PRO BONO IN THE NEWS: November/December 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

Historic Family Court win for young transgender people
Human Rights Law Centre – 30 November 2017
Last week, the Family Court ruled that hormone treatment for transgender young people will no longer require the Court’s authorisation. Pro bono work made this case possible.

Record Grant for New LGBTIQ Legal Service
Generosity Magazine – 30 November 2017
Victoria Law Foundation’s biggest grant ever aims to enhance access to justice for LGBTIQ people. The $111,000 grant funds specialised legal support services through St Kilda Legal Service and Victorian AIDS Council.

Pro bono contribution on the rise
Law Institute Journal – 23 November 2017
The Centre’s CEO John Corker spoke to the LIJ about the pro bono landscape in Australia and how the Target, now 10 years old, has featured in the development of pro bono legal service.

Refugee doctor named NT Aussie of Year
SBS News – 15 November 2017
Kevin Kadirgamar, a 28-year-old Sri Lankan refugee and migration lawyer took out the NT Young Australian of the Year title for outstanding pro bono work fighting for kids in indefinite immigration detention.

Hello Cass chatbot developed to help people experiencing domestic violence
ABC News – 6 November 2017
Hello Cass is an SMS-based chatbot designed to support people affected by family and sexual violence.

How a dinner conversation made one man the boss of Salvos Legal
Lawyers Weekly – 1 November 2017
The departing managing partner of the social enterprise commercial law firm was just 22 and newly admitted when he accepted a Salvation Army request to assist an elderly woman with a children’s law matter. Read his account of how he got “hooked” on helping the vulnerable.

INTERNATIONAL

US: Women In Film Has Set Up A Hollywood Hotline For Sexual Harassment Victims
Fast Company – 4 December 2017
Women In Film has set up a Hollywood hotline for sexual harassment victims and a pro bono panel for callers wanting legal services.

India: Supreme Court library to get first portrait of a woman lawyer in 67 years. She is known as ‘Mother of PILs’
Times Now India – 30 November 2017
For the first time the Indian Supreme Court will have a portrait of a woman lawyer in one of its libraries. ‘Mother of PILs’ Pushpa Kapila Hingorani and her husband ran almost 100 public interest litigation cases pro bono, including India’s first PIL case in 1979.

UK: National tragedies, local response
The Law Society – 7 November 2017
After national tragedies like the Grenfell Tower fire, pro bono came to the rescue. But how much can pro bono do in the face of legal aid cuts? This piece by The Law Society’s Richard Miller.

UK: More than a public good
The Law Gazette – 6 November 2017
On the occasion of the UK’s Pro Bono Week, LawWorks’ Martin Barnes wrote this op-ed on the role of pro bono.

US: Human trafficking survivors get a highly qualified legal advocate
San Diego Union Tribune – 6 November 2017
Lawyer Jamie Quient discovered there was huge unmet legal need among survivors of human trafficking. So she started Free to Thrive, providing pro bono legal and other services. The not-for-profit has lawyers on staff but also relies on support from law students.