News

Commonwealth Legal Services Expenditure Report 2016-2017: government expenditure up, but pro bono down

The Commonwealth has just released their annual legal services expenditure report for 2016-2017 reporting total legal services expenditure of $825.51m (up 4.2%), and 502,619 hours of pro bono legal work done by reporting firms (down 9.5% on 2015-16 results).

LSMUL gone but Commonwealth commitment to pro bono conditions continues

The Commonwealth Government’s Legal Services Multi-Use List (LSMUL) of firms authorised to provide legal services to the Commonwealth ceased on 1 July 2018 and with it some of the conditions that formally encouraged firms to undertake pro bono legal work.

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.

Victoria’s legal assistance sector to change following Government response to recommendations of the Access to Justice Review

The Victorian Government has expressed support for nearly all of recommendations from the Victorian Access to Justice Review (the Review), commissioned by the Victorian Labor Government in 2015 and undertaken by the Department of Justice and Regulation.

Firms on NSW Government Legal Services Panel due to report for the first time on their pro bono performance 

In July 2016, the New South Wales (NSW) Government included pro bono conditions in its new whole-of-government NSW Legal Services Panel arrangements. Firms will in July 2017 for the first time be reporting on their pro bono work in NSW – a direct result of these new NSW tender rules.