Pro Bono Requirements in Government Tender Arrangements for Legal Services

For law firms to secure legal work from Australian Commonwealth and state/territory government departments, they must first tender or apply to be included on the department’s “panel” or “list” of pre-approved law firms. To qualify to be included on the “panel” or “list”, these firms must meet certain requirements.

The Commonwealth, Victorian, New South Wales, South Australian, Western Australian and Queensland Governments include pro bono requirements in their tender arrangements for legal services. While the arrangements between jurisdictions differ from each other in various ways, they have been successful in increasing the pro bono contribution made by participating law firms.

The below is an at-a-glance table of the current arrangements entered into by the Commonwealth and the state governments:

[1] The WA Pro Bono Services Model is under evaluation in 2025.

For further information on the different tender arrangements, please see:

• the Commonwealth Legal Services Panel;
• the Victorian Panel;
• the New South Wales Panel;
• the Western Australian Panel;
• the Queensland Panel;
• the South Australian Panel; and
• a comparison of the Commonwealth and State Panel arrangements.