The Association of Corporate Counsel Hong Kong (ACCHK) has advocated access to justice with its support for Hong Kong Pro Bono Week 2025 on 26 May at the Bloomberg office in the Cheung Kong Center, Central. This year’s theme, “Turning Law into Justice”, highlights the role of the legal community in making the law more accessible and impactful.
The launch featured a welcome speech from Kevin Zervos, a judge of the Court of Appeal of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Bar Association Pro Bono Committee co-chairs Azan Marwah and Norman Hui. A panel discussion brought together perspectives across the legal profession, followed by a networking reception.
The Pro Bono Week Working Group and Committees organised the event with support from the ACCHK. The event called on legal professionals to take collective action in addressing systemic inequities and close the justice gap. The ACCHK, through its Pro Bono, Sustainability & Social Advocacy Committee, played an integral role in convening legal professionals, NGOs and students through events that demonstrated the growing impact of in-house counsel in pro bono work.
The week included a lunchtime roundtable on 28 May, exploring women’s access to justice, where legal and NGO leaders examined structural barriers, successful initiatives, and collaborative efforts to improve legal representation for women.
On 29 May, legal professionals and advocates gathered at AMMO at the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre, for pro bono community drinks, an informal networking evening that fostered connections within the public interest legal community.
On the last day, law students participated in a series of interactive workshops hosted by the University of Hong Kong’s Clinical Legal Education Programme, Pro Bono HK and international law firms. These sessions offered hands-on experience with real case scenarios and practical legal skills training. Students gained valuable insights into client interviewing, case assessment and the broader social purpose of legal work, reinforcing the long-term importance of pro bono engagement in their professional development.
Throughout the week, in-house lawyers demonstrated how corporate legal expertise could serve the wider community. The ACCHK’s involvement underscored the role of corporate counsel in advancing access to justice, beyond traditional frameworks.
