Pro bono creates the cracks that shine a light on human rights breaches
Trust, solidarity and perseverance were the recurring themes that surfaced during the PILS’ Pro Bono Celebration Reception 2026.
Hosted in The MAC and sponsored by A&L Goodbody, the special evening event celebrated the hundreds of lawyers all over Northern Ireland who volunteer their skills for free in the pursuit of justice.
The gathering heard from former UN Special Rapporteur for human rights defenders Mary Lawlor, Emmy-award-winning producer Trevor Birney, Act Now NI director Nicola Browne and human rights barrister Steven McQuitty KC.
Organised to mark both the 15th anniversary of PILS’ own Pro Bono Register initiative and the 25th year of UK Pro Bono Week, the event shone a spotlight on the legal pro bono being carried out on a daily basis in the north of Ireland.
As PILS Director/Solicitor Kate Barry noted, “It’s a key strategic aim of ours to effectively batter down the barriers to access to justice (those key barriers being costs and knowledge, usually). And that’s what the Pro Bono Register really does try to address. It’s free – pro bono – but more than that, more than people spending time and giving time for free, it’s about people sharing knowledge, which then empowers not only our community of members but also empowers us…”.
A&L Goodbody’s Head of Pro Bono Eithne Lynch also reflected on her firm’s longstanding relationship with PILS: “I think when they were established, they broke so many barriers. They really institutionalised relationships and networks to be developed between civil society and the legal profession. And for me, that’s what creates lasting impact: is when you’re able to harness the really unique skill sets of lawyers and to be able to add that value, whether it’s to a campaign or a piece of law reform, and certainly that’s been my experience.”.
And far from being a modern invention, a new online exhibition launched during UK Pro Bono Week 2026 reveals that the practice of pro bono across Ireland and the UK has existed ‘since the dawn of the legal profession’. Toby Brown, barrister and chair of the UK Pro Bono Week Committee who travelled to Belfast for the PILS reception, remarked that in terms of lawyers providing free advice “…standards may have shifted over time, but the core values have remained relatively constant for 800 years.”
The History of Pro Bono exhibition can be explored in detail at www.historyofprobono.uk/ – and contains a specific section dedicated to the PILS Pro Bono Register.
+ VIDEO MESSAGE FROM MARY L EMBEDDED IN THE WEBPAGE
+ PHOTOS OF TREVOR, NICOLA (AND STEVEN – tbc) WITH KEY QUOTES
Mary Lawlor's video message to PILS' 2026 Pro Bono Celebration Reception
The PILS staff and Board say a huge thank you to the 120+ lawyers who have already joined our Pro Bono Register, our sponsors A&L Goodbody, musicians Maureen Walker and Shane Harvey, photographer Alisa Lymanska and our hosts The MAC Belfast.
The PILS Pro Bono Register is open open to newly qualified and experienced legal practitioners alike:
There is no obligation to take on a certain number of projects when you join the Register.
You can decide how much pro bono work you do; PILS plan with Register volunteers to make sure the projects complement your current workload.
To join the Pro Bono Register community, simply complete the online form – it only takes a few minutes!
