National Pro Bono Target remains at 35 hours per lawyer per annum but now includes work for social enterprises

The final report of the tenth anniversary review of the National Pro Bono Target (as it will now be called) was released last week concluding a year-long consultation process with members of the Target signatory community. Changes to the Target took effect on 1 July 2018.

Pro bono promotions, July 2018

With the turn of the financial year, we’re pleased to congratulate pro bono coordinators Hannah Rose and Stephen Somerville on their much-deserved promotions. Hannah has made partner at Sparke Helmore Lawyers, while Stephen has been elevated to Senior Associate, Pro Bono at Herbert Smith Freehills.

Using pro bono to champion the rights of children living with disability

The “ground breaking” Improving Educational Outcomes for Children with Disability in Victoria report was launched last Friday. Here’s how pro bono legal assistance from law firm Colin Biggers & Paisley contributed to this important work.

Protecting Older Australians From Elder Abuse: what the 2018 Federal Budget provides and what pro bono can contribute

Senior Australians are set to benefit from the 2018 Federal Budget, with $22 million dedicated towards protecting them from elder abuse and the official launch of new national peak body, Elder Abuse Action Australia. In this article, we give you the run-down on the new measures and highlight where pro bono legal work can make a meaningful contribution to improving access to justice in this space.

Q&A with Nesha Balasubramanian, DLA Piper Australia

Have you met Nesha? She’s the Australia Pro Bono Associate at DLA Piper (full-time since January), and we asked her about how she sees her role and what pro bono looks like at her firm. Read the Q&A here.

Q&A with Nikki Pace, eBay Australia

Pro bono legal work isn’t just for law firms and barristers – in-house corporate counsel are increasingly active in this space and we were encouraged to hear from Nikki Pace from eBay about how she’s involved in partnering with Corrs Chambers Westgarth to provide pro bono legal assistance to not-for-profit ReachOut.

Pro bono as a mentoring opportunity

Rural Women’s Outreach Legal Service, Queensland provides young CLC lawyer Brenton Day opportunity to work alongside pro bono barrister Stephen Colditz. Read his story here.