Community: Pro bono
We strive to improve access to justice by engaging in agile and impactful pro bono projects. We are proud to partner with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), charities and independent law centres to deliver frontline legal services to the most vulnerable. Our pro bono commitments extend across a diverse range of areas. Over the past 12 months we have progressed our goals for the year and have also identified key priorities for future development.
Our pro bono work this year has focused on three key areas of unmet legal need:
- Championing gender equality and empowerment
- Expanding legal pathways for refugees and displaced people
- Partnering with independent law centres, charities and NGOs to drive social change
During the course of the year, we were also delighted to receive the following external recognition of our pro bono work:
Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation Award for Exceptional Pro Bono Contributions 2025
Local Impact Award, Global Network for Public Interest Law Global Awards 2024
Chambers Ireland Sustainable Business Impact Award for Best Partnership with a Charity 2024
Total number of pro bono hours:
Participation rate:
Pro bono matters:
Championing Gender Equality and Empowerment
Many women, particularly those affected by violence, discrimination, and poverty, face significant barriers when trying to access justice. These challenges include a lack of legal representation, fear of retaliation, financial dependence, language barriers, and systemic gaps that can leave them unprotected. We are committed to supporting these women in their fight for justice and addressing the obstacles they may face. We provide legal assistance to women who are navigating complex issues around immigration and employment, helping them to assert their rights in often intimidating or inaccessible legal systems. A female client, who received immigration legal advice for her family, commented on this support: “The Arthur Cox team has been great. They always do their best for me with whatever I need. I’m very happy with everything the firm has done for me.”
Our longstanding partnerships with organisations like the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and Women’s Aid allow us to channel our expertise where it is needed most. We are pleased to report that 142 of our lawyers have contributed over 1,900 hours in support of safeguarding women’s rights this year. This year, we have worked with Women’s Aid on critical research in relation to Irish femicide and the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 which introduced important legal protections, including the offence of coercive control. Our analysis of how this offence is prosecuted was published in the Women’s Aid Insights Report: Review of the Publicly Reported Enforcement of the Coercive Control Offence in Ireland 2019-2024. We continue to track cases through media coverage and public data, ensuring that the reality of women’s experiences remains visible and is legally understood. In November 2024, Clíodhna Golden, an Arthur Cox Associate from our Litigation, Dispute Resolution and Investigations Group, presented the findings of this research at the Women’s Aid 50th anniversary conference, as part of a panel discussion that focused on the impact of coercive control. We also continue to work with the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre to provide pro bono legal advice that helps to inform and empower the organisation’s work.
Our pro bono team applies its legal expertise to support both Women’s Aid and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre as both organisations strive to eliminate violence against women and promote equality. As a firm, we are committed to reducing the barriers that prevent women from accessing justice.
Pictured: Clíodhna Golden (Associate, Litigation, Arthur Cox)
Arthur Cox Lawyers
hours in support of safeguarding women's rights
Expanding legal pathways for refugees and displaced people
Support of refugees and displaced people is a cornerstone of our pro bono work. Globally, nations face unimaginable crises, forcing individuals, children and families to seek safety elsewhere. In these times of crisis, it is the marginalised and vulnerable who face the greatest challenges when accessing legal information, advice and representation. Through partnerships and collaborations we engage in impactful pro bono projects with Crosscare, the Immigrant Council of Ireland, the Irish Refugee Council, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) and the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland. Our commitment includes the provision of financial support, in-kind resources and the placement of legal professionals with some of these NGO partners on secondment. Over the past year 280 of our lawyers completed over 7,000 hours of pro bono work to support the work of our immigration partners. This helped over 200 refugees and displaced persons. Key aspects of this work include:
Partnering with Independent Law Centres, Charities and NGOs to drive Social Change
Independent law centres, charities and NGOs partner with Arthur Cox to form a critical link between those most in need and our lawyers. Working on the front line to combat social injustice and exclusion, these organisations collaborate with us to deliver pro bono support to the most vulnerable in our community. We provide our partners with additional staff resources and collaborate on projects, which in turn enhances the capacity of these organisations to deliver their vital services. This directly aligns with our goal of delivering tangible impact to those with the greatest need.
Other examples of our partnerships with independent law centres, charities and NGOs include:
The Arthur Cox Secondment Placement Programme
This programme places future Arthur Cox trainees and paralegals with NGOs to deliver frontline legal services to vulnerable communities. Over the past year nine Arthur Cox employees were seconded to four NGO law centres: Community Law and Mediation, the Immigrant Council of Ireland, the Irish Refugee Council and the Mercy Law Resource Centre. This contributed approximately 2,950 pro bono hours to our overall year total. Our secondment programme provides our NGO partner organisations with additional resources to meet the growing demand for their legal services. Relationships between NGOs and our secondees continue beyond the placement period, with returning lawyers maintaining their pro bono commitments alongside their regular work commitments once back at the firm. Commenting on their experience, Sorcha Ffrench, a recent secondee at the Immigrant Council of Ireland, said: “My time at the Immigrant Council of Ireland was incredibly rewarding. It highlighted the vital importance of providing free legal advice and assistance to individuals from migrant backgrounds, ensuring their rights were upheld and their voices heard. My secondment reaffirmed the significance of the Immigrant Council of Ireland’s work and the profound impact it has.”
Promoting Legal Literacy Through Education
The Arthur Cox Legal Education Project promotes early access to justice through the delivery of a quality legal education to students in DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools). The introduction of legal education to young people develops an understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens. The project is delivered via five interactive sessions by 70 Arthur Cox lawyers to approximately 280 students throughout the year.
Some reflections from some of the students who participated in the project:
“I think legal education is important because you learn about your rights, and if you're being mistreated in any way, you know how to defend yourself because you understand what's right and what's wrong.”
“My favourite part was being able to interact with lawyers and hearing their stories and the cases they've been involved in. It’s demystified the whole process of becoming a lawyer.”
Pictured: Carolann Minnock (Of Counsel, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox), Caroline Kenny (Legal Executive, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox) and Migrant Rights Centre Ireland staff
Pictured (from left to right): Aliya Jordan (Paralegal, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox), Laura D’Arcy (Arthur Cox Secondee, Immigrant Council of Ireland), Caroline Kenny (Legal Executive, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox), Carolann Minnock (Of Counsel, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox), Isabelle O’Connell (Arthur Cox Secondee, Irish Refugee Council) and Eabha Gaughan (Arthur Cox Secondee, Community Law and Mediation)
Free Legal Advice Centres
Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) is an independent human rights organisation dedicated to ensuring equal access to justice for all. We collaborate with FLAC to improve access to justice in our community. Together, we work on the following initiatives:
FLAC Information Line & Legal Clinics
Over the past several years FLAC centres and information lines have become increasingly busy, reflecting the vital role FLAC plays in communities. As part of our collaboration with FLAC, Arthur Cox lawyers operate the FLAC information and referral line once a week, having responded to approximately 3,000 calls from FLAC service users. 300 Arthur Cox colleagues support the FLAC information line, contributing a total of 3,430 pro bono hours. Our Employment Group supports specialised FLAC employment clinics, providing practical guidance to individuals seeking to understand their workplace rights. Over the past 12 months we have held approximately 90 clinics, with the involvement of 44 lawyers who have advised 170 individuals on their employment rights.
Public Interest Law Alliance
The Public Interest Law Alliance (PILA), a project of FLAC, is a public interest law network that engages civil society and the legal community to use the law for advancing social change in Ireland. We are a Sustaining Partner of PILA, providing core funding to support its activities and accepting multiple referrals each year.
Commenting on how our lawyers support FLAC, Eilis Barry, Chief Executive of FLAC said:
“Arthur Cox’s vital work with FLAC enhances our efforts in a number of ways. Its continued partnership in our employment law clinics has made a tangible difference in the lives of workers seeking access to justice. Arthur Cox also collaborates with our hugely oversubscribed telephone information and referral line. This challenging work increases the number of calls that can be answered from individuals desperate for legal information about their rights. It provides valuable support to our public interest law project, PILA, facilitating social justice NGOs in obtaining essential legal assistance. The volunteers bring not only deep legal expertise but also a genuine commitment to pro bono service. These valuable collaborations strengthen FLAC’s ability to support some of the most vulnerable individuals and NGOs navigating complex legal issues.”
Pictured (from left to right): Sinead Scales (National Clinic and Volunteer Development Manager, FLAC), Caroline Kenny (Legal Executive, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox), Aoife Ennis (Trainee, Employment, Arthur Cox), Ailish Wiley (Trainee, Employment, Arthur Cox), Karolina Kukstaite (Executive Assistant, Commercial, Arthur Cox), Grace Deeny (Trainee, Employment, Arthur Cox) and Connall Cahill (Clinics, Volunteers and Societies Coordinator, FLAC)
Amicus
Amicus is a London-based pro bono charity that aims to improve access to justice for individuals on death row in the US and to raise awareness of potential abuses of defendants' rights. Amicus highlights that the death penalty is disproportionately imposed on the most vulnerable in society. As part of this global team, Arthur Cox supports under-resourced capital defence teams in the US at both State and Federal levels. The work undertaken by our team is used to challenge the legality of certain death row judgements and ensure fair trial procedures for those facing capital punishment. Our lawyers review publicly available court dockets for both pre-trial and post-conviction death row cases, assisting with two primary tasks: providing essential information for legal teams and compiling statistical data to support strategic litigation and research. We recently assisted Amicus in a case involving an individual who has been detained in a mental health hospital since 2017, having initially been deemed unfit to face execution. Following a request from the district attorney for a re-evaluation with the possibility of proceeding to execution, Amicus, supported by Arthur Cox, intervened. As a result the State’s own expert found the individual to be unfit and no execution took place.
We have also assisted Amicus on the American Civil Liberties Union Capital Punishment Project. This involves an ongoing review of discovery materials used as comparators to demonstrate that white defendants committing similar crimes are significantly less likely to face death penalty charges. Our focus is on examining charging decisions in preparation for evidentiary hearings in two capital cases granted under the California Racial Justice Act. This year 242 Arthur Cox lawyers have completed approximately 5,600 pro bono hours as part of our support of Amicus and its work.
Arthur Cox lawyers
Pro bono hours
Celebrating Pro Bono Week 2025
Pro Bono Week 2025 took place 9-14 June. Each year, Pro Bono Week celebrates the vital role lawyers play in supporting civil society and human rights organisations. As part of Pro bono Pledge Ireland, we helped to organise a series of events to promote pro bono work and in line with this year’s theme, ‘Strengthening Civic Participation in Europe’. This programme of events brought together lawyers, NGOs, and advocates to highlight the importance of pro bono legal work in advancing access to justice. We were pleased to host an insightful discussion on the rights of asylum seekers and refugees with Katie Mannion, Managing Solicitor of the Irish Refugee Council. The week concluded on an inspiring note with ‘Amplifying Impact and Access to Justice’, which included the launch of the Pro Bono Pledge Ireland Impact Report 2024 by Eilis Barry, CEO of FLAC. This was followed by an impactful panel discussion that explored how NGOs and law firms can deepen collaboration and drive meaningful change.
Strategic Litigation and Early Legal Advice for People Seeking Refuge
Pictured (from left to right): Aliya Jordan (Paralegal, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox), Emma Mullahy (Corporate Graduate, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox), Aoife Lyons (Trainee, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox), Carolann Minnock (Of Counsel, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox), Katie Mannion (Managing Solicitor, Irish Refugee Council), Irish Refugee Council Staff Members, Grace Itofa-Ivarah (Trainee, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox) and Isabelle O’Connell (Arthur Cox Secondee, Irish Refugee Council).
Amplifying Impact and Access to Justice
Pictured (from left to right): Aoife Lyons (Trainee, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox), Emma Mullahy (Corporate Graduate, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox), Demetra Herdes (Legal Officer, Public Interest Law Alliance), Junaid Abdulkarin (Legal Researcher, Public Interest Law Alliance), Caroline Kenny (Legal Executive, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox), Aliya Jordan (Paralegal, Pro Bono, Arthur Cox)
Progress to date
Over the past year, we are pleased to report that we undertook 17,755 pro bono hours and achieved a participation rate of 78%, translating to an average of 29 pro bono hours per fee earner. This reflects our ongoing commitment to meeting our pro bono objectives and driving change.
As we look to the year ahead, we are focused on deepening the impact of our work by continuing to align our efforts with the goal of improving access to justice. We remain dedicated to delivering high-quality, meaningful projects and strengthening collaboration with our partners. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation will ensure that our initiatives remain focused, effective, and aligned with our policy as long-term priorities.
Pro bono hours
Participation rate
Looking Ahead
Our current three charity partnerships come to an end in December 2025 and our new partnerships will be voted for by our staff, commencing 1 January 2026.
We will continue to focus on fundraising for our Arthur Cox Zambia Project with firmwide events for our people that ultimately greatly benefit local rural communities in Zambia.
We will maintain a strong Pro Bono participation rate and number of hours to deliver legal assistance to those with the most pressing needs.