Issue 120: August 2017
Welcome to the August 2017 issue of AUSTRALIAN PRO BONO NEWS, the Centre’s monthly newsletter providing stories and articles of interest to the Australian pro bono community.
We welcome your feedback, submissions and ideas for both Australian Pro Bono News and our website – please email [email protected] or refer to our Contact page.
For past issues, visit our newsletter Archive.
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Editorial
3 August 2017
This evening the Centre will be launching a new Guide for In-House Corporate Lawyers at an event at the Law Society of NSW.
The Guide has been prepared by the Centre in partnership with the Corporate Lawyers Committee of the Law Society of New South Wales and the Association of Corporate Counsel. Titled Pro Bono Legal Work: A guide for in-house corporate lawyers, it builds on two previous similar guides published by DLA Piper in April 2009 and August 2013.
There has been a slow growth in in-house lawyers undertaking pro bono legal work in Australia since 2009 when PI Insurance and practising certificate constraints started to be removed. Still, the current level of activity remains low compared to the contribution made by other sectors of the legal profession.
The Centre has been meeting with some of the larger legal in-house corporate teams and we have been encouraged by the welcome and support we’ve received in this initiative. In listening to the challenges and needs of corporates, it has become clear that thematic alignment between the focus of a company’s CSR program and the skills of its legal team is a vital component of any strategy likely to sustain an in-house legal program.
This is not to diminish the primary reason for establishing an in-house pro bono program, which is to support the professional responsibility of a corporate’s lawyers and promote access to justice work. There are some great examples of in-house lawyers already engaged in pro bono with bodies such as the Arts Law Centre, Cancer Council, Justice Connect, National Children’s and Youth Law Centre (NCYLC), Public interest Advocacy Centre’s (PIAC) Homeless Persons Legal Service, and Salvos Legal. All have been providing opportunities for in-house counsel to get involved and are a vital part of a successful in-house legal pro bono program.
With approximately 25% of the Australian legal profession working in-house, there is potential amongst this cohort for greater pro bono growth. As with the rest of the legal profession it is primarily a matter of attitude and culture.
The Centre will continue to meet with in-house teams at corporates, charities, and government to discuss, support and promote pro bono growth.
The new Guide is available today at http://probonocentre.org.au/in-house-guide.
Subscribe to AUSTRALIAN PRO BONO NEWS
Issue 120: August 2017
Welcome to the August 2017 issue of AUSTRALIAN PRO BONO NEWS, the Centre’s monthly newsletter providing stories and articles of interest to the Australian pro bono community.
We welcome your feedback, submissions and ideas for both Australian Pro Bono News and our website – please email [email protected] or refer to our Contact page.
For past issues, visit our Archives page.
*
Editorial
3 August 2017
This evening the Centre will be launching a new Guide for In-House Corporate Lawyers at an event at the Law Society of NSW.
The Guide has been prepared by the Centre in partnership with the Corporate Lawyers Committee of the Law Society of New South Wales and the Association of Corporate Counsel. Titled Pro Bono Legal Work: A guide for in-house corporate lawyers, it builds on two previous similar guides published by DLA Piper in April 2009 and August 2013.
There has been a slow growth in in-house lawyers undertaking pro bono legal work in Australia since 2009 when PI Insurance and practising certificate constraints started to be removed. Still, the current level of activity remains low compared to the contribution made by other sectors of the legal profession.
The Centre has been meeting with some of the larger legal in-house corporate teams and we have been encouraged by the welcome and support we’ve received in this initiative. In listening to the challenges and needs of corporates, it has become clear that thematic alignment between the focus of a company’s CSR program and the skills of its legal team is a vital component of any strategy likely to sustain an in-house legal program.
This is not to diminish the primary reason for establishing an in-house pro bono program, which is to support the professional responsibility of a corporate’s lawyers and promote access to justice work. There are some great examples of in-house lawyers already engaged in pro bono with bodies such as the Arts Law Centre, Cancer Council, Justice Connect, National Children’s and Youth Law Centre (NCYLC), Public interest Advocacy Centre’s (PIAC) Homeless Persons Legal Service, and Salvos Legal. All have been providing opportunities for in-house counsel to get involved and are a vital part of a successful in-house legal pro bono program.
With approximately 25% of the Australian legal profession working in-house, there is potential amongst this cohort for greater pro bono growth. As with the rest of the legal profession it is primarily a matter of attitude and culture.
The Centre will continue to meet with in-house teams at corporates, charities, and government to discuss, support and promote pro bono growth.
The new Guide will be available online from tomorrow at http://probonocentre.org.au/in-house-guide.
Q&A with Stephen Chang, in-house lawyer at Hewlett Packard
Ahead of the launch of our new resource, Pro Bono Legal Work: A guide for in-house corporate lawyers, we spoke with Stephen Chang, Senior Legal Counsel, South Pacific Office of the General Counsel, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). This is the first of a series we hope to share with you to provide insight into what pro bono looks like for in-house lawyers at large companies.
How Justice Connect and Minter Ellison are protecting vulnerable Victorians from homelessness
The MinterEllison pro bono team in Melbourne has successfully protected a mother and her three children from the risk of homelessness. The firm's Homeless Law team acted for a social housing tenant who was facing eviction because of breaches of a compliance order relating to her intellectually disabled son’s behaviour.
Legal matches to meet pro bono needs
The advent of online legal matching services demonstrates how technology is transforming the practice of law. There are already a growing number of online initiatives pairing lawyers with employers and clients. It’s good for business – but what can it do for pro bono?
Profile: Tony Woodyatt, outgoing Director of LawRight
Tony Woodyatt has just stepped down as the LawRight/QPILCH’s first director after nearly 16 years at the helm. Now is an appropriate time to recognise his significant contribution to the development of the pro bono movement in Australia.
Report highlights access to justice needs and opportunities in Hong Kong
A new report prepared by DLA Piper and PILnet focuses on unmet legal need in Hong Kong, identifies legal services gaps across government, legal NGOs and pro bono legal service providers and recommends a way forward.
Legal assistance in the UK supports Grenfell victims
Here are our Top 2 picks of the articles that have been circulating on the topic of the legal assistance sector and the unity of the legal profession in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire in London.
Meet the interns
The Centre is pleased to have Trilby Donald and Chris Johannes join us as interns this semester. Read their profiles here.
PRO BONO IN THE NEWS: August 2017
A list of articles of interest to the pro bono community that have been published since our last edition, from the second half of June through July 2017.