6 November 2024
We are delighted to announce our appointment of Jess Thomas as the firm's first Senior Pro Bono lawyer.
Jess leads our Pro Bono practice in the UK, managing of our pro bono programme, driving its strategy and undertaking pro bono case work.
Jess works with a range of non-profit organisations and charities to develop, facilitate and deliver pro bono assistance, advice and representation. Her work focuses on securing access to justice within our communities while aligning with the firm’s Responsible Business strategy.
In May this year, Jess began her role on a six-month secondment basis during which she introduced new initiatives such as the Schools Consent Project and Legal Response International. Moving forward, Jess aims to grow the programme further in her new role. She will also be looking into opportunities for our other Taylor Wessing UK offices and abroad.
Before her pro bono role Jess was a senior associate in the Disputes and Investigations team at the firm specialising in large-scale commercial litigation and arbitration. She advised on complex international disputes across a range of industry sectors.
Commenting on Jess's appointment, Kirstie McGuigan, Responsible Business partner said: "We are thrilled to announce Jess's appointment, demonstrating our commitment to our pro bono programme and the importance of our work in driving responsible business practices forward. Jess has already made significant and meaningful contributions and will continue to bring immense value in her new role."
Jess added: "I'm delighted to take on this new role at Taylor Wessing and advance our firm's pro bono programme. The firm has been involved in some amazing pro bono work over the years and I'm now so honoured to be spear-heading those efforts – to grow our offering and increase our reach to existing and new pro bono clients. I'm particularly looking forward to further supporting our Responsible Business focus on environmental sustainability and hope to make a meaningful impact in this area via our growing pro bono practice."
Jess' new role is testament to our commitment to providing access to justice for the communities in which we live and work and aligns with our core value of being a responsible business.
For further information of our Pro Bono projects, please click here.