It’s National Volunteers’ Week and the Fifth Day initiative is getting more business services professionals involved in Pro Bono.
Fifth Day is a coalition of forward-thinking legal organisations, promoting the expansion and adoption of pro bono work by professional staff in the UK legal sector.
Fifth Day was founded by professional services communications expert Fred Banning in 2022.
After he sadly passed away in May 2023, the volunteer Advisory Board of market-leading legal sector business services professionals which he had established, resolved to continue the mission of Fifth Day.
The Advisory Board consists of: Moira Slape (People/HR), Steve Rowan (Finance), Jeremy Ford (Marketing/Business Development), Claudia Goodall (Comms & Media), Paul Dunn (Property & Facilities), Nicola Sawford (Management, Board), and Pinsent Masons partner David Halliwell who knew Fred well.
Fifth Day’s message is that non-legal pro bono work is good for business professionals’ skills, network, and motivation. It hopes to activate many of the estimated 30,000 business operations professionals working in the top 100 UK law firms and related businesses, with the profession beginning to recognise the value such work can bring.
Fifth Day was recently chosen as The British Legal Awards’ “Editor’s Choice Award”, won the much coveted “Pro Bono Initiative of the Year” category at The Legal500 ESG Awards, and has now been added to the roster of supporters of National Pro Bono Week.
To date, around thirty major law firms have now signed up be Supporters, a straightforward process involving signing a Charter to commit to internally promoting and supporting professional skills volunteering. In April 2026, we are proud that Totum Partners proudly joined the Supporter network.
Working in partnership with Reach Volunteering, the leading skills-based volunteering charity jobsite, Fifth Day helps connect skilled personnel in law firms with suitable opportunities for rewarding trustee and professional pro bono work. The Reach Volunteering website usually has around 1,500 live roles, and Supporter law firms regularly promote to their business staff to set up an alert for relevant roles.
Some Supporter firms have their own sources of business skills volunteering through the needs of existing legal pro bono clients as well. Fifth Day supports and promotes any route to getting more professionals involved. Once a role has been identified, the individual is encouraged to speak to their line manager and/or pro bono leader to discuss its suitability and the time requirements.
The Fifth Day team regularly now hear from successful skills volunteers that some of the experiences they have had either directly or indirectly through their work with charities and non-profits have made them better people, better global citizens, and better professionals.
Fifth Day are continually broadening their community of Supporter law firms. There is no fee for membership, or any other financial obligation.
National Volunteers’ Week in the UK runs from Monday 1 June to Sunday 7 June 2026. This 42nd annual campaign celebrates the millions of people who generously give their time to local causes and communities.
Please do visit the Fifth Day website for more information.
You can also follow and message them LinkedIn to discover how your firm or you can get involved.