Hogan Lovells Shortlisted for the Excellence in Pro Bono Category at the Law Society Excellence Awards 2019

This celebrates our work wherein we produced two Pro Bono reports, centred on analysis of unmet legal need in London, and provided advocacy, which have built the business case for funding a new legal advice centre in Lewisham (the LLS).

It had become increasingly difficult to find suitable legal referral resources in London where there was limited capacity to give Pro Bono legal advice. Therefore, we aimed to provide evidence of this access to justice issue, to fund applications for those providing free or affordable legal help. The first report addressed unmet legal need in London; the second focussed on Lewisham, aiming to address this issue in the area. We worked with Southwark Law Centre (SLC) and Citizens Advice Lewisham (CAL) to build the business case for the LLS; and SLC, CAL and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Pro Bono to produce the reports. Our research was divided into an analysis of data from MPs' surgeries into the extent and nature of the legal problems presented, and a desktop analysis of public data highlighting demographic features of Lewisham, indicating underlying legal need. This partnership with a community organisation provided targeted legal assistance where the report showed it was needed. As a result, the LLS now improves access to justice for vulnerable parts of the community.

Already this year, the firm has won both the Legal Business 'CSR Programme of the Year' and the 'CSR Legal Week Innovation' awards for its partnership with Barefoot College. In June, we were awarded with the Pro Bono Initiative of the Year award at the Lawyer Awards for our work on a joint initiative called 'Clann Project', looking into Ireland's Mother and Baby Homes.