Pro bono, or to give it its full title pro bono publico (for the public good), is an important aspect of Hill Dickinson’s approach to corporate social responsibility.
In essence, pro bono is a targeted aspect of our wider charitable efforts. It allows our lawyers to use their specific skills to support the wider community. Our lawyers help in a number of ways including:
- Providing free advice to those who cannot afford it
- Taking on cases where legal aid funding is not available
- Giving talks and seminars on legal issues
- Providing careers advice
- Mentoring law students during both the academic and vocational stages of their training
We are always looking for new opportunities to expand our pro bono activities and welcome any suggestions. Examples of the activities we already undertake include:
Mentoring schemes
Hill Dickinson is pleased to assist with a number of mentoring schemes. These involve law students being paired with qualified solicitors who can provide advice on all aspects of training including:
- Exams and study
- Training contract applications
- CVs
- Career development
Hill Dickinson’s lawyers currently assist with projects run by:
- The College of Law, Chester
- The University of Manchester
- The University of Salford
- The Prince’s Trust
- The Sutton Trust
University of Manchester Legal Advice Centre
In common with a number of legal education organisations the University of Manchester provides a facility for students to obtain some hands-on experience of legal work. One of the ways it does this is via its Legal Advice Centre. This facility has two distinct benefits. It allows students to gain experience of meeting clients and advising them on a variety of legal issues. At the same time, it gives members of the community the opportunity to receive free advice.
The students’ work is supervised by qualified solicitors and a number of our lawyers make time to assist with this very worthwhile project.
Workshops and advice clinics
Each of Hill Dickinson’s practice groups runs regular advice clinics and provides seminars on topical legal issues for the assistance of clients and the wider community.
