Exhibition Launch Event - History of Scottish Pro Bono

In 1424 the Scots Parliament asked for “a leill and wise advocate” to plead for those too poor to pay one. Six hundred years on, the work goes on.

Join us on the first day of Pro Bono Week, its twenty-fifth, for the opening of an exhibition on the history of pro bono in Scotland. It is told through the Faculty of Advocates and the College of Justice, from the advocate for the poor of 1535 to the Free Legal Services Unit today. The exhibition is in Parliament Hall, itself part of that history.

The story does not stop in the past. The exhibition also looks at the present and ahead:

· the launch of the November 2026 edition of the Scottish Guide to Pro Bono

· the creation and expansion of the Scottish Pro Bono Roundtable

· the Pro Bono Recognition List for Advocates, which goes live in 2027, with solicitors, we hope, to follow

· Pro Bono Expenses Orders, soon to take effect

Short talks will open the exhibition. Afterwards we will go down to the Laigh Hall for drinks and canapés.

We hope to see current and former pro bono volunteers, those who built the work, and historians and academics of Scotland’s law. Anyone who cares about access to justice is welcome.

For any queries or further information, please contact the Free Legal Services Unit on flsu@advocates.org.uk