We are thrilled to have marked another record-breaking year for our NHS Continuing Healthcare Pro Bono Scheme, which provides invaluable real-world legal experience to students, equipping them with essential legal skills for their future careers.
A record 80 students from Cardiff University successfully secured a place on our scheme this year, working alongside our specialist Nursing Care team to gain first-hand experience of how legal cases are handled within a law firm. The initiative, which has been running since 2007 and is delivered in partnership with Cardiff University School of Law and Politics, has now trained more than 1,000 future legal professionals, providing them with practical insights into the legal process.
Lisa Morgan, Partner and Head of Nursing Care, has been the scheme’s supervising solicitor since it was set up in collaboration with Cardiff University 18 years ago, and is thrilled that we were able to accommodate a record-breaking number of students this year.
Lisa said:
“2025 was our most successful year yet, with over 115 students applying and 80 participating in the scheme – our largest cohort to date. I am incredibly impressed by the dedication, enthusiasm, and exceptional talent demonstrated by the students. They have approached each task with professionalism and have showcased key skills in analysis, drafting, and presentation. I was particularly impressed with their advocacy abilities during our visit to the University for the mock hearings. It has been a pleasure to welcome the students to our office once again, and it fills me with pride to witness the next generation of lawyers in action. I look forward to following their promising careers as they continue to grow and excel in the profession.”
The final session of this year’s Pro-Bono scheme was once again hosted at our Cardiff headquarters, where the students had the opportunity to hear from past participants who have since secured roles within the firm.
Hannah Marchant, Lecturer and Director of Employability at the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University highlights the scheme’s impact:
“The School of Law and Politics is hugely grateful to Hugh James for allowing the final pro bono session to take place at their offices in Cardiff. The students were extremely fortunate to hear from previous pro bono students about how the scheme helped them to obtain their roles at Hugh James, and from Matthew Evans, Partner and Training Principal at Hugh James, who talked about what the firm is looking for in future trainees. Opportunities to interact with legal professionals in this way are hugely valuable to students, particularly those who do not have any contacts in the legal world, and the School of Law and Politics would like to thank Hugh James for facilitating this. Each year, the scheme has such a positive impact on so many students, and this year more students than ever were able to benefit. We look forward to working with Lisa and her team again next year and once again, extend our thanks for their dedication to supporting the development of our students.”
Our annual pro bono scheme is designed to help students develop key legal skills by working on practical exercises that simulate real-life legal cases, allowing them to develop key legal skills, including case assessment, drafting legal documents, and presenting arguments in a simulated legal environment.
