Working with Advocate in 2022

We have two vital volunteering roles, without which Advocate cannot continue to operate. Please do consider whether you could join Advocate in either of these capacities in 2022.

1.  Advocate Reviewing

Reviewers are an essential part of the Advocate team and play a fundamental role in enabling people to get access to justice through Advocate. Reviewers assess for the rest of the Bar all the cases that Advocate processes and ensure that the right cases are put forward for pro bono assistance. Our reviewers safeguard people’s incredibly valuable and limited time and confirm that we are only looking for pro bono help for deserving cases.

Our existing reviewer team is well established and made up of 150 senior barristers. Some reviewers have been part of the team for over 20 years whereas others are fairly new. We know that Advocate reviewing has been useful for some on judicial applications, meaning we regularly see a number of reviewers leave the panel to join the Bench and we need to recruit new reviewers.

Reviewers must be at least seven years call.

What to expect as an Advocate Reviewer

• Reviewers receive no more than four cases on one occasion per month.
• Reviewing is based on a rota according to your availability.
• Reviews are completed within one week, by filling out a concise written review.
• The average time commitment is 2 hours per month.
• Reviewers should show demonstrable evidence of a commitment to Advocate’s mission
• There is a short training session led by one of our lead reviewers and trustees.
• Advocate holds two reviewers’ evenings each year, one in Spring and one in Autumn and it is a great opportunity to meet the other reviewers and share with them your experience of reviewing.
  
  

To apply, please fill out this short registration form. 

Please get in touch with Kate if you have further questions, kgriffin@weareadvocate.org.uk  

2.  Pro Bono Champions – Advocate representatives in Chambers

Could you consider become Advocate’s Pro Bono Champion in Chambers and help to encourage a culture of pro bono?

• Pro Bono Champions play a crucial role for Advocate as a key point of contact for us within Chambers.
• Advocate is in touch regularly with our Champions to let them know about upcoming initiatives, interesting cases, and the amount of pro bono that Chambers is taking on.
• Pro Bono Champions then take this information and share it within Chambers in a way that is suited to how your Chambers operates.
  
  

You can see if your Chambers already has a Pro Bono Champion here.

If you are interested in taking on this role, please get in touch with Bryony at bwells@weareadvocate.org.uk 

We look forward to hearing from you!