Pro bono’s impact on death-row survivor
A woman who spent five years on death row in the US before being exonerated is among the speakers at a Law Society event being held to mark Pro Bono Week next month.
Sunny Jacobs, who is founder and president of The Sunny Center Foundation USA, was wrongly convicted of the shooting of two police officers and spent a total of 17 years in prison before her conviction was overturned.
She will speak about the impact of pro bono support on her life at the Law Society event in Blackhall Place on Thursday 12 June (5.30pm to 8pm). The event’s main theme is the fight against the death penalty.
Jacobs will be introduced by London-based lawyer Nina Jayne Carroll (associate, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP), who has an active pro bono practice that focuses on international human-rights law.
Right to a fair trial
An exceptional line-up of speakers includes Samantha Knights KC (partner, Matrix), who will deliver a presentation on ‘Increasing access to justice – right to a fair trial and fair procedure’.
Now a specialist in refugee, trafficking, and immigration, Knights previously worked in New York on the case of Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Reams.
At 18, Reams became the youngest inmate on Arkansas’s death row, and later turned to art to tell his story. Knights helped him to organise an art exhibition in London.
Margot Ravenscroft will talk about the work of Amicus, a British-based non-profit organisation that works for those facing the death penalty in the US.
The head of Arthur Cox’s pro bono practice Carolann Minnock will host a closing question-and-answer session.
A reception will follow, ensuring time to meet the panel and connect with colleagues.
The event will be of interest to solicitors who have done pro bono work in the past, as well as those interested in becoming involved in future.
Book your place at www.lawsociety.ie/probono.
Week-long programme
Pro Bono Week Ireland will take place from 9 to 13 June, as part of a wider European Pro Bono Week aimed at bringing together various stakeholders in the pro bono ecosystem.
The week-long events will celebrate and highlight the role played by the European lawyers in supporting civil society and human-rights organisations and promoting access to justice for those in need.
In Ireland, Pro Bono Week is led by PILA (Public Interest Law Alliance) and a committee that includes representatives of A&L Goodbody, Arthur Cox, DLA Piper Ireland, Matheson, McCann FitzGerald, and members of the Law Library.
Acting in public interest
The Law Society is hosting this event, which is centred around access to justice, to showcase the pro bono work of the legal profession.
A Law Society event to mark Pro Bono Week last year was told that the legal community in Ireland reported more than 40,000 hours of pro bono work in 2023.
It also heard that the overwhelming majority of Law Society members chose to add to their practising-certificate fee by voluntarily donating to pro bono endeavours at renewal time each year.
The event included a platform for NGOs to pitch to receive pro bono legal services from the attending legal practitioners in support of their causes.
Among the initiatives supported by the Law Society is Street Law, a public legal-education initiative delivered by trainee solicitors.