LawWorks and the Bar Pro Bono Unit have launched a ‘Law School Challenge’ to raise funds for the two organisations.

The groups coordinate and conduct pro bono activities across the country. In the Law School Challenge, students from different universities are encouraged to raise as much money for them by the 31 March 2017, with prizes given out to the most successful teams at the mid-way point in January, and the team that raises the most money by the end receiving the Student Pro Bono Award from the Attorney General.

Last year, teams raised over £15,000, with the University of Law the most successful team.

Students are an increasingly important part of the pro bono landscape, with more than 2,000 getting involved in pro bono in 2015.

In one of the most widely-reported stories of student involvement, volunteers at the Bristol and Avon Law Centre overturned 95 per cent of Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) decisions made in 2014 and 2015 in relation to 200 claimants who challenged the DWP’s assertion that they were fit for work.

Anyone interested in getting involved in the challenge should contact lawschoolchallenge@lawworks.org.uk.

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