Advocate has announced the shortlists of nominees for the upcoming 2025 Bar Pro Bono Awards. Sponsored by LexisNexis, this year’s event will be held on Tuesday 6th May 2025 at Lincoln’s Inn.
Advocate is the Bar’s national pro bono charity. They match barristers who generously volunteer their time and expertise to those in need of legal help who are not eligible for Legal Aid and cannot afford to pay.
The 2025 Bar Pro Bono Awards are taking place on Tuesday 6th May 2025 at Lincoln's Inn.
Held annually since 1997, the Bar Pro Bono Awards have long been considered an integral event in the legal calendar celebrating remarkable pro bono achievements from the last year.
Bar Pro Bono Awards Nominees
The shortlisted nominees for 2025 have now been announced.
The eight categories for this year are:
- Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year
- Junior Pro Bono Barrister of the Year
- Pro Bono KC of the Year
- International Pro Bono Barrister of the Year
- Pro Bono Chambers Professional of the Year
- Pro Bono Chambers of the Year
- Pro Bono and Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year Award
- John Collins Pro Bono Excellence Award
A full list of all the nominees can be found on the Advocate website.
Reflecting on the impressive submissions that Advocate received this year, Advocate Chairman Sharif A. Shivji KC said: “We are thrilled to have received such an exceptional calibre of nominees for this year’s Bar Pro Bono Awards. Every individual has played a vital role in advancing pro bono work, ensuring access to justice for those who need it most.”
2025 Bar Pro Bono Awards Judges
Huge thanks go to the awards’ esteemed judging panel which includes highly regarded professionals from the Judiciary, including senior members of the Bar Council, High Court Judges and Circuit Leaders.
The judges for the 2025 Bar Pro Bono Awards are:
- Barbara Mills KC, Chair of the Bar Council
- Kirsty Brimelow KC, Vice Chair of the Bar Council
- Lord Goldsmith KC, Founder of Advocate
- Chris Minnoch, CEO of Legal Aid Practitioners Group
- Lachlan Stewart, Chair of the Young Barristers' Committee
- Sara George, Chair of the Employed Barristers' Committee
- Samantha Singer, Co-Chair of the Bar Council Pro Bono and Social Responsibility Group
- Laurie Scher, Co-Chair of the Bar Council Pro Bono and Social Responsibility Group
- Maura McGowan, High Court Judge
- Dave Scothern, Chair of the Institute of Barristers' Clerks
- Will Tolcher, Global Bar Editor at The Legal 500
- Jemma Tagg, Co-Chair of the Legal Practice Management Association
- James Whiting, Co-Chair of the Legal Practice Management Association
- Jason Pitter KC, Leader of the North Eastern Circuit
- Sheila Collins, the widow of the late John Collins.
The judges have had their work cut out this year. Maura McGowan, judge for the Young Pro Bono Barrister category, explains: “The level of excellence among the nominees is truly remarkable. Each one of them has demonstrated outstanding qualities, making it incredibly challenging to choose a winner.”
Advocate is also pleased to be welcoming other esteemed members of the Bar on the evening, including:
- The Justice of the Supreme Court, Lord Briggs of Westbourne
- The Treasurers and Under Treasurers of all four Inns of Court
- The Attorney General The Rt Hon Lord Richard Hermer KC
- The Lord Chancellor The Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP
- The Solicitor General Sarah Sackman KC MP.
Notable Winners from the 2024 Bar Pro Bono Awards
2024 Winner of the International Pro Bono Barrister of the Year: Haydee Dijkstal of 33 Bedford Row
Haydee was commended for her impactful pro bono work on issues of global significance, including both legal representation for Ukrainian victims and trainings to support domestic access to justice for international crimes in Ukraine. Haydee also assisted British nationals arbitrarily detained or held hostage abroad, as well as assisting their families in helping these individuals be released and reunited with their loved ones in the UK.
She was also volunteered her time to advance human rights issues and access to justice through her participation in fact-finding missions, which involve visiting impacted communities, gathering information and evidence from local voices, and publishing a report with findings and recommendations.
She has also volunteered her time to contribute to the advancement of the rule of law through leadership positions with the Bar Human Rights Committee, the International Criminal Court Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.
2024 Joint Winner of the Junior Pro Bono Barrister award: Jake Rudman of Hatton Chambers
Jake regularly advised clients pro bono and has been involved in a number of Advocate cases.
In the most notable case he took on for Advocate was a defamation and harassment claim threatened by an abusive ex-husband against his ex-wife. With the assistance of Baker McKenzie, Jake got the claim stuck out entirely, meaning the client was no longer under threat of a £60,000 damages claim plus costs. They are also recovering the client’s original legal fees and successfully persuaded the Court to award pro bono costs orders totalling £100,000.
2024 Winner of the Young Pro Bono Barrister Award: Tinessa Kaur of 4BB Chambers, London
Tinessa dedicated a lot of time to pro bono work for underrepresented communities, providing pro bono services wherever possible and encouraging other legal practitioners to follow suit.
She co-founded the first-ever Sikh Lawyers Association (SLA) within the legal profession and also runs anti-gang workshops, offering mentoring for young people sharing from her own lived experiences growing up.
She also participated as a Judge in the Young Citizen’s Bar Mock Trials for over 200 schools who are at a disadvantage to entering the legal profession, helping promote access to the Bar.
