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Volunteering

We work with Law Centres and advice agencies that provide a range of services including information, generalist and specialist advice, and/or representation in different areas of social welfare law such as welfare benefits, housing, employment, family, debt, immigration and asylum law. 

Law Centres and advice agencies we have worked with include Account 3, Advance Charity, Age UK Islington, Age UK Lambeth, Age UK Richmond, Arachne, Asylum Welcome, Barton Advice Centre, Brent Law Centre,  Bromley by Bow Centre,  Cambridge House, Citizens Advice Barking & Dagenham, Citizens Advice Bedford, Citizens Advice Brent, Citizens Advice Bromley, Citizens Advice Doncaster, Citizens Advice Guildford, Citizens Advice Hammersmith & Fulham, Citizens Advice Harrow, Citizens Advice Haringey, Citizens Advice Havering, Citizens Advice Islington, Citizens Advice Kensington & Chelsea, Citizens Advice Oxford, Citizens Advice Peterborough, Citizens Advice Redbridge, Citizens Advice Richmond, Citizens Advice Southwark, Citizens Advice Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford, Citizens Advice Wandsworth, Citizens Advice Waltham Forest, Citizens Advice West Sussex, Commons, Community Links, Debt Free London, Disability Action Islington, Disability Law Service, Ealing Law Centre, East End CAB, Greater Manchester Law Centre, Greenwich Citizens Advice, Greenwich University Legal Advice Centre, Greenwich Migrant Hub, Haringey Law Centre, Havelock Family Centre, Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, Island Advice, Islington Law Centre, Justice for Tenants, Migrant Resource Centre, Money A&E, Nucleus Legal Advice, Paddington Law Centre, Plumstead Law Centre, Richmond Aid, Step Up Hub, Southwark Law Centre, Southwark Pensioners, South West London Law Centres, Shelter, SUFRA, The Limehouse Project, Toynbee Hall, Waltham Forest Migrant Action, Wiltshire Law Centre, Working Families and Youth Legal and Resource Centre.

Our volunteers undertake a wide range of tasks on their placements depending on their confidence and experience and the needs of the Law Centre or advice agency at which they are volunteering. These duties vary but can include fielding and triaging new clients, signposting or referring clients, providing information and advice on next steps, reception duties such as welcoming clients, arranging appointments and answering calls and interviewing clients. Volunteers have also assisted by corresponding with third parties on client’s behalves, drafting advice letters and correspondence to third parties, writing up case summaries and attendance notes, conducting legal research, providing clients with information on legal processes such as the criteria and procedure to make a homelessness application, and assisting clients to complete applications for benefits such as Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment. PBC works as far as is practical to match volunteers with suitable placements and to meet the specific needs of advice agencies.

Placements are arranged according to the needs and policies of individual agencies but, typically, volunteers are expected to attend on one day per week week for six months. Many volunteers continue their placement beyond the required minimum, resulting in valuable experiences for both the volunteers and agencies. Some volunteers have gone on to train as pro bono caseworkers or, in some cases, to gain employment with the agency at which they have volunteered.

For more information about how we work with universities, please go here
For more information about how we work with advice agencies, please go here
Volunteer login

What advice agencies say…

“We really find the aptitude of the PBC volunteers high. They are very good at dealing with the clients and ready to do very difficult work which otherwise could not be done without their support. PBC volunteers make a difference to the lives of our clients.”
Nicoletta CrivellaroClient Services Support, South West London Law Centres
“Student volunteers have been crucial to the delivery of Shelter’s Legal Pro Bono Programme. They have supported the day-to-day functions of the service, triaging clients and acting as a first point of contact to the service. The students have managed referrals into our service and all aspects of recording on our case management system. The student volunteers were also key to supporting Shelter’s evening clinics, working directly with our pro bono lawyers, shadowing them and supporting client appointments.”
Talvinder DaphuPro Bono Programme Manager, Shelter
“The volunteers from PBC have played a critical role in assisting us to deliver services to residents affected by the Grenfell Tower fire and in assisting us generally with meeting demand. PBC volunteers were responsible for collating numerous case notes into case studies which provided important evidence for our submission to Housing leaders at RBKC council to persuade them to include well-being assessments into their assessments of residents’ rehousing needs after the fire. PBC volunteers have delivered welfare benefits form-filling for clients and represented clients at the first-tier social security tribunal.”
Lorna ReidChief Executive, Kensington and Chelsea Citizens Advice
“Overall, I was extremely happy, once again, with the volunteers from the Pro Bono Community. They showed aptitude, enthusiasm, intelligence, a willingness to learn and an ability to apply/develop their legal knowledge. Many of the volunteers were also extremely accommodating and agreed to volunteer for additional hours to assist the service. I have tried to ensure that these volunteers have gained a range of valuable experiences for their legal career trajectory.”
Emma PhebyFree Legal Advice Centre Manager, Toynbee Hall
“Working with the Pro Bono Community scheme has been incredible. The volunteer we were assigned is amazing. She has been so useful in dealing with casework and clients due to being well-informed and with excellent skills to tackle the varied work she has been presented with. The administrative support from PBC has been very well organised and a pleasure to work with. Our advice and advocacy service has greatly benefitted by working with our first volunteer from PBC. She has asked to continue working with us after her placement ends.”
Nick GoldbergVolunteer Coordinator at Zacchaeus2000 Trust
"Often our publicly recruited volunteers have limited skills in computers, letter writing and limited understanding of law... PBC volunteers have offered us the fantastic opportunity to work with volunteers that already have an understanding of law and skills in letter writing, research and are computer literate. It has amazed all of our team how thorough the students have been... Our clients have also greatly appreciated the professional manner experienced and have given very positive feedback."
Rhiannon HughesVolunteer Coordinator, Advising London
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What volunteers say…

“It was an enriching experience volunteering with Advising Communities. The staff there were responsive and helpful, and provided great guidance. I enjoyed the first-hand experience advising clients on their appeals and tribunal claims, and it is always fulfilling to see their claims succeeding knowing that I have played a part in helping them secure their rightful entitlements.”
Yu Jun ChowVolunteer, Advising Communities
My volunteer experience has been one of the highlights of my year. It is of course challenging, but I have gained valuable client skills, experienced an area of law I otherwise would never have encountered and have understood first-hand how the law impacts vulnerable people. I have met some incredible people.
Penny TridimasVolunteer, Advising Communities
“I would strongly recommend this program to any aspiring lawyer: the experience I gained was extremely valuable and insightful and I felt supported throughout my experience with PBC and SWLLC.”
Tanya MckinlayVolunteer, South West London Law Centres
"Ever since I moved to Hackney I’d wanted to go from beyond taking up space to actually being a contributing part of the community. My only hesitation was that I didn’t want to be a tourist: I only wanted to volunteer if I could help. Pro Bono Community training gave me the tools to match abstract theory with practical application. I got my chance and then some; whether it was just giving someone the time of day to be heard or literally running (and I mean running) through the Royal Courts of Justice 10 minutes to closing on a Friday night helping to try and stop the illegal eviction of an entire apartment complex, my experience at Pro Bono Community has given me invaluable and rewarding experience."
Andrew RobbVolunteer, Hackney Community Law Centre
“The Pro Bono Community training was excellent and meant that as volunteers we could quickly make ourselves useful to the hard-pressed law centres and advice agencies we were placed with. There’s still a lot of on-the-job learning to do but it’s much easier when there’s some background knowledge to build on.”
Jenny PapworthVolunteer, Zacchaeus 2000 Trust
“The training and resources provided to me have been of real practical use. Not only have I used knowledge gained about the social security benefits system at Toynbee Hall, but I have also used it to advise clients on benefits issues during my other volunteering commitments at Detention Action. What’s more, I have used the skills to gain another placement as a Volunteer Advocate at Zacchaeus 2000 Trust, where I represent people in appeals against awards of ESA and PIP in social security tribunals. I could not recommend the course more highly. Thank you so much for all your help and support!”
Michael HorneVolunteer, Toynbee Hall
“A very enjoyable experience. I learned so much that I never would have learned at any university course!”
Anusha KastureAnusha Kasture
“Overall I feel I have gained not only invaluable lifelong legal skills but also gained an insight into the many challenges faced by the underprivileged who are affected by the cuts in legal aid. I now understand the grand importance of the Pro Bono Community and how it has a massive impact on the lives of people in need. This experience has led to me to believe that I will carry on volunteering in pro bono roles for years to come!”
Pedro BandeiraVolunteer, Greenwich University Legal Advice Centre
“Volunteering during the academic year was by far one of the best decisions I have made, not only did I see what I was learning put into practice, but it also allowed me to see different areas of law I wish to see myself in the future.”
Rafia NaveedVolunteer, Greenwich University Legal Advice Centre
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Pro Bono Community

93 Tabernacle Street
London EC2A 4BA 

Tel: 020 7092 3957

Registered charity number: 1153220

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