Community investment

We believe everyone has a right to justice and have a long tradition of providing pro bono assistance, which our lawyers find personally rewarding as well as professionally stimulating.

We operate a number of projects, in the UK and internationally, in support of a diverse range of individuals and community groups. These include staffing a local law centre Herbert Smith founded in 2000, advice for litigants-in-person at the Royal Courts of Justice Citizens Advice Bureau, support for criminals on Death Row in Trinidad & Tobago, advocacy for individuals appealing to the employment tribunal and families with children who have special educational needs appealing against their local educational authority.

We are a founding member of the UK charity LawWorks (formerly Solicitors Pro Bono Group). In addition to our pro bono work, we provide funding to a number of legal charities, lectureships, chairs, and prizes. We also support annual public lectures in association with Liberty, the British Institute of International and Comparative Law and the Public Law Project, as well as cultivating a culture of giving within the firm at large.

Highlights include working with JUSTICE and Liberty on a third party human rights intervention at the House of Lords (nominated for The Lawyer Award), and a cross firm initiative supporting the development of small business and social enterprise in the King’s Cross area involving partners, fee earners and support staff. The opportunity to make a difference is not just good for the community but also for the development of our people. We encourage employees to take part by offering up to 24 hours every year to commit to community investment projects, which our lawyers record as accountable time.

Our employee volunteering programme includes literacy, numeracy, French and Spanish, and chess partners for local primary and secondary schoolchildren both in the UK and internationally. Our volunteers also take part in mentoring programmes designed to support the pastoral development of young people and prepare them for the world of work. More recently we have introduced programmes designed to help tackle homelessness in London.