Conversations With Corporates: Why pro bono?

In-house lawyers are a significant part of the legal landscape. Our conversations with corporate counsel have revealed some common themes. When it comes to pro bono, in-house corporate lawyers and their employers can both meaningfully contribute to, and greatly benefit from, doing pro bono. Gabriela Christian-Hare, our Head of Strategy & Policy, shares some of these insights in this article.

Pro bono hours more than double under the Centre’s PI Insurance Scheme

One hundred and fifteen lawyers and fifteen paralegals insured under the National PI Insurance Scheme performed a staggering total of 2,244.7 pro bono hours between 1 January to 30 June 2017, more than double the hours reported in the previous 6-month period ending 31 December 2016.

Volunteers and Pro Bono Partnerships make significant contribution to Community Legal Centres

The recent survey by the National Association of Community Legal Centres reveals that pro bono partnerships contributed 57,848 hours of assistance to Community Legal Centres in 2015/16, with volunteers supplying an additional 17,098 hours of work per week. Individual volunteers supplied an additional 17,098 hours of work per week or an estimated 889,096 hours to 112 CLCs in the year 2015/16.

PRO BONO IN THE NEWS: August 2017

Links to stories of interest to the pro bono legal community that you may have missed. You can also stay up to date on the latest pro bono news by following the Centre’s Twitter feed @AusPBC.

Centre launches pro bono guide for in-house corporate lawyers

On 3 August 2017 the Centre launched Pro Bono Legal Work – A Guide for In-house Corporate Lawyers at an event at the Law Society of New South Wales. This resource is available free of charge on the Centre’s website. The Guide was launched by Brian Salter, Group General Counsel, AMP Limited, and Chairperson, ACC Australia GCC 100 who said: “the golden thread of modern contemporary legal practice is the opportunity to participate in pro-bono.”