India Pro Bono Week, held from 24–28 November 2025 under the theme Growing Access to Pro Bono, shone a spotlight on challenges India faces and the role that pro bono legal support can play in helping organisations overcome them.
Through a series of discussions and events, organisers A4ID and TrustLaw brought together lawyers, students, NGOs and development practitioners to share experiences and explore how legal expertise can strengthen communities and advance sustainable development.
The opening session of India Pro Bono Week 2025 brought together leaders from across the legal, academic and development sectors to explore how pro bono legal services can strengthen access to justice and support more inclusive legal systems in India. Framed around the theme of expanding access to pro bono, the discussion examined the role of lawyers, law schools, civil society organisations and community advocates in creating a more coordinated and sustainable pro bono culture.
Speakers highlighted the need to move beyond fragmented approaches to legal assistance and build stronger pathways between legal expertise and the communities most in need of support. Contributions from TrustLaw, A4ID and other sector leaders reinforced the idea that pro bono is not simply charitable work but a strategic tool for advancing the public good, strengthening institutions and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A keynote address from Professor Anup Surendranath, of NALSAR, further challenged law schools to view clinical legal education as an integral part of the justice delivery system, with a responsibility to serve communities as well as educate future lawyers.
The panel discussion focused on the practical realities of expanding access to justice, highlighting the crucial role played by paralegals, community organisations and grassroots networks in helping individuals navigate the legal system.
Speakers also addressed the importance of creating sustainable pathways for lawyers to engage in pro bono work, particularly for young and first-generation practitioners who often face financial and professional barriers to public interest practice.
The session concluded with a call to action from A4ID’s CEO Yasmin Batliwala MBE Hons LLD for the legal community to work collectively towards a future where access to justice is not a privilege but a fundamental right available to all.
As part of India Pro Bono Week 2025 A4ID held a session exploring pro bono in practice. The session brought together legal practitioners and development experts to explore the transformative role of pro bono legal services in advancing social justice and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The discussion highlighted A4ID’s unique role as a bridge between legal professionals and organisations working to combat poverty and inequality through its Pro Bono Legal Services (PBLS) brokerage model. By managing both short-term advisory matters and long-term strategic projects, A4ID ensures that pro bono engagements are delivered with the same level of professionalism, accountability and quality as commercial legal work.
The session showcased the tangible impact of pro bono legal support through a series of real-world examples. Pro Bono Legal Officer Tom Carmichael shared how legal advice helped a South African education non-profit avoid costly litigation and how strategic legal assistance enabled environmental charity JUST ONE Tree to revise its deed of gift, creating greater flexibility in its funding model.
The panel also examined A4ID’s Rule of Law (ROL) programme, which supports long-term legal and institutional strengthening initiatives in ODA-eligible countries, including legislative review, capacity building and projects addressing issues such as illegal wildlife trade. These examples demonstrated how targeted legal expertise can help organisations increase their effectiveness and expand their social impact.
A further focus of the discussion was the role of pro bono work in strengthening access to justice. CP Shruthi, from the Square Circle Clinic, outlined its efforts to improve fairness in Indian capital punishment cases through mitigation practice, combining forensic investigation, mental health support and specialist training for social scientists.
The panel also reflected on the evolving culture of pro bono practice, noting its established presence in the UK and US and its growing momentum in India. While challenges remain—including financial pressures on early-career lawyers, infrastructure limitations and the integration of pro bono work into traditional law firm structures—speakers emphasised the significant professional and social value of participation.
Pro bono work not only provides lawyers with exposure to innovative and complex matters but also enables them to contribute meaningfully to global development, human rights and sustainable change.
As part of week, A4ID also convened legal and development sector leaders to examine the growing business case for pro bono legal practice in India. The discussion explored how pro bono work creates value not only for non-profit organisations seeking specialist legal support, but also for law firms looking to strengthen talent development, enhance reputation and respond to increasing client expectations around ESG and social impact.
Speakers highlighted how strategic legal support can help organisations overcome regulatory challenges and scale their work, with Prem Raval, of Plant-for-the-Planet, describing A4ID’s support as “not just legal support but strategic in nature.” The panel also examined the professional benefits of pro bono engagement, with Sunita Bhambri noting that lawyers’ skills are uniquely positioned to help organisations drive meaningful change while providing valuable opportunities for learning and career development.
The session concluded by exploring the wider business benefits of pro bono, including talent retention, training, brand reputation and risk management. Speakers also discussed emerging approaches to measuring social impact through a proposed Pro Bono Social Impact Credit System, reinforcing the view that pro bono is increasingly becoming an integral part of modern legal practice rather than a purely charitable endeavour.
If you are a Civil Society Organisation or NGO find out how A4ID can help with Legal Pro Bono or explore our ROLE UK Programme to learn more about our rule of law work.
Join us for India Pro Bono Week 2026 in November. More details to follow.