PRO BONO IN THE NEWS: April – May 2017

Below you can find articles of interest to the pro bono community that have been published since our last edition. Click through to read any news article in full.

You can also follow the latest news in pro bono from Australia and around the world by following the Centre on Twitter: @AusPBC

AUSTRALIA

NSW civic servant picked to head Legal Aid
8 May 2017 – Lawyers Weekly
Brendan Thomas has been chosen to lead Legal Aid NSW as its new CEO and will be the first Aboriginal Australian to do so.

Federal Government to reverse community legal funding cuts in May budget
24 April 2017 – ABC News
The Federal Government will restore funding to the community legal sector in the May budget, abandoning cuts outlined in previous budgets after a backlash from the legal sector.

Community legal services fear cutbacks will impact police, hospital, courts
18 April 2017 – ABC News
Lawyers working at Queensland community legal services fear funding cuts to their sector will increase the workload for police, courts and hospitals.

Palaszczuk Government praises work of Mackay Community Legal Centre
13 April 2017 – The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath has today acknowledged the hard work of Mackay Regional Community Legal Centre, which was recently allocated about $1 million to provide essential legal assistance to the community and will be a vital service for the months ahead as the region recovers and rebuilds.

Demand for legal help from asylum seekers driving rise in pro bono work
13 April 2017 – SBS News
Lawyers in Australia are working for free more than ever before with pro bono legal work at an all-time high.

Lifeline for NSW community legal centres
07 April 2017 – Lawyers Weekly
The Law Society of NSW has applauded the state government’s decision to provide a $6 million ‘rescue package’ to community legal centres.

NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman to announce rescue package for legal centres
05 April 2017 – Sydney Morning Herald
The state’s new Attorney-General, Mark Speakman, will announce a $6 million rescue package for community legal centres to fix a federal government funding shortfall that was set to plunge the sector into crisis.

Salvation Army firm marches into Victoria
05 April 2017 – Australasian Lawyer
Salvos Legal will soon be opening its doors in Victoria and establish its first humanitarian legal service in the state in the Melbourne CBD.

Australian firm embarks on new partnership
03 April 2017 – Lawyers Weekly
The partnership between Lander & Rogers and the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention & Legal Service Victoria (FVPLS Victoria) has officially been finalised, underpinning the firm’s commitment to make a positive impact on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

Legal aid services join up to deal with high volume of Centrelink debt cases
01 April 2017 –  The Guardian
New hotline set up by NSW community legal sector will help get information to individuals as quickly as possible.

INTERNATIONAL

UK: Judge ‘disturbed’ by ‘fragile and vulnerable’ woman’s lack of legal aid
19 April 2017 – The Law Society Gazette
A district judge has highlighted the difficulties faced by vulnerable people finding a solicitor because of challenges in the way the legal aid system works.

UK: Hogan Lovells And APPG On Pro Bono Reveal Extent Of Unmet Legal Need In London
19 April 2017 – Public Now
Hogan Lovells and the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pro Bono have called for increased funding for legal support for people in London, as a report into MPs surgeries showed constituents are increasingly seeking legal advice at MP surgeries.

US: Leidos Launches Pro Bono Legal Initiative to Serve U.S. Veterans and Community Non-Profits
18 April 2017 – PR Newswire
Leidos, a global science and technology company, today announced the launch of a pro bono legal initiative to serve U.S. veterans, community non-profit organizations, and citizens in need.

US: Lend a Hand: INTA Pro Bono Committee Launches Clearinghouse Pilot Program
15 April 2017 – International Trademark Association Bulletin
The INTA Pro Bono Committee has been developing a much-needed program that brings together people and organizations that need pro bono IP legal services with INTA members who can provide those services.

US: New York to provide lawyers for immigrants facing deportation
13 April 2017 – CNN
Undocumented immigrants in New York who can’t afford a lawyer and are facing deportation will soon have access to free legal counsel.

UK: Cuts to legal aid for prisoners ruled unlawful
11 April 2017 – The Guardian
The government has lost a key court of appeal battle over access to legal aid for prisoners in a ruling that campaigners have called a ground-breaking victory.