Pro Bono in Focus

Abstract:

Pro bono legal work is a vital part of access to justice, but complex cases often need more than just legal expertise. The Pro Bono Expert Support Scheme, run by the National Pro Bono Centre in partnership with Pro Bono Connect, brings together volunteer lawyers with expert professionals, from e-discovery specialists and forensic accountants to interpreters, investigators and more, who offer their time for free to support access to justice.

This session will introduce the scheme, highlight the growing demand for expert support in pro bono work, and explore the benefits of the scheme for volunteers - like working on high-profile cases, building networks, and making a tangible difference.

Speakers:

Emily Sherratt (The National Pro Bono Centre) is the Project Director at the National Pro Bono Centre, leading initiatives that support legal volunteering and access to justice. She oversees the Pro Bono Expert Support Scheme, which links up lawyers with providers who can offer specialist services that might be needed on pro bono cases.

Jamie Goldsmith KC (Pro Bono Connect & One Essex Court) is a barrister practising at One Essex Court, predominantly in commercial law, civil fraud and banking. He was called to the bar in 2002 and was made a Kings Counsel in 2020. Jamie is a trustee of LawWorks. He is also the founder of Pro Bono Connect, which matches barristers and solicitors on pro bono cases.

Ciara McHale (Director at Alvarez & Marsal's Disputes and Investigation Team, London). Her work focuses on a wide range of accounting and valuation matters in expert witness engagements across litigation and arbitration cases (including business valuation and contractual disputes, and post transaction claims); and investigations (including fraudulent reporting, suspected asset dissipation, bribery, and compliance reviews). Ciara’s work has spanned various industries and justifications, but most recently, has focused on the valuation of complex business assets and the source of wealth and funds in family and estate proceedings.

James McGregor (Founder and Managing Director of Ethical eDiscovery). James has worked in global leadership roles at some of the largest eDiscovery professional services firms in the world overseeing projects in the US, UK and European markets. In those roles James led teams of professionals in the collection, processing and review strategy of huge multi-lingual datasets drawn from thousands of custodians across the globe.

In his role as a founder and builder of UK operations for boutique cross-border litigation support companies, James has focused on adapting international approaches to eDiscovery to cater to the nuances of the UK market and the specific disclosure requirements under the courts of England and Wales.

A passionate believer in Access To Justice, James set up his business, Ethical eDiscovery, with a view to providing litigation support services to those that can’t afford it, hence his partnership with Pro Bono Connect.

Group discussion about pro bono in our world & the benefits of doing pro bono work will cover:

• Using your skills to help someone in need
• Widening your network and meeting people
• Opportunity to work on different / interesting cases
• Examples of pro bono in the legal world

If you have any accessibility needs, please let us know at least 24 hours before the event so we can make the necessary arrangements where possible by emailing chairman@ait-professionals.com or leaving a message at our virtual office on 02030967860.