Opportunities

What is Pro Bono Expert Support?

PBES is a scheme jointly delivered by the NPBC and Pro Bono Connect to offer litigation support services to pro bono cases. This includes experts from various disciplines (including damages and quantum), forensic accountants, arbitrators, eDiscovery providers, strategic communications, investigators and interpreters.

Building on the Pro Bono Connect model facilitating collaboration on pro bono cases between barristers and solicitors, Pro Bono Expert Support links up lawyers with providers who can offer specialist services that might be needed on pro bono cases, for free. The majority of requests for expert support will initially be referred through Pro Bono Connect while the project is tested and developed through its pilot phase.

There is no cost to join as an expert, and no obligation to take on cases. The only ask is that expert litigation support companies who sign up to the scheme agree to consider requests for assistance.

Examples of expert support the scheme has provided include:

> Offering translation to a pro bono client’s native language in an employment tribunal case

> Offering strategic communication support to a charity regarding an ongoing legal case

> Onboarding a consultant psychologist to give evidence at an inquest.

To join the scheme as an expert, please email below for further details:

Email to find out more

Requesting support

Currently requests must be made by pro bono lawyers who are members of Pro Bono Connect or directly by the pro bono charities we work closely with.

If you are a member of Pro Bono Connect, please ask the administrator (using the email below) for the correct PBES request form.

If you are a member of staff at or a pro bono lawyer working with a pro bono charity, please contact us via the charity’s normal point of contact at NPBC.

Email Pro Bono Connect

Pro Bono Costs Orders Branch

We are proud to offer a Pro Bono Costs Order (PBCO) service as part of the PBES scheme.

This unique initiative connects lawyers handling pro bono cases with costs specialists who volunteer to draft the Schedule of Costs and assist with related paperwork for obtaining PBCOs on behalf of the pro bono lawyer, all free of charge.

These orders not only ensure proper cost recovery but also generate vital funding for The Access to Justice Foundation, enabling even more people to access free legal advice.

Through this service, we’re strengthening access to justice while providing pro bono lawyers with the expert resources they need to support their clients.

For more information or to join as a PBCO provider, please email us.

Email about PBCOs

PBES providers

We’re delighted to have secured a number of litigation support providers offering their services pro bono on worthwhile cases.

Below is a summary of the breadth of expertise the scheme offers so far through our expert providers, as well as details of the individual services that have been offered pro bono.

Expert witnesses

Charles River Associates 

  • Expert witness (forensic accountant, economic damages and healthcare system)

Clyde & Co

  • Expert witness (forensic accountant)

Cornerstone Research  

  • Supporting expert witnesses with empirical analysis and research, including data and literature reviews
  • Assessment of loss and damage
  • Financial and economic analysis

Eopinex   

  • Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuropaediatrics, Neuropsychiatry, Neuroradiology, Neuropsychology

Evelyn Partners

  • Assessment of loss and damage
  • Financial and economic analysis
  • Expert witness (forensic accountant)
  • Losses related to personal injury and clinical negligence

EY

  • Forensic accountant

Menzies LLP

  • Expert witness (forensic accountant)

Secretariat

  • Construction Quantum
  • Construction Delay
  • Commercial Damages

Stewart House 

  • Medical
  • Science and Engineering
  • Technology
  • Forensic Accountancy
  • Other

UK Register of Expert Witnesses  

  • Accountancy
  • Architecture
  • Engineering
  • Medical
  • Other

Investigations

Alvarez & Marsal  

  • Financial investigation

Charles River Associates 

  • Multidisciplinary investigations including fraud and corruption investigations,  asset tracing,  forensic accounting and financial reporting investigations and employee misconduct
  • Assessment of defendant’s finances
  • Risk and compliance including investigative and transactional due diligence
  • Life Sciences including: providing expertise on the healthcare system, prescription drug development, launch, and loss of exclusivity,  helping counsel structure economic claims prior to suit,  and testimony on class, causation, anticompetitive impact, and damages

Evelyn Partners

  • Corporate and individual investigation
  • Financial investigation (including fraud)
  • Multidisciplinary investigations including: fraud and corruption investigations; asset tracing; forensic accounting and financial reporting investigations; employee misconduct; assessment of defendant’s finances
  • Risk and compliance including: investigative and transactional due diligence and ESG due diligence
  • Data governance and data privacy

EY

  • Financial investigation

FTI Consulting

  • Asset tracing and Corporate Intelligence
  • Financial investigation

Greyhawk 

  • Corporate and individual investigations
  • Locating witnesses and defendants
  • Assessment of defendant’s finances

Menzies LLP 

  • Corporate investigation
  • Financial fraud investigation

Quantuma   

  • Financial and other investigations

Secretariat

  • Financial Investigation
  • Corporate and Individual

StoneTurn  

  • Social media analysis and investigation
  • Desktop/open-source research
  • Client support (including defamation, fraud, illegal surveillance, stalking, harassment and threats to physical security)

Vantage Intelligence 

  • Desktop/ open-source research
  • Locating witnesses
  • Assessment of defendant’s finances

Strategic communications

Byfield Consultancy   

  • Legal and litigation public relations
  • Generation of wider media interest
  • Broad areas include employment discrimination/whistleblowing, human rights abuses, inquest, social housing, asylum and judicial reviews.

DRD Partnership  

  • Legal and litigation public relations
  • Broad areas: litigation and disputes, public affairs and campaigns, crisis and reputation management and competition and regulatory affairs

FTI Consulting

  • Legal and litigation public relations
  • Broad area: crisis management

Portland Communications  

  • Legal and litigation public relations
  • Broad areas: class actions, litigation communications, arbitration, judicial review, regulatory investigation, including multi-jurisdictional, European and international.

Scala

  • Legal and litigation public relations
  • Media interviews: training and on the-day support
  • Broad areas: healthcare, inquests, public affairs and law change campaigns, legal costs, litigation and disputes, miscarriages of justice, crime, disability and professional regulation

Thorndon Partners

  • Litigation communications
  • Generation of wider media interest
  • Research and analysis of media and social media
  • Broad areas: class actions, litigation communications, arbitration, judicial review, regulatory investigation, crisis matters, including international and multi-jurisdictional issues

Forensic accountants

Alvarez & Marsal  

  • Assessment of loss and damage
  • Valuation of companies/business/assets

Charles River Associates 

  • Assessment of loss and damage

Cornerstone Research

  • Assessment of loss and damage
  • Financial and economic analysis

Evelyn Partners

  • Assessment of loss and damage
  • Valuation of companies/business/assets
  • Financial and economic analysis

EY

  • Assessment of loss and damage
  • Valuation of companies/business/assets

Menzies LLP

  • Assessment of loss and damage
  • Financial and economic analysis
  • Valuation of companies/business/assets

Quantuma 

  • Assessment of loss and damage
  • Valuation of companies/business/assets

Secretariat

  • Assessment of Loss and Damage
  • Financial and economic analysis
  • Valuation of companies/businesses/assets

StoneTurn 

  • Assessment of loss and damage
  • Financial analysis

Translation and interpretation

LanguageLine   

  • Translation and interpretation in over 290+ languages with either AI powered machine translations or human translations with a global network of over 5000 linguists
  • Access services – braille, easy read, large print and BSL videos.
  • Audio-visual services – transcription and audio, voiceover & dubbing, sub-titling & captioning

TransPerfect  

  • Translation and interpretation
  • Transcription

Case management, project management and eDiscovery

Alvarez & Marsal  

  • eDiscovery (digital forensics)
  • Project management

Consilio 

  • eDiscovery

Evelyn Partners

  • eDiscovery
  • Project management, including data mapping and predictive coding
  • Data recovery, collection and investigation
  • Digital Forensic Investigations and expert witness experience
  • Early Case Assessment

FTI Consulting

  • eDiscovery

KLDiscovery    

  • eDiscovery
  • Data recovery, collection and investigation

Lineal  

  • eDiscovery

Quantuma

  • eDiscovery

Relativity

  • eDiscovery

Secretariat

  • eDiscovery

TransPerfect

  • eDiscovery
  • Digital Forensic Investigations Technology and Consulting
  • Early Case Assessment
  • Managed Review Paralegal Outsourcing

TrialView  

  • E-bundling
  • Workspace for document upload
  • Management for trial preparation

Costs lawyers

County Costs Consultants 

  • Schedules/Bills of costs
  • Points of dispute/points of reply
  • Costs negotiations
  • Ad hoc advice
  • Advocacy
  • Support with Pro Bono Costs Orders

Kain Knight

  • Schedules/Bills of costs
  • Points of dispute/points of reply
  • Costs negotiations
  • Support with Pro Bono Costs Orders

Masters Legal Costs

  • Schedules/Bills of costs
  • Points of dispute/points of reply
  • Costs negotiations
  • Ad hoc advice
  • Advocacy
  • Support with Pro Bono Costs Orders

OP Costs Drafting Ltd

  • Schedules/Bills of costs
  • Points of dispute/points of reply
  • Costs negotiations
  • Ad hoc advice
  • Advocacy
  • Support with Pro Bono Costs Orders

Partners in Costs

  • Schedules/Bills of costs
  • Points of dispute/points of reply
  • Costs negotiations
  • Ad hoc advice
  • Advocacy
  • Budgeting
  • ADR
  • Support with Pro Bono Costs Orders

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP

  • Schedules/Bills of Costs
  • Points of dispute/points of reply
  • Costs negotiations
  • Advice
  • Advocacy (on costs relates issues)
  • Support with Pro Bono Costs Orders