In 2025, several law firms and legal organizations expanded their pro bono efforts and achieved significant impact in a variety of human rights, immigration, and social justice cases across multiple jurisdictions. Highlighted among these was Travers Smith, which won recognition for enlarging its human trafficking pro bono practice. Building on previous collaborations with the anti-slavery charity Justice & Care, the firm developed a coordinated network of police officers, healthcare professionals, psychologists, and interpreters to aid survivors seeking compensation from the UK’s Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Travers Smith reported helping 12 survivors obtain over £100,000 in compensation, addressing the historical difficulty trafficking victims have faced in accessing such funds. The firm also engaged retailers with potential supply chain risks related to modern slavery to encourage improvements.
Another prominent contributor was Trial International, a Geneva-based campaign group dedicated to combating the impunity of war crimes. Lawyers with the organization played a key role in the 2025 Paris trial of Roger Lumbala, a former rebel leader from the Democratic Republic of Congo. They coordinated witness testimony, liaised with local Congolese organizations, and provided psychological and practical support to victims, ultimately contributing to Lumbala’s 30-year prison sentence in December. The case centered on evidence of systematic pillage and coordinated attacks on civilians during the Second Congo War from 1998 to 2003.
Freshfields was highly commended for its pro bono work supporting Asylum Aid in a January 2025 judicial challenge to UK immigration reforms introduced the previous year. The new rules would have complicated family reunification for stateless individuals. By contributing more than 2,500 hours, Freshfields helped establish that the proposed changes would negatively affect children’s welfare, leading to a successful legal outcome.
Several other firms received commendations for their efforts in human rights and social justice. Asters contributed to evidence-gathering for Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice in its proceedings against Russia at the European Court of Human Rights, concluding that Russia was responsible for widespread rights violations. A collaboration among Orrick, Baker McKenzie, Simmons & Simmons, and Reed Smith assisted Armenian campaign groups in submitting 113 claims against Azerbaijan to the same court within four months, starting November 2024.
In Ukraine, Sayenko Kharenko played a role in a case regarding police torture and rape. Their support helped to accelerate governmental action on police brutality, culminating in the country’s supreme court confirming an 11-year prison sentence for the officers involved. Spanish firm Garrigues aided the cancer charity Fundación Oscar Contigo by advising on data safety for an initiative allowing children undergoing hospital treatment to participate remotely in school lessons. Uría Menéndez Abogados partnered with Fundación EMET in advocating against Spain’s automatic separation of migrant children from accompanying adults who are not parents or legal guardians.
Additional contributions included Gómez-Acebo & Pombo’s advisement of the Unoentrecienmil foundation, which campaigns for public funding of genetic testing to improve childhood leukemia treatment. Juscutum assisted Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation in designing a framework to align local businesses with the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, while Matheson expanded work experience programs in Ireland to include students with visual disabilities and those from economically disadvantaged areas.
These varied initiatives demonstrate the growing engagement of legal professionals worldwide in pro bono work tackling human trafficking, war crimes accountability, immigration rights, and social welfare issues throughout 2025.