Matheson today joined 44 other Irish law firms alongside a number of other members of the Irish legal profession as a founding signatory to Pro Bono Pledge Ireland, a new initiative which calls on legal professionals to commit to promoting access to justice by providing free legal assistance to those in need. The Pledge, which is being coordinated by the Public Interest Law Alliance (PILA), was launched this morning by Minister of State at the Department of Justice, James Browne, TD.
Matheson Managing Partner Michael Jackson commented, “I am delighted that Matheson is one of the founding signatories of this collaborative initiative across the Irish legal profession, the first of its kind in Ireland in relation to pro bono legal work. As a firm, and as a community of legal and business services professionals, our values and purpose at Matheson are to continuously strive to make a meaningful difference to our clients and to our people, and to give back to society. Supporting access to justice through pro bono legal work reflects our ethos and culture as a firm and, alongside our commitment to the Pledge, we will take this opportunity to refresh our existing pro bono strategy and to look at ways to make our existing pro bono initiatives even more inclusive and impactful. We look forward to working with, and benefitting from, PILA’s knowledge and experience in this regard.”
Supported by the Law Society of Ireland, the Bar of Ireland, and the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association, the Pledge is being coordinated by PILA - a project of the Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC). It articulates the shared professional responsibility of lawyers to provide pro bono legal assistance and to promote access to justice to those in need. The Pledge reflects the core values of pro bono legal work; a common definition of pro bono legal services in order to determine when work qualifies for pro bono; and a commitment to pro bono targets.
If you would like to find out more about Pro Bono Pledge Ireland, please see the link here.
