As one of the largest student-led pro bono projects in the UK, The University of Nottingham's Pro Bono Society works in the local community and beyond. It is a free to join and specialises in providing student members with legal and non-legal volunteering opportunities. Ellie Sergeant, President of the Pro Bono Society, tells us more.
My experience
When I arrived at Nottingham, I had never heard of pro bono and had absolutely no idea what the society did! After hearing about all the great experiences my friends were having, I signed up and applied for Unbarred, a volunteering project which involves students visiting prisons to inform prisoners about their disclosure rights.
I had volunteered in the past, but going into a prison and seeing the meaningful impact our work had on the lives of the prisoners was a truly unique experience. It made me excited to take up more opportunities. Being part of the Pro Bono Society has had a huge impact on my life at Nottingham and I hope to continue doing pro bono work after I have graduated.
Our projects
On top of organising a host of social, careers and welfare events as a collective society, we also have eight unique flagship projects:
- Aspire which involves groups of volunteers visiting local primary schools to engage nine to 10-year-olds in fun, interactive workshops concerning human rights, child rights and justice.
- Outlaw, focused on underprivileged areas and giving people a taste of studying law at university through workshops, mock trials, campus visits and insight days.
- Junior Lawyers Against Poverty (an offshoot of Oxfam's Lawyers Against Poverty project) which aims to relieve poverty through improving knowledge of legal rights. This helps alleviate the lack of access to justice affecting some communities, improves recruitment and retention of women in law, and remedies the lack of access to resources for law students.
- Negotiation, a competition where students work in pairs to negotiate the best result for their fictitious client based on a given scenario. Winners receive a cash prize and work experience at international law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner.
- StreetLaw helps facilitate the recruitment process and fundraises for the Personal Support Unit at Nottingham Crown Court. There is something for all students to get involved with, whether it's assisting at a Christmas fayre for the local Maggie's Centre branch or hosting a talk on 'Pro Bono in Commercial Firms'.
- The Howard League for Penal Reform runs a huge variety of events including: guest speeches from ex-prisoners and criminal justice professionals; topical and engaging debates and panels; trips to high-security prisons and Young Offenders Institutes; and national Howard League events in London, featuring leadership training and speeches on the most topical criminal justice issues facing the UK.
- A2J Innovations which aims to help people better understand their legal rights through the use of modern technology. Our team of volunteers is currently assisting with the launch of a brand new app that will teach people about their legal rights if they are detained and/or interviewed by the police.
- Unbarred, an initiative to provide current prisoners with presentations on gaining employment after they leave prison and help with calculating disclosing periods under the Rehabilitation Act, thus preventing reoffending.
Our members
Within the Pro Bono Society, we are strong advocates of diversity. Over 25% of our members are non-law students and we provide comprehensive training for all volunteering projects, ensuring that both law and non-law students fully understand the material they are presenting.
To accommodate busy lifestyles, we run a range of opportunities that will fit even the fullest of schedules. Whether you want to want to volunteer for a project that spans across the year, participate in activities for an afternoon, or only have an hour to spare - we have something for you.
The society is free to join and all trips are subsidised, with free transport available for volunteering opportunities and extremely low participation fees for talks and Howard League prison visits.
Get involved!
Pro bono work is very common within the legal profession and many of the top law firms run similar projects. Volunteering increases your skillset and allows you to contribute to the local community. Not only does this mean that you will have contributed to a worthwhile cause while at University, it also makes you a desirable candidate for future employers.
Aside from this, volunteering in one of our amazing projects - whether you're making posters with local primary school children or talking with prisoners about their career prospects - is incredibly rewarding and, most importantly, lots of fun!
If you are interested in pro bono, join for free via the SU website. Additionally if you want to learn more about our society, we are happy to answer any questions via email (lawprobono@nottingham.ac.uk) or in person.
Ellie Sergeant
President 2016/17
Pro Bono Society
Find out more
Students' Union website
Facebook: UoNProBono
Twitter: @UoNProBono
Instagram: @UoNProBono
Posted on Wednesday 15th February 2017