Accelerating your professional development: David Gyulai on strengthening your practice with pro bono

'Volunteering through Advocate is rewarding both personally and professionally. There is a real sense of fulfilment in using your legal skills to make a positive difference in somebody’s life at a difficult time.' 

David Gyulai of Fenners Chambers started pupillage in October 2025 and has since begun building a substantial pro bono practice, volunteering through Advocate multiple times. David speaks on how volunteering with us has helped expand his practice, develop a professional network and make an impact on the lives of those who need it most.  

My first foray into real-life cases came as a first-year law student through my university's legal advice centre. It was through that work that I came to appreciate the crucial role pro bono organisations play in promoting access to justice. Participating in legal proceedings is inherently stressful, but those who cannot afford legal representation face disadvantages that extend beyond the quality of their case presentation. They must also contend with the significant pressures and uncertainty that are often part and parcel of litigation.

The benefits are not confined to those who receive assistance, and volunteering through Advocate is rewarding both personally and professionally. There is a real sense of fulfilment in using your legal skills to make a positive difference in somebody’s life at a difficult time. At the same time, it provides opportunities to develop professionally by working on cases that might otherwise fall outside the scope of your existing practice or level of experience.

Although I am still a pupil, Advocate has enabled me to advise and represent a defendant in a complex housing dispute, and I am currently assisting in both contentious probate proceedings and complex financial remedies litigation. I feel incredibly fortunate to gain exposure to such varied and challenging work at this stage of my career. Most importantly, I have been proud to help secure outcomes that were significantly more favourable for clients than they might otherwise have achieved.

I would particularly recommend Advocate because of the community it has fostered among barristers who share a commitment to these principles. In one matter on which I was instructed, a barrister who had previously worked on the case reached out to offer assistance and share their perspective. Not only did this help with the case itself, but it also provided valuable insight into how another practitioner approached preparation and analysis. Experiences such as these encourage reflection on your own practice and accelerate professional development.

I would especially encourage pupils to get involved with Advocate. Beyond the opportunity to contribute to a worthwhile cause, it offers an excellent way to build a professional network at an early stage and to learn from practitioners beyond the confines of pupillage. It is a rare opportunity to develop advocacy and advisory skills, gain exposure to unfamiliar areas of law, and make a meaningful contribution to improving access to justice.