One particular law firm – Baker McKenzie – had a pro bono programme that really stood out to us. The Justice in Action Pro Bono Sprint is a community day of action that brings together volunteers from different entities to work together on substantive pro bono projects. Volunteers can work on a variety of global social justice that need advocacy, such as helping undocumented children through to LGBTQI+ rights.

  

This was particularly suitable because it was a pre-existing global programme where all work related to the Sprint is carried out in four hours. Volunteers are trained at the start of the session and then divided into small teams to work on specific topics. There is also a one-hour reflection included in the Sprint which allows for discussion and sharing of ideas among the different groups. 

 

As well as enabling our Legal and Public Affairs (LPA) colleagues to get a taste of pro bono law and skilled volunteering, it was also a great way to foster collaboration with our internal stakeholders as the Sprints were open to all. There was certainly a great deal of pride and unity felt at the end of the sprint.

 

How do you launch a project internally?

We were off to a great start as we already had the backing of our Chief Legal and Public Affairs Officer, Maria Barros. She has always been a great advocate for pro bono and was keen to open up pro bono opportunities to the LPA team. 

 

However, it was the internal collaboration between LPA Ops and in-house counsel that has been the key to the success of this pro bono project. For good team engagement the opportunity had to work operationally for the team, as well as complementing our wider company values. It was also critical that we had an internal pro bono champion who could offer their expert insights and help to champion the project internally. And with his background in pro bono and human rights expertise – Phil was the perfect person to join forces with. 

 

We spent time assessing the different opportunities available from our respective angles and then worked on a robust planning and communication schedule for the team to ensure optimum visibility and engagement. 

  

How did you cover this project from an insurance angle?

Lawyers are not advising so insurance is not necessary, but we could have made arrangements with Baker McKenzie so that their insurance would cover our lawyers.

 

What made this particular project successful in your view?

At Booking.com every employee is entitled to take 16 hours of volunteering time per year. So the one-off four hour sprints fitted this structure perfectly.  We gave our team plenty of notice as to when the sessions were happening so that they could plan their work and clear diaries accordingly.

Justice in Action was the company’s first pro bono sprint with 30 colleagues, achieving 120 pro bono hours for children’s rights across EMEA, APAC and the US. Currently, we've had a total of over 50 colleagues complete the sprints, donating 200 pro bono hours. 

It brought our colleagues together in an inspiring and impactful session. Our colleagues not only learnt about new human rights issues through collaboration, but contributed their skills in a meaningful and practical way. The sense of purpose and pride was palpable in the room.

 

How did you ensure volunteer engagement/senior stakeholder buy in?

We spent time planning an engaging and robust comms plan and created buzz through creative workplace posts and word of mouth sharing, including a short information video that Phil filmed with our Baker McKenzie partner to promote the sprint.

 

We contacted leaders within the LPA to help us promote the opportunity to their teams. All of them were extremely enthusiastic in supporting the initiative which certainly helped with engagement! To enable even broader cross-collaboration and connections, we also decided to share the opportunity with our internal stakeholders within the business. This was possible as it wasn’t necessary to have a legal background to take part in this pro bono project - another aspect that made it attractive to us. We also encouraged any attendees to invite a friend along to join, which was a great way to increase sign-ups through peer-to-peer word of mouth.

 

What lessons did you learn from this project that you will apply to future projects?

Volunteering is a great way to make a positive impact and bring people together. There is a great desire among our team to give back. We want to continue to find opportunities that encourage our people to volunteer – whether it is alignment with personal values, team bonding, connection with our Employee Resource Group communities, or to learn and develop new skills. We are dedicated to really bringing the pro bono to life within our LPA department and beyond.

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