CC, Bakers, Wragges and Walker Morris win one-year appointments on first-ever NSPCC legal panel

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has appointed its first formal panel of law firms to provide pro bono legal advice.

Clifford Chance (CC), Baker & McKenzie, Wragge & Co and Walker Morris have all been appointed to the roster after 21 firms were invited to pitch.

The firms have been appointed for one year, with the terms starting last month. They will advise the charity on matters such as employment, intellectual property, commercial and IT work, as well as providing training to the charity's in-house legal team.

The panel appointment process was kicked off in September last year by the charity's general counsel Catherine Dixon (pictured), with 11 of the firms invited to tender opting to pitch. Dixon said: "The NSPCC is delighted to be the first charity to implement this kind of legal tender process. The closer relations with our firms and significant offer of pro bono support will allow the charity to invest greater sums to help end cruelty to children."

She added: "The development of new services to help more vulnerable children and young people requires an innovative legal approach to match. These four firms have the expertise and commitment to ensure the NSPCC's legal needs are met."

CC finance partner Deborah Zandstra said: "The panel process introduced procurement techniques into the third sector that are more typically found in corporate and banking. Participating enabled us to get to know the NSPCC as a charity better from the outset."†

The news comes after CC in October placed a value of £17m on its pro bono efforts during 2009-10, breaking convention among City firms by defining the value of its non-profit efforts.