2022-12-31-accounts

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O(K Lawworks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

INTRODUCTION	3
CHAIR’S FOREWORD	4
INTRODUCING REBECCA WILKINSON, CEO OF LAWWORKS	5
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES	6
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE	8
ENGAGEMENT	18
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE	20
FINANCIAL REVIEW	22
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT	24
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS AND TRUSTEES	26
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES	30
BALANCE SHEET	31
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS	32
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	33
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS	45

SOLICITORS PRO BONO GROUP (Known as ''LawWorks'') Company limited by guarantee no. 03410932 Registered charity no. 1064274 REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

Cover photography: Ryutaro Tsukata, a photographer, filmmaker based in Japan People walking on spacious concrete square from pexels.com

INTRODUCTION

It is with great pleasure the Trustees present their report and the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2022.

The Trustees confirm that the annual report and financial statements of the Charity comply with current statutory requirements, the requirements of the Charity’s governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice for Charities (SORP 2015) (Second Edition, effective 1 January 2019).

CHAIR’S FOREWORD

A chasm lies between the theoretical proposition that access to justice is a fundamental element of the rule of law and the practical position that those without the means to pay are unable to exercise their legal rights. Whilst legal aid has never been a pillar of the UK welfare state, the provision of legal advice by the State for those without means has been a feature of our society since the late 1940s. Such provision remains, but at a much-reduced level, for those whose liberty might be at stake and for a limited range of civil causes but not for welfare, employment, housing, and many other issues which daily beset peoples’ lives. We help to bridge that chasm with volunteers from the legal community who are happy to give free advice for the public good.

We have enjoyed a productive year and made positive strides across our many areas of work, as you will see in this Report. We are proud of the contribution that the solicitors’ profession and the next generation of solicitors make to society and celebrated their successes at our two annual awards events. Listening to the judges’ commendations of the heroic efforts that our award entrants made over the year – in addition to their working or studying – was a humbling experience and underscored the good that so many of our profession do.

We were delighted to appoint Rebecca Wilkinson as our new Chief Executive on the early retirement of her predecessor, Martin Barnes. Those who have benefited from LawWorks’ efforts over the past eight years – the volunteer lawyers and law students, the beneficiaries of pro bono advice, our members, staff and Trustees – owe Martin a great debt for his leadership and wise counsel over his time as our Chief Executive.

Finally, we would like to thank all our financial supporters, without whose assistance we would be unable to play our part in delivering some measure of access to justice.

Alasdair Douglas

Chair, Board of Trustees

4 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

INTRODUCING REBECCA WILKINSON, CEO OF LAWWORKS

It was a little daunting to step into Martin Barnes’s shoes as Chief Executive of LawWorks in June 2022. Martin and I joined the pro bono sector around the same time, and it was a pleasure to watch him guide LawWorks with a steady hand over the past eight years. It was an honour to serve as Martin’s deputy for the past three years, and through his clear vision and the commitment of our incredible staff team we were able to work through financial changes, global pandemics, and the increasing digitalisation of our world, to ensure every challenge was approached as an opportunity for reflection and development.

Today, we’re not only known as an organisation that matches solicitors with high quality pro bono opportunities, but we are also at the heart of the wider pro bono community, developing and supporting independent clinics across England and Wales, pushing forward new models of pro bono collaboration, and embracing tech innovations to develop new ways to help those who may otherwise be legally excluded.

Our purpose has always been to partner with volunteer solicitors to create a fairer and stronger community. We work through our Not-for-Profits programme to support those organisations working with some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, to make sure that social justice is not being hampered through a lack of access to legal advice. We also tackle a number of major social issues including employment, welfare benefits, social care, as well as providing one-off legal advice on our Free Legal Answers Platform. Within this report you can read about these projects and the extraordinary impact they have on the clients, through collaborations with lawyers and advice agencies.

Underpinning all of our work is a deep connection and collaboration with the pro bono community of England & Wales and the wider access to justice eco-system. All of our work is designed to support and facilitate a better understanding of legal needs, rights, and the importance of access to legal advice in our communities.

As we move through 2023 we have more work to do to develop our infrastructure and deepen our impact and evidence. In the meantime, I want to thank everyone who supports LawWorks to make a difference – our Board, funders, donors, members and of course the pro bono lawyers who give of their time and skills to help people, usually unknown to them, to access their rights. We’re looking forward to working with you in 2023 and beyond.

Rebecca Wilkinson

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 5

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

About LawWorks

LawWorks (the Solicitors Pro Bono Group) was founded on the 29th July 1997. It is a charity that promotes, supports and facilitates pro bono legal services that extend access to the law for individuals and communities in need, and the organisations that support them. We champion pro bono because of the positive contribution and difference it makes for individuals, communities, and society.

LawWorks operates as a membership organisation, supporting volunteers from around 150 organisations. The pro bono work of each organisation makes a difference to communities; collectively our members play an invaluable role in extending access to justice.

Partnership is at the heart of what we do, and our range of programmes and support are delivered in collaboration with legal professionals, law schools, The Law Society and other professional bodies.

Since our creation, LawWorks’ charitable objects have remained to promote the upholding and proper administration of the law by:

Encouraging, supporting and advising solicitors and firms of solicitors and their staffs in the provision of pro bono legal services; and advancing the education and training of solicitors and firms of solicitors and their staffs undertaking or intending to undertake pro bono legal services;
To encourage, support and advise solicitors to undertake charitable voluntary work in the administration of the law, education, social services, community work and other charitable activities for the benefit of the community; and

Access to justice

Access to justice is a fundamental principle of the rule of law. LawWorks believes all people should have access to justice and that this is an example of the proper administration of the law as set out in our charitable objects.

We develop innovative programmes, increasingly with the use of technology, to ensure that people and organisations who may be at risk of legal exclusion, are able to access legal advice across England and Wales.

Our work is founded on the principle that pro bono is an adjunct to, not a replacement of, legal aid, and everything we do is designed to promote the importance of a fair and just legal infrastructure, which is accessible and open to all.

LawWorks membership

LawWorks members are integral to our organisation and vital for our work and impact. We have around 150 members, including private practice law firms (across England and Wales), in-house legal teams, universities and colleges educating the lawyers of tomorrow, and not-for-profit organisations providing legal advice. Membership of LawWorks provides members with the opportunity to contribute to a variety of pro bono activities, including our ‘secondary specialisation’ projects and our support for charities and community organisations through our Not-for-Profits programme. LawWorks is also able to provide professional indemnity insurance for pro bono projects where it is not otherwise available.

To provide pro bono legal services.

6 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Members have access to free training and events, including roundtables and networking opportunities. Our members are also eligible to have their pro bono work recognised and celebrated by participating in our annual Pro Bono Awards.

Legal pro bono

Pro bono makes an important contribution towards enabling individuals and organisations (in particular, smaller charities and social enterprises) to access legal support, advice and representation.

The overall contribution of pro bono may be relatively small as a proportion of legal need, but its impact and importance is significant. Legal pro bono is not, and in LawWorks’ view should not be seen as, an alternative to an adequately funded system of legal aid nor an alternative for funding for local advice agencies and law centres.

Changes to legal aid (introduced from April 2013) continue to have a significant impact on many people’s ability to access justice. In addition, the increasing cost of living has impacted the provision and availability of free legal advice.

LawWorks encourages everyone providing and facilitating pro bono to incorporate and apply the Joint Pro Bono Protocol, developed by The Law Society and others to promote and support high standards of pro bono work. The Protocol does not replace, but seeks to build upon, professional codes of conduct setting out the standards and requirements all lawyers must achieve and observe.

LawWorks also supports the Law Society’s Pro Bono Charter, a public statement that law firms, in-house teams and alternative business structures can sign.

Public benefit

When planning and reviewing LawWorks’ activities for the year, the Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. LawWorks’ charitable activities focus on enabling individuals and charities and not-for-profit organisations to access pro bono legal advice, information and support.

Our ultimate beneficiaries are those who would otherwise be unable to access justice. The experience and feedback of people accessing clinics in the LawWorks clinics network underlines research demonstrating that timely access to advice can have positive benefits, including to physical and mental health and wellbeing. An inability to access legal advice can result in problems worsening and escalating.

All of LawWorks’ activities for 2022 can be read about in our Achievements and Performance section.

The Trustees of LawWorks would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every volunteer for their time and dedication, as their efforts provide invaluable support to people and organisations who cannot afford representation.

The Protocol, and a list of signatories, is available on the LawWorks website: www.lawworks.org.uk.

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 7

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

2022 at a glance

10

InfoExchange sessions which were attended by

347 clinic coordinators or administrators.

80%

of clinics highly value being part of the LawWorks Clinics Network.

Volunteers from 23

training sessions were held for small charities and not-profit organisations attended by 86 different organisations.

12

new legal pro bono advice clinics were launched in 2022.

of non-profit cases were allocated legal pro bono support in 2022.

The UK Pro Bono Portal won “Disruptive Technology of the Year” at the 2022 Legal Innovations Awards.

in 2022, ensuring legal support for 117

went to tribunal were successful in their appeal.

Our Not-for-Profits Programme found pro bono support for

138 legal matters.

365

51,000+ people helped by clinics on the LawWorks Clinics Network in 2022.

The Unpaid Wages project assisted clients in reclaiming £11,836.29 of unpaid wages at tribunal.

In 2022, LawWorks

held 53 training sessions, developing the legal knowledge of hundreds of volunteers.

100 new secondary specialisation volunteers trained, enabling their future participation in projects.

LawWorks Clinics Network (England)

The LawWorks Clinics Network provides support and assistance to free legal advice clinics, supported by volunteer lawyers. Clinics on network provide free initial advice, predominantly in the area of social welfare law, to individuals who are often particularly vulnerable members of the community.

The clinics team help set up and maintain sustainable clinic partnerships between individual lawyers, solicitor firms and inhouse legal teams, law schools, charities, community groups and advice agencies to help address unmet legal need in our communities. We provide practical guidance and resources to ensure that a high standard of service is provided to our clinics’ clients.

Clinics in the network are independent of LawWorks, with day-to-day responsibility remaining with the lawyers, law school and/ or agency involved, with the assurance that LawWorks will continue to support them. Being part of the network brings with it other benefits such as access to training, hub meetings, tools and resources. In 2022, we continued to host monthly ‘InfoExchange’ sessions, bringing together clinic coordinators, practitioners and contributors to share best practice and discuss trends.

Feedback throughout the year (from clinic coordinators, volunteers and other stakeholders) remained positive and encouraging whilst LawWorks continued the development of new clinics alongside the continued support existing ones.

“The support is second to none. The support is invaluable. As a small Centre with little in the way of other staff involved, LawWorks have provided support and also links to other clinic coordinators.”

Achievements against

objectives

Throughout 2022, 12 new clinics were developed across England and Wales, with LawWorks providing support with project planning and bringing together relevant stakeholders. Guidance from the Clinics Team helps take an initial idea through to clinic launch and ongoing development.

“I have attended some InfoExchange sessions, and I found them very useful. It is great to exchange thoughts and ideas with other legal clinics.”

We also held 10 InfoExchange sessions, attended by 347 clinic coordinators or administrators. Each session was recorded and complemented by a write-up and resources. The team also brought clinics together in each region through 16 hub meetings, as well as regular 1-2-1 support meetings.

The Clinics Team organised the fourth (and first hybrid) Clinics Conference ‘Connecting with Communities’, which took place at the offices of Herbert Smith Freehills in London. The conference was attended by over 100 clinic coordinators, volunteers, pro bono law firm managers and representatives from other advice sector organisations.

In our Annual Coordinator Survey, 80% of clinics indicated they highly value participation in the Clinics Network.

Impact

The Clinics Programme has a direct impact on existing clinics that are provided with support and access to resources, and to new clinics that were set up through the programme to help meet demand.

“Thank you for the exceptional support and training received. It is the best I have ever experienced working in private practice, the public and university sector.”

By supporting clinics to run as efficiently as possible, the programme also has an indirect impact on the clients that receive free legal advice through these services. In

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 9

2022, clinics reported that they:

received nearly 75,000 enquiries.
of which they were able to assist over 50,000 people: in predominately 1) family law 2) employment law 3) civil litigation 4) housing law 5) asylum/immigration

The team always aims to respond to the needs of an ever growing and changing network and it is great to receive feedback such as “Just please to continue doing what you are doing!” .

Challenges and lessons learned

One of the biggest challenges when developing a new independent clinic is the lack of ownership and decision-making powers. Often stakeholders are delivering clinics over and above their existing operations which is difficult to sustain.

It has been historically harder to get lawyers based outside of London to engage in pro bono. Voluntary work has often centred around non-professional skills. Engaging with the profession through events such as pro bono roundtables and local law society committees, where the need is highlighted as well as the role of facilitating organisations such as LawWorks, has made progress in spreading the case for pro bono.

“I received considerable support and guidance which allowed me to set up the clinic which without I would not have started the clinic up. The monthly training sessions and learning resources are extremely useful for ongoing guidance and support and helps with the ongoing development of the clinic to be able to provide pro bono services to the public.”

Rural pro bono remains a challenge, as pro bono provision is often centred around urban areas. This has however been somewhat mitigated due to an uptake in technology during the pandemic and LawWorks’ digital platforms.

LawWorks Cymru Clinics

LawWorks Cymru is a five-year project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund to further develop pro bono work in Wales. The team in Wales work with a range of stakeholders, including legal teams, legal aid providers, law schools and other charities to identify and support opportunities for volunteering to help those most in need – and making it as easy as possible for lawyers to volunteer their time in the most effective ways.

Achievements against objectives

During this year, one new clinic was developed in Wales, with a number of potential clinics looking to go live in 2023. Three training sessions were put on to support the launch of the new clinic.

At the end of 2022, LawWorks commissioned an external evaluator to gather information on advice provided to clients through clinics on the network and analyse how the support has changed their understanding of their legal issue and how this may have affected their stress levels.

Impact

In 2022, pro bono clinics in the LawWorks Cymru network received 1,400 enquiries and supported nearly 900 people.

LawWorks Cymru was also instrumental in setting up the Wales Pro Bono Committee alongside Advocate and National Pro Bono Week.

Challenges and lessons learned

As with all clinic development across England & Wales, external challenges include difficulties in engaging firms and volunteers in new clinics, often due to time commitment or their areas of specialism versus the legal areas of need for the clients.

The newly established Pro Bono Committee in Wales has had a positive effect on engagement both within and outside the

10 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Committee. We will be looking to the committee to continue to raise awareness about the importance of pro bono to aid the development of more clinics.

LawWorks Training

Programme

LawWorks organises training sessions for our members, clinic volunteers and community groups, which cover a broad range of legal issues and topics. Our training is delivered, often pro bono, by solicitors, barristers and others with expertise in areas of law and practice. Over 50 training sessions were delivered in 2022, the vast majority online.

Given the ongoing pressures on charities and the not-for-profit advice sector, our training sessions continued to be available for free to all, including materials and recordings uploaded onto the LawWorks website.

We also provide bespoke training in response to requests from our members, and others, and provide training for pro bono volunteers as part of our ‘secondary specialisation’ projects and our Not-forProfits programme.

Achievements against objectives

Against a target of 40 sessions across LawWorks’ activities and programmes (excluding Wales), 53 training sessions took place, including interviewing and advocacy skills training. New topics include environmental law for clinics, travel – consumer rights, private family law in practice (a series comprising 6 sessions delivered by barristers at Coram Chambers), religious belief discrimination, the Renters Reform Bill & White Paper and data protection.

Impact

Attendance continues at good levels, with sessions usually attended by around 20 – 50 people. Registrations often exceed 50 people and occasionally can be more than 90.

Most training sessions are recorded, with the recording posted via LawWorks’ website shortly after the event. Recordings receive views often multiples of the live attendance number, thereby extending the life of live training sessions.

“Thanks to Sam and Shristi I’m definitely going to volunteer more at the clinic...”

Challenges and lessons learned

Sourcing new trainers, particularly those willing to give their time on a pro bono basis, can be a challenge, this can require considerable time spent on relationship building. We continue to work with the trainers and lawyers to understand how LawWorks fits into the wider training infrastructure.

“Thank you, Elizabeth and LawWorks. That’s a tricky bit of upcoming legislation that I now understand better .... when will the recording be available. ”

Understanding the training needs of member firms, as well as the resources needed to run bespoke training for members, continues to be explored, with a renewed emphasis on this aspect of LawWorks’ training likely to feature in 2023.

“So, basically, if you’ve got a consumer problem with an EU based retailer it’s sometimes going to be difficult to do much about it. Worrying, but important – training thanks LawWorks and Jason.”

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 11

Not-for-Profits Programme

Our Not-for-Profits Programme engages with solicitors from our pro bono network of over 150-member law firms and inhouse teams to support small and mediumsized not-for-profit organisations in England and Wales, to access pro bono legal advice.

“Our lawyer was excellent, she kept me updated throughout the whole process and provided me with the opportunity to ask as many questions as I needed to be able to understand things.”

We run several services as part of the Notfor-Profits Programme:

Casework service – where legal advice is required for a small, one-off legal issue.
Honorary Counsel service – where broader legal support is provided on a longer-term basis; and
Free, downloadable memos and FAQs for not-for-profit organisations, as well as Free Talks on common legal issues, all available via our website.

We also ran, until mid-2022, the Charity Registration Pilot whereby where volunteer solicitors provided expertise to organisations who wanted to register as a charity with the Charity Commission. The Pilot was paused to new applicants mid2022 whilst an in-depth evaluation was conducted to understand the performance of the Pilot and potential next steps, to be reviewed in 2023.

Applications for legal advice are assessed (‘triaged’) by LawWorks to ensure that they meet our eligibility criteria and to review the type of legal assistance sought. We publish cases on our Pro Bono Portal that member organisations and individuals review to identify whether pro bono support can be provided.

Where we cannot assist a not-for-profit organisation, for example because the organisation is ineligible for support, we signpost to appropriate sources of help or information.

Achievements against

objectives

The Not-for-Profits Programme aimed to support 200 not-for-profit organisations across 2022. During 2022, the programme received 353 applications (of which 142 were eligible for support through the programme), brokered support for 139 notfor-profit cases, and ran 7 training sessions with 86 attendees, helping a total of 225 not-for-profit organisations across the year.

The main areas of law advised on were property; corporate and commercial; employment; litigation and dispute resolution; and data protection.

“Incredibly helpful in terms of communicating the legality of the situation and what the actions were going to be. Very professional approach and also in a friendly manner.”

Impact

The 225 charities which LawWorks members helped in 2022, work to support the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society. Although the breadth of their work is wide, they commonly deal with poverty, disability, abuse, social exclusion, and special educational needs. These organisations work all over England and Wales at all levels - from small, local or new organisations to country-wide organisations – and would otherwise struggle to pay for legal advice. By helping them access legal assistance for free, the LawWorks Not for Profit Programme is supporting them to help their wider beneficiaries.

“Super rewarding to apply our in-house expertise to a great cause and a different subject matter from our day-to-day work.”

Challenges and lessons learned

A significant achievement for 2022 was digitally transforming our internal processes by integrating a new application and case management system within the team. As

12 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

CASE STUDY: LawWorks Not-for-Profits Casework Service

Number Champions is an organisation focussed on improving the educational and life chances of every child who struggles with maths. They train volunteers who go into schools and work with young children on a one-to-one basis every week, to help them make sense of numbers and gain skills and confidence.

When Number Champions realised they needed advice on the legal requirements for entering into a contract they approached the LawWorks Not-for-Profits Casework Service, which matched them with a pair of volunteer lawyers. The volunteers worked with Number Champions to understand their query, and quickly identified that they needed additional legal advice which they swiftly provided.

Number Champions said “They asked insighFul questions to make us think through what we really required. The process was efficient, effective, and friendly, and at each stage Faegre Drinker showed a good understanding of the issues from our side and expressed the legal advice in language which was accessible.”

part of this transformation process, we have focused on making improvements to our processes in order to drive efficiencies in how we operate. We will continue to identify where we can simplify our processes and procedures, to further streamline our processes.

“The case was very interesting, and it was great to help someone who did not know what the legal position was in respect of their issue.”

Although our case numbers were strong, they were lower than 2021 which meant that there were fewer opportunities for our members to volunteer within the programme. We will have a renewed focus on increasing our case numbers in 2023, to ensure we can continue to expand the impact of the Not-for-Profits Programme. We will be reviewing our eligibility criteria in 2023 to make sure we are not excluding charities which are in need of our support.

Secondary Specialisation

Our secondary specialisation projects support the development of ‘in-depth’ pro bono in areas of social welfare law. This currently includes welfare benefits representation (supporting volunteer solicitors to represent individuals at 1st tier social security benefit appeals), an unpaid wages project, and ‘Voices for Families’, with the charity Together for Short Lives, supporting the parents and carers of children with life-limiting conditions. Our in-house solicitors, who are experts in their field, provide or facilitate tailored training for participating volunteers, and ongoing support and supervision.

During the year, we worked with law firms to establish a new project to provide bespoke pro bono support on domestic violence matters. The project, called the Domestic Abuse Response Alliance (DARA), was launched in February 2022, receiving referrals from the National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV) and supervision provided by leading family law firm Beck Fitzgerald. The participating firms make a financial contribution to the project and additional trust funding has also been secured.

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 13

Achievements against

objectives

117 low-income individuals were provided with legal assistance through LawWorks’ Secondary Specialisation projects in 2022.

42 referral agencies referred individuals to LawWorks throughout 2022. The projects also accepted some self-referrals.

Throughout 2022, 23 law firms were involved in LawWorks’ Secondary Specialisation projects.

Volunteer training sessions for each project took place and were attended by 50 new volunteer lawyers. There were volunteer training videos for the Voices for Families and Unpaid Wages projects available to new volunteers throughout the year, giving a total of over 100 new volunteers participating in Secondary Specialisation projects in 2022.

“The lawyers who assisted me gave top notch support; I couldn’t say enough good about them. Their assistance has made a huge difference in my life, and I am forever grateful.”

Impact

Of the cases that went to tribunal on the Welfare Benefits Advocacy Project 85% were successful in their appeal.

The Unpaid Wages Project assisted clients

in reclaiming £11,836.29 of unpaid wages at tribunal.

On the Voices for Families Project, 100% of clients surveyed said they felt less stressed due to help from LawWorks.

Feedback included: In a survey sent to clients who received legal assistance from Secondary Specialisation projects, 100% of clients who responded rate the assistance they received as ‘very good’ or ‘good.’

In a survey sent to volunteers about their involvement in Secondary Specialisation projects, 100% of volunteers who completed the survey said they would take another LawWorks case on. 100% of volunteers who completed the survey would rate the support they received from LawWorks as ‘good’ or ‘very good’. One volunteer gave feedback that the best part of volunteering with LawWorks was ‘’Having someone on hand to give pointers at all points throughout the process. Their support and legal knowledge were invaluable.’’

Challenges and lessons learned

Referrals for the Welfare Benefits project slowed significantly during Covid-19 and have unfortunately not returned to pre 2020 levels. At Welfare Benefits tribunals, the Tribunals Service has continued to take steps to reduce the appeals backlog that

CASE STUDY: LawWorks Welfare Benefits Project

Keisha suffers from sickle cell anemia causing fatigue, osteonecrosis in her shoulder, menorrhagia, kidney pain, dizziness and recurrent headaches. Having a full-time job Keisha often has to take time off due to chronic pain caused by her health issues. She had previously applied for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) but the application was refused.

Keisha was referred to LawWorks, where two volunteers lawyers assisted her with the appeal, drafting detailed submissions and providing advocacy at the tribunal, where Keisha was granted the Daily Living component of PIP at the enhanced rate. On hearing the ruling, Keisha said “I am overwhelmed by the decision. I am certain without LawWorks’ help I would not have received it as I previously went to Tribunal in 2016 and was unsuccessful.”

14 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

built up during the pandemic, but this has sometimes resulted in there being a small window between clients receiving their tribunal bundle and a hearing date being listed. Due to these shorter turnaround times some member firms have not had the capacity to take on as many cases as they would have hoped.

In 2023, allocation of cases to firms will be run through the Portal. This is an example of LawWorks digitizing its services, providing efficiencies and insights.

Pro Bono Connect

Pro Bono Connect is a scheme which facilitates collaboration between solicitors and barristers working together, pro bono, on civil matters for individuals, charities and community groups who cannot afford legal advice or representation. Founded in 2015 by Jamie Goldsmith KC of One Essex Court Chambers, the successful scheme came under the governance of LawWorks in 2019 and is supported by a dedicated staff post. An executive group supports the scheme and Advocate is a key partner.

Achievements against

objectives

The projects key objectives involve promoting the scheme, improving administration and growing the scheme in scope and membership. During 2022, Pro Bono Connect played a key role in pro bono roundtables held in Manchester and the North West, The North East and Wales, which attracted more regional members to join the scheme. Membership overall increased by 10% during the year pushing it to over 100 member firms and chambers.

The areas of law covered by the scheme also increased in 2022, with increased requests about housing law, probate, and digital fraud.

Administrative improvements are being made all the time, with the long-term goal of transitioning this to the UK Pro Bono Portal in 2023, and further growth is

envisaged with the 2023 collaboration with the National Pro Bono Centre.

Impact

Pro Bono Connect enables clients to have a complete legal team pursuing their case. During 2022 the scheme successfully placed 33 cases across a range of areas of law. These were all cases which otherwise may have gone unrepresented as the lawyer (solicitor or barrister) would not have the capacity to run the case alone.

Several cases resulted in pro bono costs orders thereby positively impacting funding in the access to justice space.

Challenges and lessons learned

Capacity and conflict on behalf of the law firms persist as the main challenges to the overall aim of the scheme, which is to see more cases placed. Increasing membership alone has not resolved this issue. There remains a need to recruit more specialist and niche firms, as well as those outside of the larger London/USA based firms.

Digital platforms and projects

In 2022, LawWorks’ continued its investment in and management of three national digital platforms—the UK Pro Bono Portal, Free Legal Answers, and The Jeanie Project—as well as the Major Incidents Response Plan.

UK Pro Bono Portal

The UK Pro Bono Portal (or “Portal”) went live in November 2021. The Portal was initially used to run LawWorks’ Not-forProfits Programme. Throughout the year, the Portal helped connect hundreds of charities with free legal advice from over 60 leading law firms and in-house legal teams.

Originally developed by Justice Connect in Australia, their award-winning platform has been adapted for use in the UK (initially in England and Wales) and other international jurisdictions. The Portal connects lawyers

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 15

with pro bono opportunities from one place - efficiently, simply and securely.

Throughout 2022, LawWorks had been scoping out the processes for running other LawWorks and external projects on the Portal. Discussions with relevant stakeholders led to the Domestic Abuse Response Alliance (DARA) being run through the Portal. A pilot was also run for the LawWorks Clinics Referral Network, designed to allow member clinics to refer potential clients to each other. Plans are underway to transition Pro Bono Connect and LawWorks’ secondary specialisation projects onto the Portal as well.

Free Legal Answers - Free Legal Answers UK

During the year LawWorks continued to develop Free Legal Answers (FLA), a website that enables individuals on low incomes to access initial or one-off pro bono legal advice. Free Legal Answers is based on a service in the United States supported by the American Bar Association. LawWorks was granted a licence to launch a similar website in England and Wales. The project was funded by the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ), HALS grant. This funding has been secured until July 2023.

“The lawyer was brilliant, so understanding, I can’t thank them enough for taking the time to help.”

The Jeanie Project

The Jeanie Project (TJP) was redesigned with user experience design thinking at the fore and relaunched as a digital triage tool in 2022. Our first target users were nonlegally trained staff using it as a means of acquiring the most pertinent information to a legal matter to assist any pro bono lawyer in making an assessment on the merits of a case. Our second target users were lawyers using TJP as a means of acquiring the right information from the client so they can make the appropriate referral to another specialist lawyer. The Jeanie Project was originally launched for Employment and Immigration matters. The Housing section

went live in 2022.

Major Incidents Response Plan

During the year, LawWorks continued to work with the Law Society to establish a centralised online platform to help coordinate pro bono advice from the profession in the event of a major incident, including terrorist attacks and civic disasters such as the Grenfell Tower fire. In the event of a qualifying major incident, affected members of the public would be able to request free legal advice using a legal pro bono platform. At the end of 2022, LawWorks began to transition the Major Incidents Response Plan onto the UK Pro Bono Portal.

Going forward, LawWorks will continue to explore how the different digital platforms and tools can be integrated, as well as being committed to sharing learning with others in the sector.

Achievements against objectives

Going into 2022, the Digital Team set objectives to continue the development and improvement of potential and existing digital platforms. The actions taken in 2022 progressed the vision of integration of the digital platforms and projects so as to establish a national ‘one-stop shop’ for pro bono volunteering.

Additionally, the team set a goal to improve data collection and data utility organisation-wide. The strategies and tools (e.g. AWS QuickSight) for this latter goal were set up throughout the year.

UK Pro Bono Portal

With the ultimate goal being to move all LawWorks projects onto the Portal, the team was successful in transitioning DARA and creating a Standard Operating Procedure for the transition of Pro Bono Connect, expected to be completed in 2023. In collaboration with the Clinics team, the Portal was also used to pilot a system of referrals between members of the LawWorks Clinics Network.

16 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Free Legal Answers

Our aim was to see 400 total questions answered on the platform by the end of the year. From May 2020 to May 2022, when an independent impact report was assessed, FLA users had submitted 287 unique questions. By December 2022, that number had increased to 498 total questions.

The rate of submissions from May 2022 to December 2022 experienced a growth rate of approximately 152% compared to the rate of submissions between May 2020 to May 2022.

2022 saw 365 individuals sign up to FLA, an additional 261 valid questions submitted, and 132 of those questions receiving answers from qualified lawyers (just over 50%).

Major Incidents Response Plan

Pursuant to our objectives, the pilot version of the platform was launched and tested in 2022. The results of this phase led to our decision to redevelop the project onto the UK Pro Bono Portal.

Impact

Throughout 2022, LawWorks continued to grow its digital presence, not just utilising digital tools to improve service delivery, but developing and supporting such tools. In April 2022, the UK Pro Bono Portal won the award for ‘Disruptive Technology of the Year’ at the Legal Innovation Awards. The Portal continues to be one-stop shop to transform the pro bono ecosystem in the UK, and increase the number of people receiving the legal help they need.

On Free Legal Answers, the service engaged with users from age 16 to over 75 on housing, family, welfare, debt and consumer rights issues; with 132 pieces of pro bono legal advice given. 2022 saw renewed interest from volunteers, with the highest registrations since the platform was launched in 2020.

The pilot run of The Jeanie Project resulted in glowing reviews from testers. The

encrypted output was a great success, users felt this made clients feel their data was safe, overcoming any initial issues or anxieties users may have about the storage of their sensitive information. Users gave feedback in support of the platform, indicating The Jeanie Project is “super intuitive” and its “content is spot on.” There exists a great need for a digital triage tool in the pro bono sector, and The Jeanie Project helped further explore and iterate upon that need.

“I was super impressed with your service and cannot thank you enough for your help. Which is why I have taken the time to do this survey as it’s not something I would normally do.”

Challenges and lessons learned

LawWorks transition to digital was kickstarted by the pandemic, like so many charities. Two years later, that transition is still in progress, with the usual iteration required of such a process. That transition also extends beyond the digital services into all facets of the organization, for example, the Not-for-Profits team transferring their data onto a new case management system in 2022, and the Clinics Team opening a referral space on the Portal.

Whilst member engagement with services run through the portal are high, lawyer engagement on Free Legal Answers continues to be a struggle. Even as client submissions and lawyer registrations grow, the number of lawyers answering questions remains low. Lawyer engagement will be the number one priority for FLA in 2023.

The main lesson learned is that the digital team and its projects must fit within the scope of LawWorks’ pro bono brokerage model. A user-first, rather than techfirst, approach is needed to ensure the deliverability and success of any ongoing or future digital platform. Growth of our digital services must be matched by growth in volunteer engagement and participation.

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 17

ENGAGEMENT

LawWorks is a leading voice for pro bono in England and Wales. Engagement is a key to LawWorks promoting the importance of pro bono and our efforts ae made across many fronts.

LawWorks holds the Secretariat for the APPG on Pro Bono and Public Legal Education. We ran two successful APPGs in 2022:

In September we hosted a panel discussion on assessing unmet legal need and access to justice in England & Wales. The event was chaired by Laura Farris MP, and the panel included Alex Chalk QC MP, Ellie Reeves MP and LawWorks’ CEO Rebecca Wilkinson.
In November, as part of National Pro Bono Week, we hosted an event looking at what pro bono is and how MPs can signpost their constituents to pro bono legal support.

2022 saw the launch of a pro bono led research project called “Mind The Gap”. LawWorks worked with Hogan Lovells, Mishcon de Reya, Addelshaw Goddard and Eversheds Sutherland to conduct a survey into unmet legal need in England & Wales, offering to join MPs in their surgeries to see what legal issues arise, and what obstacles are encountered in referring constituents on to legal advisors. It is anticipated that the data will be prepared for a report that will be launched in 2023.

LawWorks published an article with Crafty Counsel on ways that in-house lawyers can get involved in pro bono.

Pro bono awards

An important part of our work is to encourage pro bono across the solicitors profession and to recognise and celebrate pro bono achievement and impact.

for our awards in 2022. The awards event (hosted by Sangita Myska, an experienced television and radio presenter and journalist) was held at the Law Society on 6th December.

The winners of the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards in 2022 were:

Best Contribution by a Law Firm: Duncan Lewis Solicitors
Best Contribution by an In-house Team / Solicitor: Regulatory and Compliance Team, Visa Europe Legal
Junior Lawyers Division Pro Bono Award: Georgia Crossman, Reed Smith
Best Contribution by an Individual: Eleanor Ruiz, Reed Smith
The LawWorks Cymru Award: The LGBTQ+ Law Clinic, Speakeasy Law Centre
Best Contribution by a Pro Bono Clinic: Hertfordshire Law Clinic, Hertfordshire Law School
Best International Pro Bono Award: AHA Foundation and Reed Smith
Best New Pro Bono Activity: Ukraine Advice Project
Most Effective Pro Bono Partnership: Afghan Pro Bono Initiative

We are grateful for the time and commitment of our panel of judges that comprised: Chris Minnoch, Director of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group; Lindsey Poole, Director of Advice Services Alliance; Paul Rogerson, Editor of the Law Society Gazette; Rebecca Wilkie, Chief Executive of Advocate; Suzanna Eames, former Chair of the Junior Lawyers Division; and Yasmin Batliwala, Chief Executive of Advocates for International Development.

The awards were kindly sponsored by LexisNexis and supported by the Law Society.

We received a high number of nominations

18 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Supporting law schools and student pro bono

Law students and trainees make an important and growing contribution to pro bono. We encourage, develop and recognise the pro bono activity carried out by students at law schools across the UK. With the support and supervision of qualified lawyers, undergraduate and postgraduate students take part in a variety of pro bono projects. These include public legal education projects and programmes raising awareness about the law and legal issues; generalist and subjectspecialist advice clinics; placements with voluntary sector agencies; miscarriage of justice initiatives; and court and tribunal representation work.

Students and law schools from across the UK gathered in the House of Lords on 4th May for the annual LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards. The awards were supported and presented by the Attorney General Suella Braverman MP QC, and kindly sponsored by LexisNexis. The ceremony was hosted by Lord Low of Dalston and attended by 160 guests.

The winners of the 2022 awards were:

Best New Pro Bono Activity: Windrush Justice Clinics at London South Bank University, King’s College London and University of Westminster
Best Contribution by an Individual: Samantha Howlett, University of Essex
Best Contribution by a Law School: BPP Pro Bono Centre, BPP University
Best Contribution by a Team of Students: Shelter Court Runner Team, Hertfordshire Law School
Access to Justice Foundation Award: Amelia Quince, Cambridge University

We are grateful to the panel of judges for the awards: James Harper, Executive Sponsor, Rule of Law and CSR for LexisNexis UK & Ireland; Leanne Targett-Parker, coChair, Bar Council Pro Bono and Social Responsibility Committee; Lubna Shuja, Vice President, The Law Society of England and Wales; Olivia Partridge, Content Producer, LawCareers.Net; Peter Farr, Head of Civil Law Policy, Ministry of Justice; and Rohini Jana, Head of Parliamentary Affairs, Legal Aid Practitioners Group.

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 19

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

The appointment of Rebecca Wilkinson, LawWorks’ new Chief Executive Officer has coincided with the commencement of a new strategic period as of 2023.

LawWorks will continue to enhance its impact as an organisation, and to grow its understanding of the nuances and interrelations between its direct and indirect beneficiaries.

Lastly is sustainability. As referenced, LawWorks anticipates a period of financial challenge. Establishing regular income streams is essential to our longevity. Included in this will be the continued adoption and enhancement of technology and understanding LawWorks impact.

Understanding the experience of LawWorks’ many stakeholders, both internal and external will be a strategic priority.

Investing in our staff, understanding our client’s journey and enhancing our membership offer will be core priorities in our new strategy.

20 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

FINANCIAL REVIEW

In 2021 and 2022 LawWorks has seen two of its major historic funders, who made up approximately 25% of its income cut funding by approximately 60%.

Despite this, LawWorks managed to close 2022 with a revenue surplus of £50,949. LawWorks is facing a substantial structural deficit going into 2023 of £245k and the years ahead, which in turn has led to the development of its 2023-2025 Fundraising and Financial Sustainability Strategy.

Key to this strategy will be the development of new sustainable unrestricted income streams. It is anticipated that 2023 will serve as a platform to pilot new approaches to fundraising, the learnings from which will give a basis for more purposeful efforts in 2024 and the refinement of these in 2025.

Reserves policy

The Board of Trustees, in the interest of providing adequate contingency funds to LawWorks, have continued to keep a reserves policy of six months’ operating costs. This is equal to £509,919 based on 2022 expenditure.

Come year ending 2022, LawWorks held £801,189, £731,732 of which are unrestricted. This amount of unrestricted reserves is equal to 8.6 months’ operating costs.

The surplus of £221,813 over the reserves policy, are designated funds to support the delivery of the Fundraising and Financial Sustainability Strategy, and likewise in acknowledgement of the substantial £245k structural deficit LawWorks faces going into 2023.

Risk management

The Trustees have continued to review the risks presented to LawWorks and are

satisfied there are adequate measures in place to mitigate the most significant risks. The principle risks identified by the Board are as follows:

Financial Sustainability – As stated previously LawWorks has developed a structural deficit. While its reserves are substantial, so too is the deficit. LawWorks’ Fundraising and Financial Sustainability Strategy has been approved to address this.

Compliance – LawWorks has scope for and has commenced the implementation of initiatives to improve its compliance which includes Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

External Risks – Using the PESTLE framework, politics, the UK economy and technology are areas of continued focus and contingency planning. LawWorks will move away from funding sources that are impacted by political volatility, establish new income streams and develop its technological counter measures for each of these areas respectively.

Operational Risks – LawWorks’ staffing structure to deliver its strategy, staff retention and LawWorks’ change in leadership team have been identified as key considerations. Developing an inclusive culture, investing in staff training and a staff retention initiative have commenced.

Fundraising

In 2022, LawWorks’ income was derived from four main sources: membership fees, trusts and foundations, the Ministry of Justice, and The Law Society, with additional funding coming from individual donations, legacies and fundraising events.

In 2022, the Ministry of Justice ceased its long-running Litigants in Person Support Scheme (LIPSS) which provided funding to a group of pro bono charities including

22 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

LawWorks. Funded by the Ministry of Justice, the Litigants in Person Support Strategy was a partnership with LawWorks, Law for Life, RCJ Advice, Support Through Court, Advocate and the Access to Justice Foundation. The partnership brought together different elements of support for individuals with a legal problem who may be, or are, going to a tribunal or court without legal representation.

Having closed the year with a £51k surplus, 2022 is considered a successful year for fundraising. The surplus is especially important as LawWorks looks ahead to a period of financial challenge as outlined in the financial review.

Funding cuts over the past two years have meant that LawWorks needs to diversify its income as a matter of urgency to ensure we can continue to run our programmes across England and Wales. In order to secure multi-year committed funding, we have recently introduced a new major giving programme and are working to strengthen other unrestricted income streams including individual donations and corporate giving.

For 2022, grants totalled £755k and membership fees reached £229k. The remainder of LawWorks’ income is largely made up of sponsorship and individual donations.

With turnover in excess of £1m for 2022 and in accordance with the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016, LawWorks confirms:

Fundraising was conducted by LawWorks’ Chief Executive, Head of Fundraising and a longstanding selfemployed fundraising consultant.
LawWorks is a member of the Fundraising Regulator.
In 2022, no failures to comply with the guidance of the Fundraising Regulator were recognised.
Controls in place with regard to fundraising include – mandatory sign-off from the CEO and COO before bids are submitted, monthly internal fundraising workshops to review progress / practices and a policy of not fundraising from clients i.e. those who cannot afford a solicitor. The external fundraiser’s contract is reviewed annually by the Chief Executive.
In 2022, there were zero complaints made with regard to LawWorks’ fundraising activity.
As above, LawWorks has a policy to not target its clients when fundraising, as we expect many would be considered vulnerable. LawWorks directs the little individual fundraising it currently does at professionals in the legal sector.

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 23

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

LawWorks is a registered charity and a private company limited by guarantee. The organisation was incorporated on 29th July 1997 and its governing document is a memorandum and articles of association.

The Charity has no share capital or debentures, hence there are no Trustees’ interests requiring disclosure. In the event of the Charity being wound up each member is required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.

The Charity is governed by a Board of Trustees who are all volunteers. No paid employee of the Charity, whether in full or part time employment, can be elected to the Board. The election of members to the Board takes place at the Annual General Meeting. The Trustees may appoint any member to the Board to fill a casual vacancy or as an additional Trustee. A Trustee so appointed shall hold office only until the next Annual General Meeting. Details of those serving on the Board during the year and those serving currently are shown below.

Trustees

New Trustees were recruited to the Board during the year and will submit to election at the AGM. When recruiting new Trustees, the Board attempts to attract candidates with skills and experience appropriate to the needs of the organisation by advertising and other publicity. The Board of Trustees meet once every three months and hold an annual away day. All new Trustees receive an induction, are routinely updated with the Commission’s guidance publications and subsequent training is made available to all Trustees as needed.

The Trustees, who are the directors for company law purposes, retire by rotation and are eligible for reappointment; they

are elected by its company members. The names of the Trustees serving in 2022 are as follows:

Alasdair Douglas (Chair)
Robert Lay (Treasurer)
Caroline Parks (until October 2022)
Deborah Smith (appointed October 2022)
Emma Rehal-Wilde
Gemma Watts
Ian Jeffrey (appointed October 2022)
Jamie Goldsmith KC
Lubna Shuja (appointed October 2022)

The staff team is accountable, through the Chief Executive, to the Trustees, and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Charity in accordance with the strategy, policies, procedures and budgets approved by the Board and any ad hoc committees.

The key management personnel during the year were the Chief Executive together with the Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Programmes (who subsequently became Chief Executive from 1 May 2022) and the Chief Operating Officer (appointed 1 August 2022).

Staff salaries are supervised by the Board taking into account the needs of the organisation and external economic circumstances.

2022 Saw the introduction of a revised Financial Procedures Manual. Through consultation with the Chair and Treasurer, delegations of authority, banking mandates and budgetary controls were revised.

Statement of Trustees’

Responsibilities

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable

24 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Policies).

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for the year.

In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable

company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the detection and prevention of fraud and other irregularities.

In so far as the Trustees are aware:

there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware; and
the Trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.

Auditors

Haysmacintyre LLP have indicated their willingness to continue in office and offer themselves for re-appointment as such, under Section 485 of the Companies Act 2006.

Preparation of the report

This report of the Board of Trustees has been prepared taking advantage of the small companies exemption of section 415A of the Companies Act 2006.

This report was approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees on 20 September 2023 and signed on their behalf by:

Alasdair Douglas Chair of Trustees

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 25

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS AND TRUSTEES OF SOLICITORS PRO BONO GROUP (“LAWWORKS”) Opinion statements in the UK, including the FRC’s

statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

We have audited the financial statements of Solicitors Pro Bono Group for the year ended 31 December 2022 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet, Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

In our opinion, the financial statements:

give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 December 2022 and of the charitable company’s net movement in funds, including the income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Trustees’ Annual Report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so,

26 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other

matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

the information given in the Trustees’ Annual Report (which includes the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law) for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the directors’ report included within the Trustees’ Annual Report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material

misstatements in the Trustees’ Annual Report (which incorporates the directors’ report).

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

adequate accounting records have not been kept by the charitable company; or
the charitable company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies’ regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the trustees’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.

Responsibilities of trustees for the financial

statements

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on pages 24 and 25 , the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 27

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Based on our understanding of the charitable company and the environment in which it operates, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related to compliance with the regulatory requirements of the Charity Commission, employment law and health and safety regulations, and we considered

the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, and payroll taxes.

We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal risks were related to revenue recognition. Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:

Inspecting correspondence with regulators and tax authorities;
Discussions with management including consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulation and fraud;
Evaluating management’s controls designed to prevent and detect irregularities;
Identifying and testing journals; and
Challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in their critical accounting estimates.

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/ auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

28 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Lee Stokes

Senior Statutory Auditor

For and on behalf of Haysmacintyre LLP Statutory Auditor

Haysmacintyre LLP 10 Queen Street Place, London, EC4R 1AG

Date:

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 29

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

(Incorporating Income and Expenditure Account) For the year ended 31 December 2022

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted
Funds Funds Total Funds Total Funds
Note 2022 2022 2022 2021
£ £ £ £
Income
Income from
Donations 2 67,179 - 67,179 79,088
Investments 1,421 - 1,421 4,416
Charitable activities 3 339,385 757,548 1,096,933 1,016,921
Oher income 14,881 - 14,881 10,000
Total income 422,866 757,548 1,180,414 1,110,425
Expenditure
-
Expenditure on raising funds 107,464 107,464 62,838
Expenditure on charitable activities:
Supporting and promoting pro bono 260,581 35,152 295,733 389,199
Enabling access to justice through pro bono 3,448 560,936 564,384 500,887
Supporting not-for-profit organisations 40,741 66,350 107,091 80,412
- -
Domestic Abuse Response Alliance Expenditure 54,793 54,793
Total expenditure 4 412,234 717,231 1,129,465 1,033,336
Net income 10,632 40,317 50,949 77,089
Transfers between funds 5,800 (5,800) - -
Net movement in funds 11 16,432 34,517 50,949 77,089
Total funds brought forward 715,300 34,940 750,240 673,151
Total funds carried forward 731,732 69,457 801,189 750,240
----- End of picture text -----

The Charity has no recognised gains or losses in the year other than that shown above. All the above results were derived from continuing activities. Details of comparative figures by fund are disclosed in note 1 to the financial statements.

The notes and information on pages 33 to 44 form part of these financial statements.

30 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

BALANCE SHEET

As at 31 December 2022

----- Start of picture text -----
2022 2021
Notes £ £ £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 8 8,216 8,597
Current assets
Debtors 9 144,003 117,230
Cash at bank and in hand 975,573 902,911
1,119,576 1,020,141
Creditors: amounts due within
10
one year (326,603) (278,498)
Net current assets 792,973 741,643
Net assets 801,189 750,240
Funds
Restricted Funds 11 69,457 34,940
General fund (unrestricted) 11 731,732 715,300
12 801,189 750,240
----- End of picture text -----

These financial statements were approved and signed on behalf of the Trustees on 20[th] September 2023.

Alasdair Douglas Chair of Trustees

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 31

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

For the year ended 31 December 2022

----- Start of picture text -----
Notes 2022 2021
£ £
Cash flows from operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities A 74,664 82,790
Cash flow from investing activities
Purchase of fixed assets (3,423) (7,571)
Interest 1,421 4,416
Net cash (used in) investing activities (2,002) (3,155)
Increase in cash and cash equivalents in the year 72,662 79,635
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year 902,911 823,276
Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the
year 975,573 902,911
A) RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income for the year as per SOFA 50,949 77,089
Depreciation charge 3,804 4,310
Loss on disposal of fixed asset - 262
Interest (1,421) (4,416)
(Increase) in debtors (26,773) (34,559)
Increase in creditors 48,105 40,104
Net cash provided by operating activities 74,664 82,790
----- End of picture text -----

32 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 December 2022

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows.

Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006, the Statement ofRecommended Practice for Charities (SORP 2015) (Second Edition, effective 1 January 2019) and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102).

Solicitors Pro Bono Group (LawWorks) is a company limited by guarantee. In the event of the Charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the Charity. The Charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis

The income of the Charity improved during the year resulting in a strong surplus and an improved net current asset position equivalent to 8.4 months of expenditure. The increase in quantity and diversity of income reflects a positive policy of the Trustees and is therefore expected to continue. The Trustees therefore believe that the Charity is a going concern based on forecasts of future income and the level of reserves, considering the risks inherent in the current income sources.

Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objects of the Charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the Charity for particular purposes. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Income

Income is recognised when the Charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the items have been met, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income received in advance of the relevant specified service provision is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met. If the funded service is provided continually the grant is considered to accrue evenly over the period of specified support.

Grants and donations

Grants and donations received are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities when the Charity is entitled to them as specified in the general income policy and in accordance with the terms attached to the grant or donation.

Donated services and

facilities

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the Charity which is the amount the Charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 33

of equivalent economic benefit on the open market. A corresponding amount is then recognised in the expenditure in the period of receipt.

In accordance with the Charities SORP FRS 102 the general volunteer time given to the Charity is not recognised.

The volunteers and individual members of the Charity benefit from events organised by the Charity in partnership with legal firms. The cost to these firms of providing these events is not treated as a donation to the Charity.

The extent of volunteering support in the Charity is acknowledged in the Annual Report.

Membership subscriptions

Income from membership subscriptions is recognised on an accruals basis, income received in advance is deferred (see Note 10).

Expenditure

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been included under expense categories that aggregate all costs for allocation to activities.

Allocation of support costs

Support costs, which cannot be directly attributed to particular activities, have been apportioned proportionately to the direct staff costs allocated to the activities.

Tangible fixed assets and

depreciation

All assets costing more than £500 are capitalised. Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives on the following bases:

Office furniture & equipment: 4 years

Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at

the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments.

Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

Pensions

The Charity makes payments to staff members’ personal pension and defined contribution arrangements. Payments made fulfil in total the Charity’s obligations for such payments and are recorded as an expense in the period they are payable.

Critical accounting

judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

In the application of the accounting policies, trustees are required to make judgement, estimates, and assumptions about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future

34 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

periods if the revision affected current and future periods.

In the view of the trustees, there are no areas of critical accounting judgement or estimation uncertainty used in preparing the financial statements.

Financial instruments

Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at amortised with the exception of investments which are held at fair value. Financial assets held amortised cost comprise cash at bank and in hand, together with trade and other debtors. A specific provision is made for debts for which recoverability is in doubt. Cash at bank and in hand is defined as all cash held in instant access bank accounts and used as working capital. Financial liabilities held at amortised cost comprise all creditors except social security and other taxes and provisions.

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 35

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES COMPARATIVES DETAIL

(Incorporating Income and Expenditure Account)

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted
Funds Funds Total Funds
2021 2021 2021
£ £ £
Income
Income from
Donations 79,088 - 79,088
Investments 4,416 - 4,416
Charitable activities 476,067 540,854 1,016,921
Other Income 10,000 - 10,000
Total income 569,571 540,854 1,110,425
Expenditure
-
Expenditure on raising funds 62,838 62,838
Expenditure on charitable activities:
Supporting and promoting pro bono 342,296 46,903 389,199
Enabling access to justice through pro bono 20,707 480,180 500,887
Supporting not-for-profit organisations 47,662 32,750 80,412
-
Total expenditure 473,503 559,833 1,033,336
Net income 96,068 (18,979) 77,089
Total funds brought forward 619,232 53,919 673,151
Total funds carried forward 715,300 34,940 750,240
----- End of picture text -----

36 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

2. Donations

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Unrestricted|Restricted| |Funds|Funds|Total Funds|Total Funds| |2022|2022|2022|2021| |£|£|£|£| |-| |The London Legal Support Trust – Legal Walk|5,893|5,893|3,770| |Law School Challenge|856|-|856|-| |Christmas Carol Concert|10,524|-|10,524|-| |Other events and donations|49,906|-|49,906|71,124| |Government Grant Income|-|-|-|4,194| |-| |67,179|67,179|79,088|

----- End of picture text -----

Comparative information - all income shown in 2021 above related to unrestricted funds.

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Unrestricted|Restricted| |DONATIONS - 2021|Funds|Funds|Total Funds|Total Funds| |2021|2021|2021|2020| |£|£|£|£| |-| |The London Legal Support Trust – Legal Walk|3,770|3,770|4,223| |-|-|-| |Law School Challenge|7,022| |London Marathon|-|-|-|-| |Christmas Carol Concert|-|-|-|6,889| |Other events and donations|71,124|-|71,124|18,703| |Government Grant Income|4,194|-|4,194|-| |-| |79,088|79,088|36,837|

----- End of picture text -----

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 37

3. Income from charitable activities - 2022

	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Total
	Funds	Funds	Funds	Funds
	2022	2022	2022	2021
	£	£	£	£
Membership subscriptions	229,901	-	229,901	222,467
Domestic Abuse Resource Alliance (DARA)
Membership	-	39,300	39,300	-
	229,901	39,300	269,201	222,467
Access to Justice Foundation Litigants in Person Support S	-	216,312	216,312	236,880
The Law Society	105,984	-	105,984	190,000
National Lottery Community Fund	-	83,470	83,470	94,839
Access to Justice Foundation Legal Support for Litigants in	-	33,452	33,452	44,603
Trust for London	-	44,000	44,000	42,500
Together for Short Lives	-	28,376	28,376	35,000
IBM UK Trust	-	-	-	35,000
City Bridge Trust	-	66,350	66,350	32,750
Therium Access	-	56,038	56,038	22,782
Ministry of Justice / The Access to Justice Foundation	-	-	-	20,000
Access to Justice Foundation Help Accessing Legal Suppor	-	56,250	56,250	-
Evan Cornish Foundation	-	-	-	10,000
29thMay 1961 Charity	-	5,000	5,000	7,500
A&O Foundation	-	-	-	4,600
Eversheds Sutherland (International) Charitable Trust	-	-	-	4,000
Goldsmiths' Company Charity	-	-	-	3,000
Edith Murphy Foundation	-	-	-	3,000
Holman, Fenwick and Newton	-	-	-	3,000
Schroder Charity Trust	-	4,000	4,000	2,500
Edgar E Lawley Foundation	-	-	-	1,500
Farrer & Co Charitable Trust	2,000	-	2,000	1,000
Simmons & Simmons Charitable Trust	-	5,000	5,000	-
Elizabeth Rathbone Charitable Trust	-	3,000	3,000	-
Monica Rabagliati Charitable Trust	-	3,000	3,000	-
The Shears Foundation	-	5,000	5,000	-
Sir James Knott Trust	-	10,000	10,000	-
The Rothley Trust	-	1,000	1,000	-
CB & HH Taylor 1984 Trust	-	2,000	2,000	-
BDB Pitmans Charitable Trust	1,500	-	1,500	-
Batchworth Trust	-	5,000	5,000	-
Accenture	-	4,000	4,000	-
Suffolk Community Foundation	-	2,000	2,000	-
Charlotte Bonham-Carter Charitable Trust	-	3,000	3,000	-
Hadrian Trust	-	2,000	2,000	-
The Barbour Foundation	-	5,000	5,000	-
Souter Charitable Trust	-	3,000	3,000	-
Domestic Abuse Resource Alliance (DARA)
Funding	-	72,000	72,000	-
	109,484	718,248	827,732	794,454

TOTAL	339,385	757,548	1,096,933	1,016,921

38 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

3. Income from charitable activities - 2021

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Total
Funds Funds Funds
2021 2021 2021
£ £ £
-
Membership subscriptions 222,467 222,467
-
222,467 222,467
-
Ministry of Justice 236,880 236,880
-
Law Society 190,000 190,000
-
National Lottery Community Fund 94,839 94,839
-
Access to Justice - Litigants in Person 44,603 44,603
Trust for London - 42,500 42,500
-
Together for Short Lives 35,000 35,000
IBM UK Trust 35,000 - 35,000
-
City Bridge Trust 32,750 32,750
Therium Access - 22,782 22,782
-
Ministry of Justice / The Access to Justice Foundation 20,000 20,000
Evan Cornish Foundation - 10,000 10,000
29th May 1961 Charity - 7,500 7,500
A&O Foundation 4,600 - 4,600
Eversheds Sutherland - 4,000 4,000
-
Goldsmiths' Company Charity 3,000 3,000
-
Edith Murphy Foundation 3,000 3,000
-
Holman, Fenwick and Newton 3,000 3,000
-
Schroder Charity Trust 2,500 2,500
-
Edgar E Lawley Foundation 1,500 1,500
Farrer's Charitable Trust 1,000 - 1,000
253,600 540,854 794,454
476,067 540,854 1,016,921
----- End of picture text -----

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 39

4. Analysis expenditure by type - 2022

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Staff|Direct|Support|Total| |costs|costs|costs|2022| |£|£|£|£| |Raising funds| |Fundraising costs|69,826|16,934|20,704|107,464| |Charitable activities| |Supporting and promoting pro bono|187,592|54,665|53,476|295,733| |Enabling access to justice through pro bono|428,403|13,860|122,121|564,384| |-| |Supporting not-for-profit organisations|83,335|23,756|107,091| |-| |DARA Expenditure|46,793|8,000|54,793| |769,156|132,252|228,057|1,129,465|

----- End of picture text -----

Support costs are apportioned to the various activities of the Charity on the basis of direct staff costs.

Included in the above costs are governance costs of £74,659 (2021: £44,098) which comprise audit fees of £12,900 (2021: £8,000), staff costs of £47,635 (2021: £30,759) and other allocated support costs of £14,124 (2021: £5,339).

2021

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Staff|Direct|Support|Total| |costs|costs|costs|2021| |£|£|£|£| |Raising funds| |Fundraising costs|40,105|15,916|6,817|62,838| |Charitable activities| |Supporting and promoting pro bono|289,791|50,149|49,259|389,199| |Enabling access to justice through pro bono|420,229|9,226|71,432|500,887| |-| |Supporting not-for-profit organisations|68,729|11,683|80,412| |818,854|75,291|139,191|1,033,336|

----- End of picture text -----

5. Support costs

----- Start of picture text -----
|||| |---|---|---| |2022|2021| |£|£| |Rent|42,347|13,630| |Insurance|22,187|16,705| |Communications|19,754|10,368| |Professional fees|42,569|44,687| |Office costs|65,793|9,691| |Depreciation|3,804|4,310| |Profit or loss on disposals|-|262| |Bank charges|347|643| |IT costs including website|31,256|38,895| |228,057|139,191|

----- End of picture text -----

40 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

6. Net income for the year

----- Start of picture text -----
|||| |---|---|---| |2022|2021| |£|£| |This is stated after charging:| |Depreciation|3,804|4,310| |Fees payable to auditors for audit:| |current year|12,900|9,350| |-| |previous year under provision|2,300|

----- End of picture text -----

During the year no Trustee received any remuneration (2021 - £Nil). No expenses were reimbursed to Trustees in the year in respect of travel expenses.

7. Staff costs and numbers

----- Start of picture text -----
|||| |---|---|---| |2022|2021| |£|£| |Salaries|638,602|690,155| |Social security costs|58,756|59,249| |Pension|59,260|55,777| |Other benefits costs|8,781|2,107| |Recruitment costs|3,757|11,566| |769,156|818,854| |STAFF NUMBERS|2022|2021| |Chief Executive|1|1| |Projects|20|21| |Administration & Support|1|2| |22|24|

----- End of picture text -----

One employee was paid between £60,000 to £69,999 (2021: one employee was paid between £80,000 and £89,999).

The key management posts in the charity are the Chief Executive and the Chief Operating Officer. The combined salaries and benefits for these two roles totals £127,352 (2021: £181,397).

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 41

8. Tangible fixed assets - office furniture and equipment

----- Start of picture text -----
Cost £
At the start of year 12,208
Additions 3,423
At end of year 15,631
Depreciation
At the start of year 3,611
Charge for the year 3,804
At end of year 7,415
Net book value
At 31 December 2022 8,216
At 31 December 2021 8,597
----- End of picture text -----

9. Debtors

----- Start of picture text -----
2022 2021
Due within one year £ £
Trade debtors 96,510 26,360
Grants receivable - 51,500
Other debtors 25,113 23,041
Prepayments 22,380 16,329
144,003 117,230
----- End of picture text -----

10. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors Social security and other taxes Accruals Deferred income grants Deferred income subscriptions Other Creditors	2022 2021 £ £ 14,378 2,696 43,090 39,934 30,156 36,743 61,250 55,426 172,566 138,072 5,163 5,627
	326,603 278,498

42 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

11. Statement of funds

RESTRICTED FUNDS LawWorks Clinics Tribunal representation Free Legal Answers LawWorks Cymru Not for Profit Service Medical expenses Voices for Families Project Unpaid Wages Project The Jeanie Project Pro Bono Connect Domestic Abuse Response Alliance (DARA) 2021 LawWorks Clinics Tribunal representation Free Legal Answers LawWorks Cymru Not for Profit Service Medical expenses Voices for Families Project Unpaid Wages Project The Jeanie Project Pro Bono Connect	Brought Carried Forward Income Expenditure Transfers Forward £ £ £ £ £ 19,500 324,562 (325,312) - 18,750 - 56,038 (56,038) - - - 33,452 (33,452) - - 13,740 83,470 (97,210) - - - 66,350 (66,350) - - - - - - - - 38,376 (38,376) - - - 44,000 (44,000) - - - - - - - 1,700 - (1,700) - - - 111,300 (54,793) (5,800) 50,707
	34,940 757,548 (717,231) (5,800) 69,457
	15,000 264,380 (259,880) - 19,500 - 22,782 (22,782) - - - 44,603 (44,603) - - - 94,839 (81,099) - 13,740 - 32,750 (32,750) - - - - - - - 4,082 35,000 (39,082) - - - 42,500 (42,500) - - 34,837 - (34,837) - - - 4,000 (2,300) - 1,700
	53,919 540,854 (559,833) - 34,940

Details of restricted income in 2022:

A list of the restricted grants received in the year is shown in note 3 above. All these grants related to the charitable activities of the Charity.

The Charity received funds from the charity Together For Short Lives as restricted quarterly grant funding, with effect from April 2013, contributing towards the costs of the Voices for Families Secondary Specialisation Programme which provides advice services to families with children with life-limiting illnesses. The Monica Rabagliati Charitable Trust and the Charlotte Bonham-Carter Charitable Trust also awarded small grants to support Voices for Families, and Accenture made a donation towards the project.

Trust for London continued to fund a pilot project and then agreed a two year grant of £84,000 per year from November 2019 to support the unpaid wages clinic project. A new grant of £97,000 over two years from November 2021 has subsequently been agreed for continued support of the project. City Bridge Trust award a grant of £132,700 over two years to support the Not-for-Profits Programme starting in July 2021. In 2019 Therium Access awarded LawWorks a grant of £164,048 spread over three years to support representation at tribunals by pro bono lawyers and the Access to Justice Foundation provided grant support for the pilot phase of the Free Legal Answers platform. In 2022 the Access to Justice Foundation provided additional support to the LawWorks Clinics Network including Free Legal Answers through the Help Accessing Legal Support scheme.

LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022 | 43

11. Statement of funds (continued)

The Evan Cornish Foundation, the Schroder Charity Trust, Edgar E Lawley Foundation, 29th May 1961 Charity, Souter Charitable Trust, Hadrian Trust, Barbour Foundation, the Elizabeth Rathbone Charitable Trust, The Shears Foundation, the Sir James Knott Charitable Trust, the CB & HH Taylor 1984 Trust, Suffolk Community Foundation, Simmons & Simmons Charitable Trust, Rothley Trust and the Edith Murphy Foundation all provided small grants to support the LawWorks Clinics Network.

----- Start of picture text -----
Brought Carried
Forward Income Expenditure Transfers Forward
SUMMARY OF FUNDS £ £ £ £ £
General funds 715,300 422,866 (412,234) 5,800 731,732
Restricted funds 34,940 757,548 (717,231) (5,800) 69,457
-
750,240 1,180,414 (1,129,465) 801,189
2021
General funds 619,232 569,571 (473,503) - 715,300
Restricted funds 53,919 540,854 (559,833) - 34,940
-
673,151 1,110,425 (1,033,336) 750,240
----- End of picture text -----

Funds totalling £5,800 were trasnsferred from Restricted to General Funds. This relates to restricted DARA expenditure incurred in 2021, which was recognised against General Funds.

12. Analysis of net assets between funds

2022 Tangible fixed assets Net current assets 2021 Tangible fixed assets Net current assets	General Restricted Total Fund Funds Funds 8,216 - 8,216 723,516 69,457 792,973
	731,732 69,457 801,189
	8,597 - 8,597 706,703 34,940 741,643
	715,300 34,940 750,240

13. Related party transactions

There are no related party transactions to report for the financial year ending 31 December 2022.

Aggregated donations from trustees in the year were £Nil (2021: £Nil)

44 | LawWorks Annual Report and Accounts 2022

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Honorary President Lord Phillips of Sudbury OBE

Secretary: TMF Global Services (UK) Limited

Chief Executive: Martin Barnes (until April 2022)

Rebecca Wilkinson (from May 2022)

Chief Operating Officer: Mackenzie Chapman (from August 2022)

Registered office: c/o 8th Floor, 20 Farringdon Street, London, EC4A 4AB

Operational address: Lincoln House, 2nd floor, 296 – 302 High Holborn, WC1V 7JH

Auditor:

Haysmacintyre LLP, 10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1AG

Bankers:

Unity Trust Bank, Nine Brindleyplace, Birmingham B1 2HB

Nationwide Building Society, Northampton, NN3 6NW

Shawbrook Bank, Lutea House, Warley Hill Business Park, The Drive, Great Warley, Brentwood, Essex, CM13 3BE

Solicitors:

Trowers & Hamlins, 3 Bunhill Row, London, EC1Y 8YZ

Bates Wells & Braithwaite, 10 Queen Street Place, London, EC4R 1BE

Website: www.lawworks.org.uk

Company reg. no. 03410932

Charity reg. no. 1064274 VAT no. 713877514

The Trustees of the Charity, who are directors for company law purposes, are:

Alasdair Douglas (Chair) Robert Lay (Treasurer) Jamie Goldsmith KC Ian Jeffrey (appointed October 2022) Caroline Parks (until October 2022) Emma Rehal-Wilde Lubna Shuja (appointed October 2022) Deborah Smith (appointed October 2022) Gemma Watts

LawWorks is a charity working in England and Wales to connect volunteer lawyers with people in need of legal advice, who are not eligible for legal aid and cannot afford to pay and with the not-for-profit organisations that support them.

www.lawworks.org.uk Registered charity number 1064274

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAIR’S FOREWORD

Alasdair Douglas

INTRODUCING REBECCA WILKINSON, CEO OF LAWWORKS

Rebecca Wilkinson

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

About LawWorks

Access to justice

LawWorks membership

Legal pro bono

Public benefit

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

10

80%

12

LawWorks Clinics Network (England)

Achievements against

objectives

Impact

Challenges and lessons learned

LawWorks Cymru Clinics

Achievements against objectives

Impact

Challenges and lessons learned

LawWorks Training

Programme

Achievements against objectives

Impact

Challenges and lessons learned

Not-for-Profits Programme

Achievements against

objectives

Impact

Challenges and lessons learned

CASE STUDY: LawWorks Not-for-Profits Casework Service

Secondary Specialisation

Achievements against

objectives

Impact

Challenges and lessons learned

CASE STUDY: LawWorks Welfare Benefits Project

Pro Bono Connect

Achievements against

objectives

Impact

Challenges and lessons learned

Digital platforms and projects

UK Pro Bono Portal

The Jeanie Project

Major Incidents Response Plan

Achievements against objectives

UK Pro Bono Portal

Free Legal Answers

Major Incidents Response Plan

Impact

Challenges and lessons learned

ENGAGEMENT

Pro bono awards

Supporting law schools and student pro bono

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Reserves policy

Risk management

Fundraising

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Trustees

Statement of Trustees’

Responsibilities

Auditors

Preparation of the report

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS AND TRUSTEES OF SOLICITORS PRO BONO GROUP (“LAWWORKS”) Opinion statements in the UK, including the FRC’s

Conclusions relating to going concern

Other information

Basis for opinion

Opinions on other

matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

Responsibilities of trustees for the financial