Former Reed Smith trainee scoops pro bono award

A former Reed Smith Richards Butler trainee has scooped the trainee of the year award at the Young Lawyer Pro Bono Awards.

Katie Hutt who is a newly appointed executive officer of Advocates for International Development (A4ID), and until August 2007 a trainee at Reed Smith, won the award as a result of her dedication to pro work and the development of A4ID during her training contract.

During this time Hutt became the youngest member of A4IDs board of directors and played a key role in enabling it to grow into one of the UKs leading international pro bono organisations. Hutt dedicated over 800 hours to A4ID during the second year of her training contract including much of her own time. Her work involved developing A4IDs training programme and managing media and PR teams to deliver successful events involving the UN, World Bank and former attorney general Lord Goldsmith.

Hutt said: "I am honoured to receive this award. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues at Reed Smith and A4ID for all their invaluable support. I strongly encourage young lawyers everywhere to get involved in pro bono work.

Not only does pro bono allow you to learn new skills and experience a whole range of opportunities, it is a vitally important part of being a lawyer. The importance and impact of pro bono legal services both domestically and abroad cannot be overstated," added Hutt.

A4ID won The Lawyer magazines Pro Bono Team of the Year Award earlier this year.