Pro bono work is now top of the agenda for many law students, or so it would seem, judging by the increasing number providing free advice to local communities.

This brings two main benefits: a valuable social awareness and a broad skillset that will develop employability.

“The Generation Y lawyers really want this dimension” says José Maria Areilza, dean of IE Business School in Spain, where pro bono electives are oversubscribed.

“Prospective students now ask at interviews: ‘What is your position on pro bono work?’” he says. “Five years ago, they would never have asked that question.”

Prof Areilza is grateful for this change, as he believes it will not only make better lawyers but secure the future of the legal industry.

“If we don’t have social responsibility as a hallmark of our profession, it will be very difficult to maintain the integrity of it,” he says.

“People will start to ask ‘Why do I even need a lawyer?’”

Along with pro bono electives to encourage this growing sense of social responsibility, schools are creating forums and incentives for students to engage further.

According to LawWorks, a charity that aims to provide free legal help to individuals and community groups that cannot afford it and are unable to access legal aid, more than 30 schools in the UK now run legal advice clinics.