Pro bono orders

Writing in the New Law Journal of 30 April, George Gordon, the winner of the inaugural Access to Justice Foundation Student Prize, observed that the popularity of pro bono costs orders has, so far, been disappointing. The availability of pro bono costs orders has been enshrined in CPR Part 44 for 18 months, and yet the courts have handed down only five such orders. He suggested that pro bono lawyers can influence the propagation of further pro bono projects in specific areas by raising funds for the foundation and making representations about the pro bono causes in which they have an interest. He continued:‘The statistics indicate that many lawyers have the desire to use their legal skills to help the community, but they often lack the motivation to pursue a case through the stages of litigation. pro bono costs orders should serve as the necessary incentive; the practitioner’s perseverance will not only help the client in front of them, but potentially many more clients through the next work of free legal help that is being supported by the Access to Justice Foundation. That will go a long way to levelling the playing field’.