Allen & Overy

Get involved in a number of pro bono initiatives

At Allen & Overy, respecting and including every individual is one of our key values and one that applies as equally to the wider community as to our staff. We feel a strong ethical responsibility towards the communities in which we operate, and our pro bono and community affairs programme – Values into Community Action – helps us to fulfil this responsibility.

Our lawyers are committed to using their legal skills to benefit as wide a range of people and organisations as possible.  In the last year alone, Allen & Overy lawyers across the globe recorded over 45,000 hours of pro bono and community activity.  This has included representing detainees at Guantanamo Bay and working with death row prisoners in Trinidad. Many of our support staff (whose time is not recorded) make similarly significant contributions on community projects.

As a trainee you could become involved in a number of pro bono initiatives such as giving free legal advice at the Battersea Legal Advice Centre evening surgery or working for organisations such as Interights.  This work offers a high level of responsibility and the chance to develop your client-facing skills.  We also work closely with our local community. You could be cooking and serving breakfast at The Whitechapel Mission, painting a school or helping local primary school children with their numeracy and literacy skills. We also offer three-month secondments to trainees with organisations such as Liberty, the Battersea Legal Advice Centre and the Tooting Law Centre. Trainees also have the opportunity to take up a secondment to The Royal Courts of Justice to work as judicial assistants. 

Volunteering is an important part of our culture at Allen & Overy and we encourage our trainees to get involved as much as possible.