Mishcons joins Queen Mary pro bono centre

Mischon de Reya has signed up alongside Field Fisher Waterhouse and Reed Smith to give pro bono advice through a newly-launched advice service at Queen Mary, University of London.

The Pink Law Legal Advice Centre, which launched on Friday (14 November), will give free legal advice to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Both Field Fisher and Reed Smith have supported the university since 2006, but this is the first time Mishcons has worked with the university.

The Pink Law centre is the first of its kind in the UK and will have a particular focus on cohabitation, employment and discrimination issues.

Mishcons solicitor Emma Woollcott said the university had seen a rise in demand for impartial legal advice from the LGBT community and had written to firms asking for support for the Pink Law programme.

"It's the first time we've worked with Queen Mary," Woollcott said. "We were impressed with how dedicated Julie [Pinborough, the Legal Advice Centre Manager] was to the project."

Pinborough added: "The project demonstrates the law department's commitment to equality and diversity within pro bono and the services it offers the local community."

Queen Mary's Legal Advice Centre is unusual in London in that it is run by the university and offers free legal advice to staff, students and members of the public.

Since opening its doors in 2006, the centre won the attorney general's 2008 pro bono award and was the only university to be short-listed for the Law Society Excellence Awards 2008.