Pro bono
At RPC we care about people. We're committed to supporting all the communities in which we work by providing pro bono legal services to organisations and individuals that cannot afford legal assistance.
Firm-wide Projects
Our lawyers volunteer their time and expertise on a range of projects including:
Launch It
We are working in partnership with Launch It, a charity that supports young entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds start a business through the provision of workspace, mentoring and training. Our lawyers run an annual programme of workshops on a variety of different topics – both legal and non-legal – including topics such as IP, brand and marketing, commercial contracts and data protection, financial planning/budgeting, incorporating a company, funding options for starts ups, employment law and customer services. RPC also provide a pro bono legal advice service where, after the workshops, we answer a discrete number of follow-on questions from the young entrepreneurs.
Justice without borders
Our Hong Kong office has partnered with Justice Without Borders (JWB) for the last 5 years to provide legal advice and services to victims of labour exploitation and human trafficking in the region. Our work includes providing training and ad hoc legal support to migrant workers who face challenges accessing justice, as well as Hong Kong corporate governance advice to JWB itself. Through this relationship, our Singapore office has also partnered with JWB, extending the range of our work with them.
Pic: RPC training session with Justice Without Borders
Transparency International
We have advised the anti-corruption organisation, Transparency International, on a number of projects ranging from investigations in Mozambique to defamation in the UK.
Liberty Advice Line
We support Liberty, an independent membership organisation and human rights campaign group that works to challenge injustice and protect civil liberties. Our lawyers volunteer to help run Liberty's weekly Advice Line - a service that offers free advice to members of the public on human rights and related issues such as privacy concerns and employee rights.
LawWorks
RPC is a member of the solicitors' pro bono charity, LawWorks, an organisation that connects law firms with individuals, charities, and NGOs that require pro bono legal assistance. Our UK-based lawyers provide pro bono advice to members of the public on matters of consumer, debt, and employment law through a LawWorks platform called 'Free Legal Answers'.
International Lawyers Project
We supports the pro bono charity, the International Lawyers Project, through the provision of charitable donations. The International Lawyers Project coordinates a network of lawyers that support communities, civil societies, and governments on cross-jurisdictional issues such as corruption, environmental justice, and transparency.
Supporting student-led pro bono projects
Our lawyers support a number of university pro bono programmes that are working to increase the representation of, and support available to, disadvantaged or marginalised individuals around the world. RPC has supported the following projects:
Pic: RPC working with the African Prisons Project volunteers.
National University of Singapore (NUS) and Hagar International
We provided financial support to an existing partnership between the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Hagar International, a charity that supports the recovery of individuals who have been victims of abuse or trafficking. Our financial support helps NUS and Hagar International to deliver legal training workshops for female migrant workers in Singapore. The workshops are run by qualified lawyers and provide an overview of the role of the courts, the purpose of a trial, and the criminal/ civil justice process. Law students from NUS participate in the workshops and provide support to the participants.
University of West of England and the African Prisons Project
We provided financial support to the University of the West of England (UWE) to assist its work with the African Prisons Project, a charity working in prisons in Uganda and Kenya. The African Prisons Project provides free legal training and services to prisoners and prison staff, as well as working to improve prison conditions through the provision of libraries, health awareness and life-skills training. Our financial support to UWE helped students to create learning resources which are used by the African Prisons Project's staff and volunteers on the ground in East Africa.
King's College London's Law Society: Mediation Project
We supported KCL Law Society to enable students to participate in KCL's Mediation Project. The Mediation Project provides students with mediation skills training and gives them the opportunity to become accredited Civil and Commercial Mediators. The certification provides the students with the ability to volunteer in legal clinics on pro bono cases, in addition to helping them develop many important skills.
PILnet
Our Hong Kong office are involved in PILnet's Law for Change Student Competition. This pairs teams of law students with legal mentors to develop projects using the law to address social justice issues in Hong Kong. The theme this year is “Community Resilience” and a team of 5 from RPC are mentoring a team of students from Hong Kong University on their project which focuses on assisting NGO start-ups.Awards and Recognition
In recognition of its commitment to pro bono and community work, our Hong Kong office recently received the Distinguished Community Service Law Firm Award as well as the Silver Law Firm Award in the Law Society of Hong Kong’s Pro Bono and Community Work Recognition Programme 2021. In addition, six of our lawyers in Hong Kong also received individual awards.
RPC Hong Kong also won the Pro-Bono Award at the China Business Law Awards 2022 and is one of nine firms shortlisted for the Asian Pro Bono Initiative of the Year award by The Asia Legal Awards 2022.