India Pro Bono Week: A Milestone in Legal Support for Social Impact

Last month, we hosted India’s inaugural Pro Bono Week in collaboration with TrustLaw, marking a transformative step toward elevating pro bono legal services nationwide. Over the week, 10 events were conducted across Delhi, Mumbai, and online platforms, creating greater awareness of pro bono legal services, and providing NGOs with the legal information and support they often need.

Over 300 attendees – lawyers, practicing advocates, in-house counsels, law students and non-profit organisations – came together to learn, share and collaborate through a mix of in-person and online sessions across the week. 

Our sessions included a conversation about preventing workplace harassment in civil society organisations. Karuvaki Mohanty, Program Manager, iProbono India, and Christina Bulley, Lawyer & iProbono India’s Advisory Committee Member, broke down the key elements of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act (PoSH) Act, 2013, covering definitions, inquiry procedures, and interim relief measures. The session, attended by over 90 participants, combined legal insights with practical advice for strengthening ICCs, resulting in a vibrant exchange of ideas.

We also showcased our flagship initiative, the ‘Legal A to Z for NGOs’ series, that guided participants through India’s labour laws. Experts from Khaitan & Co, Anshul Prakash – Partner and Varsha Sankara Raman, Associate – simplified key legal concepts like gratuity, insurance, employee bonuses, and mandatory policies for over 50 attendees. They also addressed recent amendments to India’s labour codes, and emerging issues like mental health support initiatives and menstrual leave policies. 

Our in-person roundtable in Mumbai brought together NGOs and lawyers working to protect children’s rights. The participants brought real-world insights into the discussions on delays in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences trials and representation and rehabilitation for children in conflict with the law. Our partner organisations in Mumbai, Prerana and Ashiyana, who work with child survivors of sexual abuse and children in conflict with the law, as well as our panel lawyers, shared challenges and opportunities to improve advocacy for vulnerable children. 

India Pro Bono Week also owes its success to our partners TrustLaw, Agami, and Advocates for International Development, who played a crucial role in connecting the legal community with social causes. They hosted practical events such as ‘Legal Health Checks,’ where NGOs engaged directly with legal professionals, and ‘Entrepreneurship in Justice’ sessions designed to cultivate a pro bono mindset among law students. The event also featured impactful discussions through pro bono roundtables and webinars all aimed at promoting a stronger pro bono culture across the legal sector.

We thank everyone who joined the discussions and helped to make the first India Pro Bono Week such a success. We will be back in 2025 and would love to hear from you as we plan for more opportunities for collaboration, learning, and impact. If your organisation needs tailored legal training or if you’d like to share suggestions, write to us at communications@i-probono.com. 

Priya Watwani, Senior Program Officer, iProbono India and member of the IPBW Steering Committee