Labour conference: City lawyers would be forced to give free help to rape victims under Starmer
A Labour government will force City lawyers to take on 35 hours a year of free work on behalf of rape victims, shadow justice secretary David Lammy has announced.
The new policy would see City of London firms disqualified from winning government contracts unless every one of their lawyers undertakes the pro bono work.
Lammy made the announcement during his speech at the Labour party conference today, alongside a pledge to open a national pro bono centre if his party wins government at the next election.
Lammy said more needed to be done to reverse the “epidemic of violence against women and girls” in the wake of the high-profile murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa.
“City law firms are making billions in profit, while low-paid workers see their tax bill rise and wages fall,” he said.
“This party recognises the importance of the private sector doing their bit in partnership with the public sector.
“That’s why today we are announcing that a Labour government would support the introduction of a new national pro bono service with binding pro bono targets for firms seeking public contracts.”
It comes after shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy yesterday announced that she would soon launch a taskforce in a bid to crackdown on foreign money laundering in the City of London.