Communities across NSW have been recently impacted by floods, despite only just starting to rebuild in the aftermath of the 2019-2020 bushfires. Justice Connect is coordinating the delivery of pro bono legal assistance to affected communities – receiving referrals from frontline services for individuals, small businesses (including farms) and community groups who have been affected by the floods, and connecting them with appropriate legal help from their network of law firms on the Pro Bono Portal.

Justice Connect is also accepting expressions of interest from law firms who can be available to provide free legal help if demand exceeds its current capacity to support people, small businesses and community organisations. For more information about Justice Connect’s pro bono response to natural disasters and how your firm can express interest in volunteering, please see more here.

As part of a coordinated response to mobilise resources, a number of organisations within the legal assistance sector (including Legal Aid NSW, Victorian Legal Aid, Justice Connect, CLCs NSW, the Law Society of NSW, the Law Institute of Victoria, the Victorian Federation of CLCs and the NSW and Victorian Bar Associations) have together developed a formalised process for volunteering pro bono legal support for those affected by the bushfires.

You can read more about the response, along with information for people seeking pro bono legal assistance, here.

As the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, the pro bono community is rapidly determining how it prepares and responds.

The Centre has developed some guidance on how pro bono lawyers can respond constructively to the crisis, which you can access here.

The Centre also produces the Round-Up, a fortnightly publication of top stories and updates relating to pro bono legal work, access to justice and the impact of COVID-19, which you can access here.