Advocate celebrates the winners of the 2025 Bar Pro Bono Awards, sponsored by LexisNexis.
Following the award ceremony, that took place Tuesday 6th May 2025, the full list of winners for 2025 have now been announced. With over 60 nominations received across the categories this year, the calibre of work carried out is a testament to the dedication of the Bar to delivering access to justice for all.
Former News Broadcaster and Senior Associate Mediator at Irwin Mitchell Joanna Gosling, opened last night’s ceremony, saying: “It feels quite personal for me to be here tonight because I have experienced the impact of the generosity of pro bono lawyers. So, I hope I can be a voice for the many people you will have helped - who will never forget what you did for them.”
Bar Pro Bono Awards Winners
The 2025 Bar Pro Bono Awards winners:
- Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year – Iona Gallagher, New Court Chambers
- Junior Pro Bono Barrister of the Year – Jesse Crozier, Devereux Chambers
- Pro Bono KC of the Year – Edward Fitzgerald CBE KC, Doughty Street Chambers
- Pro Bono Chambers’ Professional of the Year – Siobhan Samuel, Field Court Chambers
- Pro Bono and Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year - Da'aro Youth Project
- Pro Bono Chambers of the Year – Doughty Street Chambers
- John Collins Pro Bono Excellence Award – Lottie (Charlotte) Mallin-Martin, Guildhall Chambers
Remarkable Contributions from This Year’s Winners
Adam Wagner KC, Doughty Street Chambers – Winner of the International Pro Bono Barrister of the Year Award
Adam Wagner was called to the Bar in 2007 and specialises in human rights, public inquiries, constitutional and international law. Following the 7 October 2023 hostage capture by terrorist organisation Hamas, Adam cofounded a pro bono initiative to support British-linked hostages and their families. He has since dedicated hundreds of hours to representing six families, including those of two British hostages, providing free legal advice and advocacy at the highest levels of government. Adam’s work directly contributed to the establishment of a new Foreign Office scheme ensuring hostages with close UK ties receive the same support as British citizens.
Iona Gallagher, New Court Chambers – Winner of the Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year Award
Iona’s pro bono work has provided crucial support to vulnerable individuals navigating complex and emotionally charged legal proceedings. Her work has helped make the legal process more accessible and less intimidating for those in vulnerable situations.
Her most demanding pro bono case involved representing an intervenor - a mother’s partner - in a Non-Accidental Injury (NAI) case concerning serious harm to a baby. Iona dedicated over 35 hours to the case. She liaised with solicitors to ease the client’s burden, while carefully managing evidence to avoid prejudice in ongoing criminal proceedings. The case concluded at an Issues Resolution Hearing (IRH) when the local authority dropped its findings against the mother. The client, who had felt overwhelmed and at times suicidal, reported feeling supported and empowered thanks to Iona’s involvement.
Da’aro Youth Project – Winner of the Pro Bono and Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year Award
Da’aro Youth Project was founded in 2018 by members of the Eritrean community in London in response to a tragic series of suicides among Eritrean teenagers. These heartbreaking events underscored the urgent need for a support network tailored to the unique challenges faced by unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors from the Horn of Africa. The small team at Da’aro Youth Project works tirelessly to ensure that young vulnerable people pursuing safety in the UK are adequately and effectively supported and that they do not slip through the ever-increasingly broad gaps in the asylum system.
The Da’aro team offers activities, trips, English classes and mentoring in addition to a comprehensive casework service which ensures young people can access assistance in relation to housing, legal support, advocacy, education, and physical and mental health support.
Doughty Street Chambers – Winner of the Pro Bono Chambers of the Year Award
Doughty Street Chambers is committed to promoting human rights, civil liberties, and access to justice. In 2024, Chambers have been involved in high-profile legal challenges including before UN Special Procedures and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, addressing issues such as migrant worker trafficking and human rights abuses linked to Rwanda.
Notable achievements include a landmark judgment against the Belgian State for colonial-era crimes against mixed-race children, securing the release of Iranian rapper and activist Toomaj Salehi from a death penalty sentence, and supporting justice for the Rohingya through the Rohingya Justice Initiative.
At the ceremony, Advocate Chairman, Sharif A. Shivji KC said: “Pro bono work plays a vital role in ensuring that the most vulnerable in our society have access to the courts and that their cases are fully and properly argued. The purpose of this evening is to recognise and celebrate the Bar’s extraordinary contribution to pro bono work. Over the past year, barristers and clerks across the country have stepped up to offer their skills and support wherever the interests of justice have demanded it. To all of tonight’s nominees, I offer my heartfelt congratulations. You have gone above and beyond—and your contribution has rightly been recognised.”
