The London Legal Walk, organised each year by The London Legal Support Trust (LLST), is the main fundraising activity undertaken by the Rolls Building Art & Education Trust. The event brings together thousands of lawyers and non-lawyers staff to participate in a 10 kilometre walk around central London beginning and ending in Carey Street behind the Royal Courts of Justice. Half of the money the RBAET team raises at the London Legal Walk goes to the LLST which is an independent charity that raises funds for free legal advice services in London and the South East. The LLST supports the provision of specialist legal advice through Law Centres, Advice Agencies and Citizens Advice Bureaux by providing them with grant funding alongside other forms of support. It is part of a network of Legal Support Trusts across England and Wales working with the Access to Justice Foundation to support pro bono and advice agencies. Advice Agencies and Citizens Advice Bureaux try to ensure that vulnerable people, including those who do not have the means to engage lawyers, have a way of accessing justice through a mixture of Legal Aid (where available), funding from local authorities and charitable donations and by using pro bono volunteers. This helps to support the key principle of the justice system in England & Wales that Access to Justice should be equally available to everyone, regardless of their financial situation.
Our fundraising activities, mainly through sponsorship of our London Legal Walk team, enable us to offer the civil justice educational activities at the Rolls Building free of charge to schools and colleges We are an entirely pro bono body – all the money we raise goes to support our educational, curatorial and art activities.
An RBAET team first entered the London Legal Walk in 2013 and we have consistently been amongst the highest fundraisers of all the participating teams.
9th London Legal Walk, 20 May 2013
RBAET team: Lord Justice Floyd, Bruce Harris, Stephen Fash, Adèle Fash, Tim Desmond
Total raised: £6,556.25
10th London Legal Walk, 19 May 2014
RBAET team: Lord Justice Floyd, Mr Justice Birss, Mr Justice Coulson, Bruce Harris, Stephen Fash, Adèle Fash.
Total raised: £11,234
11th London Legal Walk, 18 May 2015
RBAET team: Lady Justice Gloster, Lord Justice Floyd, Mrs Justice Asplin, Mr Justice Birss, Bruce Harris, Stephen Fash, Sophie Arkette.
Total raised: £18,362.50
12th London Legal Walk,16 May 2016
RBAET team: Lady Justice Gloster, Lord Justice Floyd, Mrs Justice Asplin, Mr Justice Flaux, Mrs Justice Simler, Mrs Justice Patterson, Mr Justice Snowden, Bruce Harris, Stephen Fash , Sophie Arkette.
Total raised: £16,645.25
13th London Legal Walk, 22 May 2017
RBAET team: – Lord Justice Floyd, Lord Justice Flaux, Mrs Justice Asplin, Mrs Justice Simler, Mr Justice Snowden, Bruce Harris, Brenda Toni, Lucy Lodewyke and Stephen Fash
Total raised: £14,566
14th London Legal Walk, 21 May 2018
RBAET team: Lady Justice Gloster, Lord Justice Floyd, , Lord Justice Flaux, Mrs Justice Cockerill, Mr Justice Snowden, Bruce Harris, Tom Christopherson, Stephen Fash, Sophie Arkette.
Total raised: £14,132.50
15th London Legal Walk, 17 June 2019
RBAET Team: Dame Elizabeth Gloster, Lady Justice Simler, Lord Justice Coulson, Lord Justice Flaux, Lord Justice Floyd, Mr Justice Birss, Mrs Justice Cockerill, Bruce Harris, Sophie Arkette, Stephen Fash.
Total raised: £17,006.25
16th London Legal Walk – the 10,000 Steps Challenge 2020
Because of the restrictions applying during the Covid-19 pandemic, the customary London Legal Walk did not take place. Participants were encouraged instead to take the 10,000 Steps Challenge in their local areas. The RBAET team members enthusiastically accepted the challenge, often covering in excess of 10,000 steps in London and elsewhere – Geoffrey Bond (accompanied by his granddaughter, Amelia), Lady Justice Simler, Lord Justice Flaux, Sir Christopher Floyd, Mr Justice Birss, Mrs Justice Cockerill, Mr Justice Snowden, Bruce Harris, Tom Christopherson, Stephen Fash
Total raised: £18,809.46
17th London Legal Walk – 18 October 2021
The London Legal Walk in 2021 could not take place, as usual, in May or June because of Covid-19 restrictions. It was held instead on Monday 18 October a cold, wet autumnal evening. Undaunted, six members of the RBAET team completed or, in two cases, ran the 10k course on the day – Lord Justice Snowden, Mr Justice Waksman, Mr Justice Meade, Sara Payne, Tom Christopherson and Stephen Fash. The other five members of the team – Lord Justice Flaux, Lady Justice Simler, Lord Justice Birss, Mrs Justice Cockerill and Bruce Harris – clocked up the 10k (or more) in other locations on other days. Our Chairman, Geoffrey Bond, showed his support by walking 5 miles locally with his granddaughter. The total sum raised by the team was easily our highest figure since we first entered a team in the London Legal Walk in 2008
Total raised: £22,078.84
18th London Legal Walk – 2022
The London Legal Walk returned to a summer’s day this year when thousands of walkers enjoyed a balmy evening walking or running their way around many of the most iconic parts of central London. The RBAET team comprised Lady Justice Simler, Lord Justice Birss, Lord Justice Coulson, Lord Justice Snowden, Mrs Justice Cockerill, Mr Justice Waksman, Mr Justice Meade, Sara Payne, Bruce Harris, Tom Christopherson and Stephen Fash.
Total raised: £20,040
19th London Legal Walk – 2023
The 2023 London Legal Walk took place on Tuesday 13 June. The RBAET team comprised Sir Christopher Floyd, Sir Julian Flaux, Lord Justice Richard Snowden, Mrs Justice Sara Cockerill, Mr Justice Richard Meade, Sara Payne, Mr Justice David Waksman, Mrs Justice Kelyn Bacon, Mr Justice Simon Picken, Bruce Harris, Tom Christopherson and Stephen Fash. The total raised in sponsorship was the second highest figure achieved since the RBAET first entered a team in 2013. The overall sum raised to date by the RBAET LLW teams amounts to £166,209.
Total raised: £21,343.75
20th London Legal Walk – 2024
The 2024 London Legal Walk took place on Tuesday 18 June. The RBAET team comprised Sir Christopher Floyd, Sir Julian Flaux, Lord Justice Richard Snowden, Mrs Justice Sara Cockerill, Mr Justice Richard Meade, Sara Payne, Mr Justice Robert Bright, Mr Justice Andrew Henshaw, Bruce Harris, Sue Hoyle, Graham Devlin and Stephen Fash. The total raised in sponsorship was the third highest figure achieved since the RBAET first entered a team in 2013. The overall sum raised to date by the RBAET LLW teams amounts to £186,934.
Total raised: £20,725
21st London Legal Walk – 2025
The 2025 London Legal Walk took place on Tuesday 17 June. The RBAET team of eleven raised £17,143,74 in sponsorship which was the seventh highest figure achieved since the RBAET first entered the Walk in 2013. The overall sum raised to date by the RBAET LLW teams amounts to £204,078.
Total raised: £17,144