“We have skill sets as barristers that can be of significant value to organisations in the voluntary sector. As well as Citizens Advice I also chair the Council of a national sporting federation where I am able to use the skills I have learned at the bar in a different context.”
Chris Smith KC, commercial barrister at Essex Court Chambers, speaks to us about volunteering for Citizens Advice through Bar in the Community and the social importance of voluntary work.
What kind of volunteering opportunities have you undertaken, and why did you decide to do this type of volunteering work in particular?
I volunteered to become a trustee of my local Citizens Advice. I was later asked to become Treasurer.
At what stage in your career did you first start taking on volunteering opportunities?
When I was still a junior when BIC was first established.
How has your volunteering work positively impacted on your career?
My volunteering did not specifically impact my career – that is not why I did it. It did, however, allow me to put something back into my local community.
What was the most memorable volunteering opportunity you worked on, and why?
Whilst I was volunteering we secured lottery funding to purchase our own building from which to provide advice. We therefore moved out of rented premises and there was a substantial potential dilapidations bill which I managed to negotiate down by a very large amount.
Do your Chambers support barristers and professionals who want to do volunteering work?
Yes – chambers as a whole and our clerking team are very supportive.
Why do you think people at the Bar should take on volunteering work outside of traditional pro bono work like advice and representation?
Because we have skill sets as barristers that can be of significant value to organisations in the voluntary sector. As well as Citizens Advice I also chair the Council of a national sporting federation where I am able to use the skills I have learned at the bar in a different context.
What advice would you give to anyone at the Bar who is unsure about whether to start doing volunteering work?
Look carefully at all of the opportunities and wait to find one that really suits – do not rush to take on the first opportunity that arises.
What is the most rewarding thing about volunteering work?
Achieving something totally different to the things we normally achieve.
Interested in volunteering? Check out our current volunteering opportunities here and sign up here to receive regular updates on volunteering opportunities.