Time to ditch pro bono says bar charity

The phrase ‘pro bono’ is “problematic” to the world outside the legal profession according to a leading legal charity.

The Bar Pro Bono Unit, a charity which connects people with free legal help from barristers in England & Wales, says that the name it has used for more than 20 years speaks only to one audience – the Bar.

That’s why it has changed its name this week to Advocate; with the strapline “finding free legal help from barristers” replacing the previously clunky “The pro bono charity of the Bar”.

“This rebrand will help make Advocate more accessible for those in need of legal assistance while celebrating the vital contribution volunteer barristers make to access to justice,” says chief executive Jess Campbell. “Our previous name – which used legal Latin – was not user-friendly for most of the people coming to us for help.”

Linklaters strengthens Asia capital markets team

Linklaters has hired Amit Singh as a partner in its capital markets team.

He joins from Allen & Overy in Hong Kong and will be based in Linklaters’ Singapore office.

He will work alongside regional capital markets partners Hyung Ahn and Jonathan Horan, and will focus on South and South East Asia and India, where he will work with the broader India practice led by Narayan Iyer.

Prominent compliance lawyer joins Norton Rose Fulbright

Norton Rose Fulbright has hired internationally recognized compliance, regulatory, investigations and white-collar defence lawyer, Jeffrey W. Cottle as a partner.

He was previously with US firm Steptoe & Johnson but has wide experience as senior compliance counsel at major corporations headquartered in the United States, Europe and Australia including BHP Billiton.

His practice focuses on all aspects of compliance program design, roll-out and implementation, including training, risk assessment, due diligence on third parties, and monitoring/audit protocols.

The former US Naval Intelligence Officer was decorated for his role in operations in Lebanon, Syria and the Persian Gulf.

He will split his time between Washington, DC, and Europe.