Reflections on pro bono as a Black barrister

"A person who comes from a Black or minority ethnic background may sometimes feel more comfortable and understood by someone who comes from the same background. That is not to say that only a Black barrister can represent a Black client, but sometimes shared understanding can build trust."

Family law barrister, Hazel Samuriwo of 2DRJ, was called to the Bar in 2021 and has since grown a broad and sustained pro bono practice. She has carried out 28 pieces of work with us, contributing greatly to our family law cases – an area of law that has seen rising demand.  At the Bar Pro Bono Awards, she was shortlisted for the John Collins Pro Bono Award in 2025, and nominated as a Young Pro Bono Barrister in 2024, as well as appearing on the Pro Bono Recognition List every year since its formation in 2024. Hazel shares why she chooses to undertake pro bono work as a Black barrister, and explains how a shared understanding can better support applicants. 

It's really important that more Black barristers join the Advocate panel, in my opinion.

Pro bono work often sits at the intersection of race, poverty and deprivation. It can expose how inequality affects whether someone is properly heard, understood and able to participate in the justice system. For instance, some women who've survived domestic abuse may feel that they are better represented by another woman. In the same way, a person who comes from a Black or minority ethnic background may sometimes feel more comfortable and understood by someone who comes from the same background. That is not to say that only a Black barrister can represent a Black client, but sometimes shared understanding can build trust.

It can help an advocate recognise when assumptions about race, culture, nationality or immigration status have influenced professionals, the decision-making process, or how a person is perceived. Those assumptions should never influence decision-making. But the uncomfortable truth, and I've seen this happen, is that sometimes they do, and sometimes they're not recognised or challenged enough. Raising prejudice is important, but it's difficult. The legal system is not always comfortable hearing that professionals or the judicial decision-making process has been affected by unconscious assumptions. Nobody wants to believe that prejudice has influenced a case, but discomfort is not a reason to be silent. 

Understanding what the client has been through is important, but it's only the beginning. As a Black barrister, not only do you need to understand the client, but you also need to know the law. You need to examine the evidence and challenge the assumptions without losing your tribunal. That requires courage. That requires emotional intelligence and careful advocacy. Shared understanding may help us see the injustice; skilled advocacy enables us to demonstrate it.

And so, I hope to see more Black people joining the Advocate panel to represent those members of the community who have been discriminated against, or whose experiences have been shaped by prejudice.