Pro bono response to natural disasters

The  Centre is pleased to release new research into the role of pro bono in response of the pro bono sector into natural disasters.

The Centre’s report, Pro Bono Response to Natural Disasters, synthesises insights from 30 organisations across Australia, including legal aid commissions, community legal centres, referral schemes and law firms into 27 key national recommendations on pro bono best practice in this context.

The report briefly describes the disaster response landscape in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania. It extracts key learnings and recommendations for pro bono practitioners to consider when offering their support during live disasters in each jurisdiction, and how they might better support disaster resilience and preparedness outside of live disasters. The report also collates key recommendations from across the country to form a blueprint for pro bono practitioners for the future.

“Congratulations to the [Australian] Pro Bono Centre on the release of this report! It is an exciting step for the sector as a whole to be considering best practice models for disaster – related legal assistance, and given the likely state of summer and the years ahead, is timely and important. The report is detailed and interesting and I hope serves as a valuable tool for those engaged in supporting communities impacted by extreme weather events.”

Melanie Kallmier
Legal Services Manager and Solicitor at the Mid North Coast Legal Centre

The  Guide aims to inform and inspire lawyers across the globe. It includes:

• a description of the disaster response landscape in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania
• key learnings and recommendations for pro bono practitioners to consider when offering their support during live disasters in each jurisdiction
• recommendations to better support disaster resilience and preparedness outside of live disasters, and 
• key recommendations from across the country to form a blueprint for pro bono practitioners for the future.

The Centre recognises and thanks the following organisations for their contributions to this research: