Queen Mary Pro Bono Society

aw itself in a vast array of areas by engaging members in volunteering, fundraising and networking opportunities. Our society is made up of 10 departments each having a separate goal which relates back to our central aim of helping the society which we live in, such as Street Law or Green Law. Each department runs events and placement opportunities for our members, totalling over 15 separate placement opportunities, each with numerous places throughout the year. Members participate in a range of activities such as volunteering and fundraising for the Whitechapel Mission and Holy Cross Centre via the Charities Department; assisting solicitors from big City law firms at free legal advice clinics; organising secondhand book sales and supporting environmental projects such as Energy for Old Fadama and FIELD. Our opportunities focus both on increasing access to justice both at home and abroad. We aim to give legal support to the less fortunate in our immediate community by going into local schools and Community Centres to help spread awareness about topical issues. This year we created an internship with Refuge, a domestic violence charity, over the summer which focuses on reviewing the legal aspects of their fundraising activities. However, we also offer subsidised placements in Singapore, Australia, India, Ghana, South Africa and Cyprus which involve providing legal advice to prison inmates, documenting country profiles and carrying out legal research. Furthermore, we established a new internship with one of our partner organisations Amicus-ALJ, a charity that helps provide representation for those facing the death penalty in the United States, which focuses on helping prepare and update briefs relating to capital punishment one each state in the US. We also believe it is essential to help our members develop their attributes and prepare them for the legal world through career events and workshops. Additionally, we host networking opportunities such as our ‘Speed Networking’ Event to kickstart our members’ legal careers.