Olivia Wilson-Bushell

Olivia Wilson-Bushell leads Skadden’s pro bono practice in London and helps build the firm’s relationships with charitable organisations and free legal advice centres across the U.K. Ms. Wilson-Bushell assists in assessing these organisations’ legal needs, while developing and managing pro bono projects for Skadden’s London office that seek access to justice for low-income individuals on matters that involve family issues, domestic violence, welfare benefits, housing and immigration. Ms. Wilson-Bushell also leads efforts on developing opportunities for attorneys to provide transactional advice to charitable entities and start-up social enterprises.

Ms. Wilson-Bushell is part of the leadership team of Skadden’s firmwide Trauma Informed Care Initiative, which aims to equip attorneys and professional staff with the skills and support necessary to provide trauma-informed legal support to pro bono clients. Since 2022, Ms. Wilson-Bushell has served as a guest faculty member at the CEELI Institute’s annual “Legal Skills in a Time of War” summer school for Ukrainian law students and junior lawyers, teaching classes on trauma-informed lawyering.

Ms. Wilson-Bushell also coordinates Skadden’s JUST Programme, which was formed in 2020 and provides an entry point for talented graduates who wish to pursue a legal career focused on social justice by funding training contracts across the U.K. at not-for-profit organisations.

Prior to her current role, Ms. Wilson-Bushell was an associate in Skadden’s Corporate Restructuring Group, during which she managed an active pro bono caseload. As a practicing solicitor qualified in England and Wales, Ms. Wilson-Bushell’s own practice now focuses on domestic violence and family law, as well as providing legal assistance to children seeking to exercise their right to apply for British citizenship, in partnership with pro bono legal advice centres.