic seeking advice and the clinic staff. It is nice to engage with others and solve problems as a team, especially those when one can see the impacts they have first-hand. Second, I have enjoyed the chance to test my own boundaries and get outside my comfort zone. While volunteering is by no means overly strenuous, it is nice that I can attach my commitment to justice by contributing to the clinic with my own personal growth. 

What benefits have you experienced personally?

I have benefitted personally insofar as I have learnt new skills and formed amazing personal relationships with other volunteers. I have gained practical skills, such as effective communication, which I developed through application, practice and self-reflection. Working with peers and mentors has allowed me to reflect on my own contributions in a safe and positive environment conducive to learning. 

What benefits have you experienced personally?

One experience I have had which is particularly noteworthy was simply bonding with fellow volunteers after a client meeting. We discussed the difficulties facing the client but also reflected on our own lives in a way which gave us all a great deal of gratitude and confidence in our ability to help them. We then spoke about our own experiences in similar situations and shared useful tips with each other. I think we all learnt from one another, and the conversation helped reassure each of us that we could help the client in a similar way. 

How do you feel about volunteering?

I would highly recommend volunteering to others. I have experience volunteering in other roles, but the more I spend time volunteering at the clinic, the more I seek new opportunities to volunteer in the wider community. I am a happier and more confident person because of volunteering at the clinic, and my desire to continue speaks for itself. 

What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering?

Volunteering is not only a great way to get stuck in the community but also an opportunity to broaden one’s horizons. I have obtained two job interviews as a result of the personal connections I made volunteering, and I have built lasting relationships with other volunteers. 

Is there anything else you wanted to add?

Legal pro bono work is important because of the challenges people face in accessing affordable legal services. In the Southwest in particular, the absence of legal aid service providers highlights a gap which is only filled by pro bono work. Those who need these services are not just ‘clients’. They may be the local shop owner, a neighbour, or a friend or family member of someone I see every day. 

The lack of access to legal services is not simply a statistic. It reflects of the realities of everyday life in the community.

In 2024, across England & Wales volunteers at pro bono clinics spoke to more than 90,000 people, helped more than 60,000 and provided legal advice to more than 36,000.

Elena made the decision to be a lawyer when she was in high school because she enjoyed debating and was interested in how the law is relevant to so many different issues. Her parents agreed this would be a good career choice, given her argumentative nature, and so after finishing school she went on to study law at the University of East Anglia, with the aim of helping people firmly in her mind.

Several years later, Elena is now the Chair of the Birmingham Law Society Pro Bono Committee and the co-ordinator of her firm’s participation in the Birmingham Legal Advice Clinic (BLAC –a pro bono clinic in the LawWorks network).   Specialising in clinical negligence at the law firm Bevan Brittan, Elena was introduced to the pro bono clinic by Julia Jones, a Partner in the Medical Law team at Bevan Brittan.

At BLAC, free advice is provided weekly every Tuesday evening by four different firms on a rota on a variety of legal issues such as consumer, contract, housing and welfare benefits to local low-income residents.  As time went on, Elena became more involved in the clinic and has helped with the improvement of its processes as well as providing pro bono advice and coordinating student volunteers.  She attends the clinic once every month or two and finds herself giving advice on a range of topics.  On one occasion she helped an individual mistakenly served with a bankruptcy notice who had no idea how to respond to the problem. Another time she assisted a client with drafting particulars of claim against a holiday company, and has also advised on other issues such as helping a caravan owner with a permanent site who was told they had to move on, challenging unfair parking tickets, dealing with consumer issues and querying incorrect council tax payments.  Much of the time that Elena provides advice, it is often about having the skills to see what the problem is and coming up with a way to solve it or signposting a client to the place where the answer can be found, rather than needing an in-depth knowledge of several different areas of law.

Elena has taken advantage of the free training on offer from LawWorks by attending sessions on entitlement to Legal Aid and Housing /Eviction issues which she has found very useful to refer to on occasion. 

As Chair of the Birmingham Pro Bono Committee, her role involves furthering the current aims of the committee which is focussed on encouraging “more and better”  pro bono in Birmingham. She is currently involved in putting together a networking / target list for committee members to use to reach out to contacts they have in law firms across Birmingham to encourage them to get more involved in pro bono.

Elena enjoys her pro bono work enormously and finds it very rewarding, using her legal skills to help clients who would otherwise have nowhere else to turn.  She can see how it is possible to take away a great deal of worry and stress from someone’s life by providing often very limited, simple advice or assistance and wants other lawyers to know how easy it can be to make a difference.

Tell us a little about yourself

Hi. My name is Daniel, and I am a Partner in the Personal Injury department a Hodge Jones and Allen (HJA).  

I have always been keen to work for HJA as their ethos is to fight for people’s rights, and we have a shared belief to provide access to justice.  When I joined HJA I thought carefully about what contribution I could make to achieve this and hopefully inspire the next generation of lawyers to also make a difference.

What motivated you to start volunteering?

I was also mindful that when I was studying at university (many years ago!) I craved for practical experience to apply the theory that I was taught, but this was not readily available at that time. There also appeared to be a large gap between studying at university and getting your first job in the legal profession after becoming qualified.

I therefore decided to partner with some universities in running a law clinic providing free legal advice which has had the added benefits of giving the students an opportunity to gain practical experience in this area of law as well as allowing them to practice some essential soft skills such as interviewing, client care skills, research and drafting. The partnerships have also helped to make it less daunting for the students to enter the legal profession after university life.

Furthermore, the Law Clinics have enabled members of the public to gain access to free legal advice irrespective of their financial situation. This is particularly important, given the ongoing cost of living crisis and cuts by the government to legal aid funding.

What benefits have you experienced personally?

By far the most inspiring part of this project has been the enthusiasm and determination shown by the students. It has been a privilege to work with all of them and witness first hand their improvement as the project has progressed. All I can say is that the next generation of the legal profession is in good hands!

My ultimate hope is that these students will also be inspired to carry out Pro Bono work in the future having seen the difference that accessing this free legal advice has made to people’s lives.

Tell us a little about yourself

My name is Hollie, I am a student advisor at Cardiff University Law Clinic, where I have been volunteering for eight months. 

What motivated you to start volunteering?

My decision to volunteer at the Cardiff University Law Clinic stems from a deep belief in the foundational principle of the rule of law—that everyone deserves equal access to justice. I observed firsthand how continuous cuts to legal aid funding have created significant barriers, preventing many from exercising this fundamental right. Recognising my fortunate position as a law student, supported by the Cardiff University Law Clinic, I felt compelled to contribute proactively. Volunteering offers a direct avenue to help bridge this gap, empowering individuals and assisting them in navigating complex legal processes to access the justice they are entitled to.

What do you enjoy the most about volunteering?

Many of the cases we handle involve highly emotive and important issues for our clients—situations that can drastically affect their housing or families, for example. What's truly rewarding is seeing how our legal assistance, even through seemingly small actions like explaining a complex process or explaining their available steps can bring immense relief and a sense of hope. This direct human connection and the opportunity to apply my developing legal knowledge to genuinely important real-world problems has been incredibly fulfilling.

What benefits have you experienced personally?

Volunteering at law clinic has allowed me to explore legal issues beyond the textbook, taking a formative role in analysing complex situations and devising bespoke practical solutions for our clients. Such direct responsibility for contributing to our clients' lives has instilled in me a much stronger sense of commitment and ownership. I've learned the critical importance of diligence and reliability, understanding that people's lives are directly impacted by the advice and assistance we, as student advisors, provide.

How do you feel about volunteering?

Volunteering has been one of the most enriching experiences of my law degree and I would wholeheartedly recommend volunteering at Cardiff University Law Clinic or to other legal pro-bono organisations. Unlike many other opportunities, the clinic, specifically, offers direct client interaction under expert supervision.  This allows for a truly formative role in client interviewing, legal research, and composing tailored advice that directly addresses individuals' pressing issues. 

“The ability to make a genuine, tangible difference in someone's life, even as a student, is incredibly empowering and uniquely rewarding. For any aspiring legal professional, the opportunity to participate in a pro-bono organisation should not be understated.”

What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering?

To anyone considering pro bono work, it is one of the most fulfilling and impactful decisions you can make. While it demands time and dedication, the opportunity to support access to justice and empower individuals in vulnerable situations is incredibly meaningful. Your skills can truly transform lives—and in the process, you’ll likely find your own enriched in ways you didn’t expect!

Is there anything else you wanted to add?

Despite the principle of equal access to justice, funding cuts to legal aid and the high costs of legal service creates a significant justice gap for many who cannot afford legal representation or advice. In response, pro bono organisations have become invaluable, stepping in to bridge this gap and ensure that justice is not only available to those who can afford it. Without pro bono, individuals may not know their rights, cannot challenge injustices, or may be forced to accept disproportionate outcomes simply because the resources to aid them are unavailable. Further, pro bono work has established itself as not just a stopgap measure but a critical component of a fair and functioning legal system. Pro bono works often help resolve legal issues early, preventing them from escalating into more serious problems. Legal problems rarely exist in isolation—an unresolved housing issue can lead to homelessness, for example. By intervening early, pro bono also contributes to broader social stability and community well-being.

Tell us a little about your self

I’m Dino I’ve been a Law Works solicitor volunteer on Free Legal Answers since 2023.  I specialise in employment law. I’ve done pro bono since I qualified as a Solicitor in the late 1990s.

Why did you decide to begin volunteering?

There have always been two main reasons: first, the cost of specialist legal advice is outside the reach of a large proportion of society, and often also to organisations in the private and voluntary sectors.  Pro bono makes a contribution; helping make it more accessible.  Second, you have freedom to decide in which situations to help and where to deploy your expertise.  That might mean a test case.  Or more usually a situation where someone needs steering how to proceed, which may mean advising them not to proceed or giving a realistic view as to the risks and likely outcome.

What benefits have you experienced personally? 

Apart from it being enjoyable work, most solicitors have an innate desire to help, we are service providers after all.  I enjoy being able to help those who can’t afford legal advice.  There is generally no legal aid funding for employment advice and representation.  Accessing free legal advice is difficult and obtaining free legal representation at the Employment Tribunal is even harder.  

Would you recommend volunteering to others?

I’d recommend volunteering to anyone who wants to make a difference in others’ lives and who has the time do so.  It will often involve a different type of client and work than solicitors will be doing in their paid role, and this develops your skill set and client handling skills.  If you want to get involved, there’ll always be a demand which you’re helping to meet.

Last year Free Legal Answers volunteers helped 340 people find a solution to their legal problem. If you are a qualified solicitor and would like to volunteer find out more on freelegalanswers.org.uk.