PBS Steering Committee expands with new additions

12 August 2020

The team at ProBonoSkills.com (“PBS“) is delighted to welcome its latest additions to the Steering Committee: Amy Walsh, Senior Associate at Harper Macleod; Leigh Gapinski, former Linklaters Associate currently working with the Thought Machine; Ruth Douglas, Head of Legal Policy at Charity Commission for England and Wales; and Finlay Fraser, Associate at White & Case.

Commenting on her appointment to the PBS Steering Committee, Strathclyde graduate, Amy Walsh said: “I am delighted to be joining the Steering Committee of probonoskills.com – this is a very exciting project that will really help empower young legal talent to engage meaningfully in pro bono work. I was a student adviser within the Strathclyde Law Clinic during my time at university and a resource such as this would have been invaluable then. Having remained committed to the promotion of pro bono work within the profession ever since, I am very much looking forward to working with the other Committee members and alongside students to play our part in addressing the access to justice problem in Scotland.”

Leigh Gapinski, a graduate of Napier and Edinburgh University, noted: “There is a lot to be said about pro bono work and playing your part in giving back to the community. While pro bono has been supported through various initiatives in many of the organisations I’ve worked for, these have largely been aimed at better supporting existing clients. Lawyers are in a great position to support law students. PBS is a really unique and special initiative and I’m really pleased to be working alongside a number of like-minded lawyers to better support and equip the country’s law students in serving our local communities. It’s a great privilege to be part of the PBS Steering Committee and I’m looking forward to working to improve access to justice.”

Ruth Douglas, a graduate of Glasgow University, said: “We are delighted to bring our different experiences to the steering committee. Access to justice is an issue close to our hearts and we are really proud of law students across Scotland who are working hard to provide high quality support to those to those in the justice gap, and we are grateful to those across the profession who have offered to play a part in that. Onwards and upwards!”