Bar Pro Bono Awards 

Kindly sponsored by LexisNexis
 

The 2025 Bar Pro Bono Awards took place on Tuesday 6^th May 2025 at Lincoln's Inn. 

The ceremony presentation was followed by a drinks reception, kindly sponsored by Instant on IT.

View the full list of the winners of the 2025 Bar Pro Bono Awards.

You can read about the full list of shortlisted nominees in this year's virtual brochure.

Since 1997, the Bar Pro Bono Awards have been a unique opportunity in the legal calendar to celebrate the remarkable pro bono achievements of the Bar in England and Wales.

We hold the awards annually to ensure that the brilliant pro bono work happening at the Bar receives the recognition it rightly deserves.

We have nine award categories:

• Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year - sponsored by Place Campbell
• Junior Pro Bono Barrister of the Year - sponsored by Westgate Wealth Management
• Pro Bono KC of the Year - sponsored by Hewetson & Co
• International Pro Bono Barrister of the Year - sponsored by Ankura
• Pro Bono Chambers' Professional of the Year - sponsored by IBC and LPMA
• Pro Bono Chambers of the Year - sponsored by ABC Chambers Solutions
• Lifetime Achievement in Pro Bono, the Sydney Elland Goldsmith Award
• Pro Bono and Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year - sponsored by Balance Legal Capital
• John Collins Pro Bono Excellence Award

Our 2025 judges were:

• Barbara Mills KC, Chair of the Bar Council
• Kirsty Brimelow KC, Vice Chair of the Bar Council
• Lord Goldsmith KC, Founder of Advocate
• Chris Minnoch, CEO of Legal Aid Practitioners Group 
• Lachlan Stewart, Chair of the Young Barristers' Committee
• Sara George, Chair of the Employed Barristers' Committee
• Samantha Singer, Co-Chair of the Bar Council Pro Bono and Social Responsibility Group
• Laurie Scher, Co-Chair of the Bar Council Pro Bono and Social Responsibility Group
• Maura McGowan, High Court Judge
• Dave Scothern, Chair of the Institute of Barristers' Clerks
• Will Tolcher, Global Bar Editor at The Legal 500
• Jemma Tagg, Co-Chair of the Legal Practice Management Association
• James Whiting, Co-Chair of the Legal Practice Management Association
• Jason Pitter KC, Leader of the North Eastern Circuit
• Sheila Collins, the widow of the late John Collins 

The Lifetime Achievement in Pro Bono Award will be announced at the 2025 Bar Conference taking place on 7th June 2025. 

See our full list of past winners. 

For any queries about the awards, please contact awards@weareadvocate.org.uk.