Surge in Pro Bono Activity As Top Firms Step Up Coronavirus Efforts
Fundraisers, food and medical donations, and pro bono legal advice have all been offered by law firms across the country.
April 01, 2020 at 08:29 AM
8 minute read
Law firms across the U.K. have been stepping up their pro bono and charity work as part of a huge nationwide response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dozens of firms have shared information with Law.com International's U.K. arm Legal Week about their pro bono efforts as well as the ways they are donating money, supplies and time to coronavirus causes.
The Association of Pro Bono Counsel (APBCo) said that 145 firms across 41 countries had been added to its new collaborative HighQ platform to help co-ordinate the industry's repsonse. Another body, The Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono is also helping co-ordinate U.K. firms.
As part of this, Travers Smith is advising on issues related to domestic abuse related to coronavirus-induced self-isolation policies. The firm has reached out to support the National Centre for Domestic Violence and Refuge, according to pro bono director Sam Cottman.
Others including Herbert Smith Freehills, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Allen & Overy have confirmed their involvement, and a kick-off call led by Ashurst's Rebecca Greenhalgh for participating firms took place yesterday, according to a partner at Travers Smith.
A spokesperson for White & Case said the firm had joined the Norrsken Foundation's Action Against Corona initiative via its Stockholm office, which supports startups that are developing solutions for those affected by the global coronavirus pandemic.
Others have been involved in donating food and medical supplies to key workers. At Baker McKenzie and RPC (pictured), surplus food in the firms' vacated cafeterias was donated to NHS staff at Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals and the St Cuthbert's Centre respectively.
Both firms also donated medical equipment from their offices. Baker McKenzie gave its supplies of hand sanitiser to homelessness charity The Connection St Martin's, while RPC donated 200 face masks initially purchased for staff to a local care home.
In fact, donations of medical supplies was a common theme across a number of firms. Herbert Smith Freehills stated that it had given away hundreds of bottles of sanitiser to the Imperial College Healthcare Trust which operates five hospitals across London.
Irwin Mitchell meanwhile also donated sanitiser bottles to police forces in the North East for use on patrols, while Dechert has also donated face masks to hospitals. Others such as Simmons & Simmons and Ashurst had previously donated large quantities of medical supplies to China prior to the dramatic growth of the virus in Europe.
Some law firms have shown strong support for foodbanks during this period: a Linklaters spokesperson said the firm had committed emergency funding towards helping foodbanks, and small charities in the Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Haringey area.
DWF meanwhile said it had made a £5,000 donation from its charity foundation to foodbanks to help cater for coronavirus-induced demand, while CMS also said it was helping to support the Edinburgh foodbank.
Supporting public institutions like the NHS was also a key focus for many firms. At Fieldfisher, a spokesperson said that the firm had given all U.K. staff an allowance of 10% of their working time to be NHS Volunteer Responders.
Similarly, Hogan Lovells has said that staff can use their citizenship hours – 25 hours of volunteering time which all staff are required to do annually – to volunteer for the NHS or local foodbanks.
"Health workers are on the front line against COVID-19. Unfortunately, many of them are working in stressful work environments and are themselves exposed to infection. With this campaign, we hope we will be able to improve their protection from the virus." - Dr Marion Palmer, Hogan Lovells
A number of other firms including DAC Beachcroft, Taylor Wessing and Allen & Overy have also opened up staff parking facilities to NHS staff. DACB also said it had established a free helpline manned by volunteer employment lawyers to support NHS clients with Covid-19 related employment queries.
Taylor Wessing partner Laurence Lieberman said the firm had connected its client, ridesharing company Ola, with senior NHS contacts to offer staff in hospitals access to their vehicles free of charge.
Many firms are participating in co-ordinated efforts organised by the Association of Pro Bono Counsel (APBCo) and its U.K. equivalent, The Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono, where firms can volunteer their legal expertise in particular areas, sectors and jurisdictions.
Elsewhere, education was another area where firms were keen to help out. HSF said it was providing maths tutoring to children studying at home, which was being organised by the firm's citizenship manager Georgios Zampas.
Linklaters also said it was providing virtual mentoring for students and had started a telephone befriending campaign for older people. The Magic Circle firm has also seconded a trainee to help a legal charity deal with a huge increase in queries.
At Gowling WLG, the firm said it was in the process of making a 'virtual volunteering hub' for staff, providing information on opportunities on where to donate and volunteer. Clifford Chance also said it was encouraging staff to volunteer with charity partner The Social Business Trust which provides "meals on wheels" for vulnerable and elderly people.
There are a number of other firm fundraisers going on. At HSF, senior associate Jake Savile-Tucker has started a GoFundMe urging people to donate what would have been their weekly commute money to Covid-19 related charities.
First year trainees at Mishcon De Reya have donated £2,000 of their fundraising pot to charity partner, Hestia, for their COVID-19 appeal. The firm said that the money will go towards sending essential care packages to vulnerable young adults and children during these uncertain times.
Allen & Overy has said that the Global Grants Programme of the A&O Foundation has given £25,000 to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for its work helping displaced people and refugees affected by coronavirus.
Meanwhile at Hogan Lovells, the firm is supporting a crowdfunding campaign by Dr. Marion Palmer, senior scientist and innovator at the firm, who launched the campaign to fund a COVID-19 'airways procedures box' to help health workers administering intubation procedures avoid catching the virus.
Hogan Lovells is assisting with manufacturing a prototype which is being trialed at a number of hospitals. Commenting on the process to Legal Week, Dr Palmer said: "Health workers are on the front line against COVID-19."
"Unfortunately, many of them are working in stressful work environments and are themselves exposed to infection. With this campaign, we hope we will be able to improve their protection from the virus."
In addition to new initiatives, a number of firms told Legal Week that their pre-existing pro bono advice was continuing virtually to help vulnerable communities. A spokesperson for Charles Russell Speechlys said that it was supporting the Legal Advice Centre by organising webcam sessions to allow people who needed legal advice to attend.
Kerry Stares, pro bono legal director at CRS told Legal Week: "The only way that many people on low incomes can get any legal advice at all is through pro bono clinics staffed by volunteer lawyers from commercial firms.
"Keeping this support going as Law Centres shut their doors and lawyers work at home is critically important."
Gowling also said it was taking on phone appointments for the Birmingham Legal Advice Clinic and DWF said it was providing pro bono employment advice virtually in its Dubai office.
Lastly, a number of staff at RPC have been doing art work including paintwork and crafts. According to the firm, everyone so far has offered for these artworks to be auctioned to clients and the public in the near future and all proceeds will to go to one or more charitable and health organisations affected by COVID-19.
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