Pro Bono Associate

We are currently recruiting for a Pro Bono Associate to join our London office.

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At a glance

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This Officer/Specialist level role will report into a senior lawyer within the Pro Bono team and will support the Head of Social Impact, Pro Bono Counsel, Pro Bono Senior Associates and Pro Bono Associate (Manager) with the co-ordination and development of A&O Shearman’s global pro bono practice, focusing on free legal advice providers in the UK such as Law Centres, human rights matters and on pro bono matter placement globally.

Key Responsibilities

Pro bono matter scoping and project building

• Assisting the pro bono team to identify impactful pro bono opportunities with UK civil society organisations and their beneficiaries.
• Maintaining relationships with our established pro bono clients in line with A&O Shearman’s commitment to excellence.
• Reviewing and assessing new pro bono requests against our programme themes and scoping the legal need.
• Placing approved legal requests with lawyers and supporting them with operational logistics in the early stages of a new matter.
• Assisting the pro bono team with the coordination of large, strategic pro bono projects (both UK-based and global).
• Liaising with pro bono volunteers, civil society clients and pro bono brokers to ensure that all pro bono work is delivered to a high standard.
• Maintaining matter placement records and statistics and monitoring and evaluating core UK projects.

Access to Justice projects for Individuals

• Working with the pro bono team as appropriate, to manage the participation of A&O Shearman lawyers in free legal advice clinics and projects including one-off advice clinics.
• Convening the access to justice projects working group and contributing to the management, development and growth of our work focused on access to justice for individuals.
• Providing support for trainee volunteers on access to justice projects as required.
• Working with the pro bono team to arrange high quality training on key areas of law and risk management procedures to trainees and associates.
• Supervising A&O Shearman PAs who manage the clinic and project volunteer rotas.
• Assisting with coordination, training and knowledge management for our end-to-end projects focused on access to justice for individuals, working with the pro bono team and members of the access to justice working group.

Communications and marketing

• Raising the profile of the pro bono practice internally and externally to increase awareness, impact and participation, especially in a UK context.
• Presenting regularly on A&O Shearman’s pro bono practice to vacation scheme students, trainees, new joiners and to the wider business.
• Contributing to written communications on A&O Shearman’s legal pro bono work when needed, including intranet articles, external pieces on A&O Shearman.com, the firm's annual review and award applications.
• Assisting Pro Bono Team members with internal and external marketing of A&O Shearman pro bono events.
• Representing A&O Shearman’s pro bono legal practice at external events, conferences, training sessions and seminars.

Miscellaneous

• Supporting Pro Bono Team members in their secretariat roles for pro bono executive committees including knowledge sharing, identifying relevant pro bono opportunities and attendance at meetings.
• Working with the A&O Shearman trainee on secondment from time-to-time to the Pro Bono Team

The Successful Candidate

• Lawyer qualified in England and Wales with current practising certificate and NQ to two years’ post qualification experience (or equivalent).
• Experience of pro bono work as a volunteer or co-ordinator.
• Direct legal experience of advising and acting for clients and of client care.
• Passionate about social justice, social welfare, human rights and current affairs.

Apply now