PILA celebrated Pro Bono Week Ireland 2022!

Pro Bono Week Ireland is part of the EU-wide, European Pro Bono Week; the fourth annual Pro Bono Week took place from 21 to 25 November 2022. This multi-city, week-long event celebrates the role played by volunteer lawyers, all across Europe, in supporting civil society and human rights organisations and promoting access to justice for those in need.

In Ireland, under the theme of Pro Bono in Times of Crises, events throughout the week sought to highlight the culture, the work and most importantly the necessity of pro bono practice. The events were coordinated by the Pro Bono Week 2022 Committee of Ireland, comprising of PILA (The Public Interest Law Alliance), a project of FLAC, A&L Goodbody LLP, Arthur Cox LLP, Mason Hayes & Curran LLP, Matheson LLP, McCann Fitzgerald LLP and Deloitte Ireland LLP.

Monday’s events kicked off with the online EU-wide Launch of Pro Bono Week from 1-2pm. This was followed by the official launch of Pro Bono Week Ireland, “Shaping the Pro Bono Landscape in Ireland” on Monday evening hosted by Deloitte LLP where attendees were joined by industry leaders for a panel discussion around pro bono. The panel was moderated by David Fennelly, Chairperson of FLAC and included Sara Phelan SC as Chair of The Bar of Ireland, Áine Hynes SC representing the Law Society of Ireland, Richard King, Project Leader for the Migrant Project at Crosscare and Sinead Gogan of Deloitte LLP. Attorney General, Paul Gallagher SC officially launched the week’s events.

The Attorney General said of the dedicated work being done by pro bono lawyers, 

“Engaging in pro bono work is an opportunity for a lawyer to exhibit commitment to justice and the public interest, benefitting those in society who need it most. But it also enables lawyers an opportunity to develop their legal knowledge and skills and other essential expertise in delivering legal advice such as accessible communication and dedication.”

Shamika Dwarika, PILA’s Pro Bono Development Manager stated,

“At the core of pro bono work is the understanding that there are those vulnerable and marginalised members of our communities that lack the resources to access legal assistance when they need it. The law profession therefore has a unique role to play in supporting their communities. Monday’s event, “Shaping the Pro Bono Landscape in Ireland” seeks to bring together industry leaders to look at both, the successes, as well as the challenges facing the various role players in the pro bono arena and how we go forward and ensure that pro bono continues to develop and thrive.”

FLAC CE, Eilis Barry said,

“Pro Bono work is an important tool in identifying the extent of unmet legal need among disadvantaged groups and individuals and seeking to ensure that these needs are met. While pro bono work can never be a substitute for a comprehensive legal aid system, (which is currently under review), pro bono work demonstrates the unique and vital role that the legal profession can play in trying to redress the significant imbalance in our legal system.”

The rest of the week was jam-packed with a range of events for the legal and NGO community:

• Tuesday morning, FLAC’s Managing Solicitor, Sinéad Lucey explained the Amicus Curiae Procedure for an NGO audience, and when and how to avail of the procedure. She was joined Carolann Minnock from Arthur Cox LLP who discussed the NGO Guide to the Amicus Curiae Procedure in the Republic of Ireland as a resource.
• Tuesday lunchtime, legal professionals joined an interactive climate action event led by Chancery Lane Project. The Chancery Lane Project team guided attendees through practical activities to demonstrate the climate action steps lawyers can take. Lawyers from Arthur Cox LLP, Byrne Wallace LLP and Mason Hayes & Curran LLP will also speak about their experiences.
• Wednesday lunchtime, Adam Finlay and Mary Brassil of McCann FitzGerald LLP launched the data protection guide that was created for NGO’s by the McCann FitzGerald LLP Data Protection team. These guides were intended to provide an overview of Data Protection Law and its application to the charity/not-for-profit sector;
• Thursday morning, Fiona McNulty of Mason Hayes and Curran LLP and Ciara Dowd BL discussed the significant changes incoming in the area of capacity law in Ireland. This was an online information webinar aimed at NGOs.
• On Thursday evening there was a celebratory event, taking a look at the range of collaborative projects that the pro bono legal community has worked on together. At this event, the inaugural Pro Bono Pledge Ireland Report was launched celebrating the achievements of the many talented lawyers involved in the Pro Bono Pledge Ireland and in a multiplicity of collaborative pro bono projects.
• Friday morning rounded off the Week’s events with an NGO Pitch event hosted by PILA. The objective of this event was to connect Pro Bono Pledge Signatories that have committed to doing pro bono work with NGOs and Civil Societies that have projects in need of legal expertise.