Michael Napier said that pro bono targets could be implemented but that they shouldn't be compulsory
LONDON (TrustLaw) - The UK attorney general’s pro bono envoy has called for a debate on whether law firms should set “aspirational” pro bono targets for their employees, the Law Society Gazette reported.
Michael Napier, a senior partner at UK law firm Irwin Mitchell, doesn’t believe that lawyers should be forced to work pro bono but that setting a target number of hours to work pro bono every year would be a “legitimate encouragement”, the Gazette said.
Napier told the Gazette that the move would not be “a huge step beyond where we are now”, citing the fact that many firms already have pro bono targets in place and that both the United State and Australia had already moved to enact similar practices.
According to the Gazette, Irwin Mitchell has a policy of encouraging its employees to dedicate 14 hours a year to pro bono work. In comparison, the international firm CMS Cameron McKenna recently launched a scheme to encourage its employees to work 50 hours a year pro bono.
(Editing by Rebekah Curtis)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
