The Pro Bono Recognition List of England and Wales recognizes solicitors and barristers who provided at least 25 hours of pro bono legal assistance in the preceding year. The Law Society describes an annually published list under the patronage of the lady chief justice. The published threshold concerns qualifying legal assistance, not a general award for all professional or voluntary activity. Law Society guide
The initiative is supported by legal-sector organizations, including the Law Society, the Bar Council, Advocate and LawWorks. Its purpose is to recognize the contribution of lawyers providing legal help without charge. Inclusion of a specific individual must be checked against the published recognition list rather than inferred from employment at a participating firm.
Pro bono work should also be distinguished from legal aid. GOV.UK explains that legal aid can help pay for legal advice and, in some cases, provide someone to speak or negotiate for a person in court or a tribunal. Eligibility and the legal issue affect what help is available. Government legal-aid guidance
These routes can both support access to justice, but they have different rules and funding arrangements. A recognition threshold does not establish the size of a clinic, the outcome of a case or the number of clients helped by a named lawyer.
Archive note: the earlier individual award and clinic-total claims were not substantiated.