*/
Lawyers have raised more than £180,000 to help support the thousands of refugees fleeing their war-ravaged homes.
Employment barrister at London’s 11 KBW, Sean Jones QC, started the campaign after seeing a similar appeal organised by a group of children’s book writers that raised more than £100,000.
He set up an online Just Giving page asking lawyers to donate a billable hour to Save the Children. On social media website Twitter, he wrote: “Children’s authors are putting my own tribe to shame.”
Having initially set a target to raise £5,000, the appeal smashed that sum within an hour. The increased £7,500 target was exceeded, with £100,000 raised in 48 hours.
Donations ranged from £10 to £1,000 and at the time of writing the total had reached more than £180,000 from more than 1,400 individuals, chambers and firms with money still pouring in.
But in recognition that not everyone had the funds to give, Jones said: “If you cannot, please deploy your advocacy skills to nag someone else into doing so.”
Jones said: “I feel ashamed. I knew that the suffering and gross injustices the refugees are suffering would be something that lawyers would want, naturally, to address. However, I underestimated the urgent determination of my colleagues to help and their generosity.”
He said: “I’ve been particularly moved by the legal aid lawyers who have dug very deep to help, often donating a whole day fee. So much for greedy fat cats.”
“The Bar Council and specialist associations have all got behind the appeal. I have never been so proud to have such people as colleagues,” he added.
Lawyers in Canada, Australia and Germany have followed with their own appeals.
Lawyers have raised more than £180,000 to help support the thousands of refugees fleeing their war-ravaged homes.
Employment barrister at London’s 11 KBW, Sean Jones QC, started the campaign after seeing a similar appeal organised by a group of children’s book writers that raised more than £100,000.
He set up an online Just Giving page asking lawyers to donate a billable hour to Save the Children. On social media website Twitter, he wrote: “Children’s authors are putting my own tribe to shame.”
Having initially set a target to raise £5,000, the appeal smashed that sum within an hour. The increased £7,500 target was exceeded, with £100,000 raised in 48 hours.
Donations ranged from £10 to £1,000 and at the time of writing the total had reached more than £180,000 from more than 1,400 individuals, chambers and firms with money still pouring in.
But in recognition that not everyone had the funds to give, Jones said: “If you cannot, please deploy your advocacy skills to nag someone else into doing so.”
Jones said: “I feel ashamed. I knew that the suffering and gross injustices the refugees are suffering would be something that lawyers would want, naturally, to address. However, I underestimated the urgent determination of my colleagues to help and their generosity.”
He said: “I’ve been particularly moved by the legal aid lawyers who have dug very deep to help, often donating a whole day fee. So much for greedy fat cats.”
“The Bar Council and specialist associations have all got behind the appeal. I have never been so proud to have such people as colleagues,” he added.
Lawyers in Canada, Australia and Germany have followed with their own appeals.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
AlphaBiolabs has been awarded the contract to provide drug, alcohol, and DNA testing services for Hull City Council, following a rigorous competitive tender process
By Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group
Modernising communication and collaboration at a leading Chancery set. A Zexi case study
How to build profile without compromising professional duties. By Naumaan Farooq, Co-Founder of Inked PR
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
At least not that way, says Richard Paige
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider – Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Seeing the full picture – Baljit Ubhey OBE outlines the CPS action plan to tackle violence against women and girls, offering insights directly relevant to courtroom practice
Lauren Fullerton examines the how, what and why of setting up a second chambers base
