Advocate and LawWorks celebrate pro bono this Christmas at our seventh annual Carol Concert

For seven years running, this event has been a popular highlight on the legal calendar to get into the festive spirit and kick off the Christmas period. 

This year was no exception with tickets selling out weeks in advance of the event. We are delighted to say that over £21,000 was raised thanks to the 500+ people in attendance. The funds will be split equally between our two pro bono charities, enabling us to continue supporting people who have nowhere else to turn to for help with their legal problems. 

Held in Temple Church in the heart of legal London, it was the perfect setting for a Christmas event, all in support of access to justice. 

The concert was filled with carols and we were privileged to hear moving musical performances from Chamber choir Collegium Musicum and classical harpist Helena Ricci, who performed a beautiful solo of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky. Sharif A. Shivji KC, our Chair of Trustees, and Alasdair Douglas, Chair of Trustees at LawWorks, spoke on the importance of pro bono work this Christmas. Sharif cited some of the life-changing cases that Advocate have assisted on this year to close the concert, reflecting that "justice is a hollow concept without access to it".

We had a fantastic line-up of celebrity guests giving readings this year including the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lady Carr, who read "A child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas.

(Pictured: The Lady Chief Justice, Lady Carr, giving her reading).

We were pleased to have comedian and impressionist Jon Culshaw, who sang an impromptu rendition of the Only Fools and Horses theme song to the tune of Nessun Dorma. We were also delighted have actress Elizabeth Hurley, who read "Little Tree" by E.E. Cummings, and Rachael Stirling who read "The Crying Need for Snow" by Clive James. We are so grateful to them all for generously giving up their time to support our work. 

(Pictured: Film and television actress Elizabeth Hurley giving her reading).

A final special thank you to our headline sponsors Hewetson & Co, Opus 2 and Harbour Underwriting for making this event possible, and to everyone who came along to support pro bono this Christmas. 

Inspired by this event? Read stories from the people we support and find out how you can get involved by taking on pro bono work with Advocate.