The UK Solicitor General, Oliver Heald, has said that firms should not be obliged to do pro bono work as a condition for securing government contracts. While noting the value of pro bono work, he stressed that “voluntarism is the heart and soul of it”.
The Solicitor General’s remarks came in response to a suggestion posed by a solicitor during the Law Society’s Question Time debate in Westminster, that mandatory pro bono could be introduced to meet the increased need for free legal advice. The UK is experiencing a rise in unmet legal need following severe legal aid cuts in recent years.
Other contributors to the debate noted that some pro bono work is mandatory in other jurisdictions. For example, New York bar students are required to complete at least 50 hours of pro bono work. One speaker argued that it is possible to incentivise pro bono work without making it mandatory. Other suggestions included the introduction of tax incentives for firms with pro bono programmes.
Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens’ Advice Bureau, has noted that recent legal aid cuts will further increase demand for pro bono and added that pro bono should not be expected to fill the unmet need for legal assistance created by legal aid cuts. The Law Society Gazette has made similar remarks in an editorial.
To read more about the debate in the Law Society Gazette click here and here.