Pro bono opportunities at bluechip corporations are few and far between, but ITV Legal's new partnership with Lovells hopes to break the mould

ITV Legal is throwing down the gauntlet for other companies to increase the pro bono community beyond the confines of private practice by launching a joint pro bono initiative – the ITV Legal Pro Bono Bank – with panel firm Lovells.

This is the first time in the UK that in-house lawyers within a bluechip corporate will engage in a full-service pro bono programme, allowing them to utilise the pro bono infrastructure and client base of a City firm.

The partnership will be formally launched as part of ITV Legal's Excellence and Responsibility Programme on 23July. The projects selected to populate the bank of opportunities include a number of those run by Lovells' pro bono clients, such as Save the Children; Body & Soul; Action for Blind People, UnLtd (a charity supporting social entrepreneurship); and the Tribunal Representation Scheme (which represents ex-servicemen and war widows in their appeals against decisions of the Veterans Agency).

The flagship project for the Pro Bono Bank is the creation of a new legal clinic offering advice to the members of Body & Soul, a UK charity supporting children, teenagers and families living with or closely affected by HIV. ITV and Lovells will work side by side to provide legal advice to some of the most disadvantaged individuals in the community

The history

The ITV/Lovells pro bono partnership became a reality in November 2008 following Lovells' appointment to the reconstituted ITV legal panel. However, its foundations go back around 11 years, when I worked at Lovells and carried out a small piece of pro bono work for Body & Soul.

Following the conclusion of the matter, the director of services asked me to assist with their annual children's Christmas party. While volunteering at this event, she covertly recorded me and two children playing My Little Pony with toys from a McDonald's Happy Meal. She then threatened to send the offending footage to my rugby club unless I volunteered on a regular basis. Rather than risk losing my membership of the blind-side flankers association, I trained to become a youth worker and have facilitated sessions for teenagers one night a week for 10 years now. These teenagers are struggling to deal with a multitude of issues besides HIV, from poverty and housing difficulties to gang violence, drugs and relationship problems. Body & Soul provides a safe, accepting environment for children and families to meet others affected by HIV and exchange information without worrying about disclosure. It truly is an inspiring project.

My legal pro bono work came to a halt when I moved in-house from Lovells to ITV, but I continued to work with Body & Soul and remained in close contact with Lovells' pro bono manager, Yasmin Waljee. Together we began discussions on how we could develop a programme that would enable in-house lawyers to provide pro bono advice and volunteer in the community.

We both agreed that it was a crime that a huge number of lawyers in the UK lost the opportunity to engage in a structured pro bono programme simply because they worked in-house. This led us to devise the Pro Bono Bank model. It is by no means rocket science. Put simply, following discussions with the Law Society regarding insurance issues, we have managed to devise a structure that enables ITV to both piggyback on the infrastructure of Lovells' pro bono programme and generate some fresh joint initiatives.

ITV general counsel Andrew Garard's strong commitment to corporate responsibility initiatives meant that during our panel review in winter 2008, we were able to give corporate responsibility equal prominence alongside factors such as fee levels and expertise. With this support, the Pro Bono Bank idea became a reality.

Lessons learned

Developing a successful pro bono programme requires more than the goodwill of individuals; it needs institutional resources. There must also be a commitment at a senior level to delivering quality advice to pro bono clients with the same dedication as paying clients. Accordingly, being able to utilise the strong pro bono team at Lovells and receive the firm support of key partners at the firm has been critical to the success of the project.

Combining the skills and resources of Lovells with those of the in-house legal team at ITV has created a whole new realm of opportunity. Rather than operating in the vacuum of the legal community, those who provide pro bono services can now draw on the increasing depth of expertise that exists within an in-house legal department. The initiative also serves to strengthen the relationship between Lovells as a commercial law firm and ITV as its client.

Working in pro bono is as important for in-house lawyers as it is for those in private practice. It encourages lawyers to engage positively with local and wider communities, the type of work involved is extremely rewarding, and it provides an opportunity for lawyers to improve their skills in terms of client contact and offering practical advice. This partnership provides a unique service to ITV's team of 90 lawyers and business affairs personnel that duplicates the pro bono support and opportunities offered to the lawyers in private practice.

We have managed to get the legal clinic off the ground prior to launch. When I asked Emma Colyer, the director of Body & Soul, what it meant for the charity she commented: "The legal clinic adds another dimension to the services provided by Body & Soul, a service that neither we nor our members could afford to pay for. It is about professionals making a difference to a community that is often isolated from specialist support and intervention."

In the current economic climate, it is important that corporations do not take backward steps but continue to find innovative ways to support the local and international community. Sharing best practice and resources within the field of pro bono can allow in-house legal departments to make a real difference. As corporate responsibility becomes more important to in-house clients, law firms can increasingly expect to provide evidence of their commitment to and achievement of corporate responsibility policies and targets. In this regard, we are happy to share our model for the scheme and flagship advice clinic with any company who wishes to follow our lead. There is no property in community benefit.

Barry Matthews is director of legal affairs at ITV.

Click here to join Legal Week's LinkedIn In-house lawyers group