Clifford Chance

We expect legal colleagues to carry out at least 50 hours of pro bono work every year as part of their performance and development. Providing access to legal advice and justice to those who would otherwise not afford it is not only the right thing to do, it also improves our capacity to act responsibly. 

Pablo Serrano, a partner in our Madrid office and Global Practice Area Leader for Tax, Pensions and Employment, is a founding member of the steering committee that oversees the Cornerstone initiative, our five-year project aimed at improving the wellbeing of those in the poorest communities of Kigali, Rwanda.

Pablo first became involved in pro bono work in 2006. “I had read a book about the Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus and was inspired by the idea of microfinance and how it can alleviate poverty,” he says. “It led me to contact colleagues in London and that was when I discovered the firm was already carrying out microfinance mandates, which is when I first got involved in pro bono.  

“From there, we created the first Spanish microfinance non-governmental organisation – Oportunitas – which has since helped more than 3,000 beneficiaries and won awards for its innovative approach to financing.”

This was an opportunity for Pablo to combine his expertise and experience with an area of personal interest to directly benefit people who would not normally have access to such high-quality legal advice. 

“Working on pro bono matters brings a level of joy you don’t often get with billable mandates,” he says. “In our day-to-day work, we carry out corporate transactions and you may not come to see and experience their impact. But on pro bono matters, you get a genuine sense of the beneficiaries of your work – it’s inspirational. And in creating the Spanish microfinance association, I was also allowed to take initiative, despite not yet being a partner, which brought an element of personal development and satisfaction into the equation too.”

As well as being inspiring, Pablo believes pro bono work is essential to achieving the firm’s commercial ambitions “For me, it’s difficult to separate the firm’s objectives from our responsible business and pro bono objectives,” he says. “I cannot imagine a Clifford Chance without these projects. They raise the motivation and energy levels of our people, which is something I see firsthand when I update colleagues on our Cornerstone achievements.

“They help attract and retain talent too – our HR teams are frequently asked by prospective candidates about the pro bono opportunities the firm offers, and it’s something that genuinely differentiates us from the competition.”

Pro bono work also sparks conversations with clients that generally do not happen when dealing with billable mandates, and these can often lead to both commercial and community outreach opportunities. 

“We have just recently signed a joint agreement with a client on the back of conversations we’ve been having about pro bono work that will see our teams work together to provide legal advice to NGOs in Spain,” says Pablo. “So when we take on this kind of work, we’re not only delivering impact to those we’re helping, we’re also developing our capabilities to act responsibly and effect positive change in the future.”