Pro bono where it matters

Stephenson Harwood’s pro bono practice sits at the heart of our business strategy, bringing together our legal expertise and our commitment to supporting clients for the public good.

“Our spark sits at the intersection of what we do for good and what we do best,” says Stephenson Harwood’s senior partner Paul Thwaite. “As our pro bono practice is embedded in our strategy and built around our core values as a firm, we can add the most value by supporting communities where their needs align with our areas of focus.”

These areas of focus are energy transition and infrastructure; life sciences and healthcare; private capital and funds; technology; and transportation and trade. Alongside our commercial practice in these areas, our lawyers work closely with clients who need pro bono support to access justice, uphold human rights and protect the environment in these same areas of focus. While our pro bono practice varies greatly in terms of the work we take on and the clients we support, all our work is underpinned by a fundamental, unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
 

ACCESS TO JUSTICE + ENERGY TRANSITION & INFRASTRUCTURE

Our energy transition and decarbonisation team works with Legal Response International to advise nations that may not otherwise have access to specialist legal support during the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meetings, including Conference of the Parties (COP) and interim meetings. This helps to ensure equal access to legal advice and representation in international climate negotiations.
 

HUMAN RIGHTS + LIFE SCIENCES & HEALTHCARE

Specialists in our life sciences and healthcare group advocate for the protection of human rights in healthcare settings and the ethical use of pharmaceutical products, including working with Reprieve. Reprieve supports pharmaceutical companies in protecting their lifesaving products from being used in lethal injections in the United States.
 

HUMAN RIGHTS + TECHNOLOGY

We utilise our expertise in the technology sector to help drive innovation for the public good, focusing on the use of technology to protect and promote human rights for vulnerable and marginalised groups. We are currently partnering with eyeWitness to Atrocities, a UK charity founded by the International Bar Association, to review and catalogue verifiable digital footage in conflict zones captured by civil society groups, journalists and civilians for submission as evidence in legal proceedings.