The Justice Project Final Report – A Pro Bono Perspective
In early 2017, the Law Council of Australia embarked on a national, comprehensive review into the state of access to justice in Australia for people experiencing significant disadvantage.
News
Pro bono promotions, September 2018
We’re pleased to congratulate pro bono coordinators Rebecca Dominguez and Sara Lane on their much-deserved promotions.
Colin Biggers & Paisley trek the outback to raise funds for Artists in the Black
Walking up to 23 km a day through the central Australian desert may seem an unusual way of supporting access to justice, but one pro bono project has done exactly that, proving along the way that thinking outside the square can deliver multiple benefits for the client group, the working relationship and the delivery of legal services.
Pro Bono Legal Work and Corporate Social Responsibility – An Evening for In-house Corporate Lawyers
On 22 August 2018, the Australian Pro Bono Centre (Centre) and Law Society of NSW hosted a forum to engage and support in-house corporate lawyers to do pro bono legal work.
Pro bono promotions, July 2018
With the turn of the financial year, we’re pleased to congratulate pro bono coordinators Hannah Rose and Stephen Somerville on their much-deserved promotions. Hannah has made partner at Sparke Helmore Lawyers, while Stephen has been elevated to Senior Associate, Pro Bono at Herbert Smith Freehills.
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.
Q&A with Nesha Balasubramanian, DLA Piper Australia
Have you met Nesha? She’s the Australia Pro Bono Associate at DLA Piper (full-time since January), and we asked her about how she sees her role and what pro bono looks like at her firm. Read the Q&A here.
Pro bono partnership provides access to justice for vulnerable public housing residents
Gadens has a young and growing pro bono practice, a key component of which is a housing clinic with Moonee Valley Legal Service. This pro bono partnership began in 2016 when the firm’s Pro Bono Coordinator started talking with Moonee Valley about how they could work together.
Why do pro bono? Nathan Kennedy on The Lawyers Weekly Show
During National Law Week, Nathan Kennedy, Hall & Wilcox special counsel and director of pro bono and community, featured in The Lawyers Weekly Show podcast. He provided plenty of insight and advice into what pro bono looks like in practice. See our summary of his key points.
Law firm sponsorship via Good360 platform yields 39-fold return for CLCs: can your law firm give $500?
The Good360 platform allows CLCs to obtain thousands of dollars’ worth of goods for their clients and operations. All they need is a $500 sponsorship. Can your law firm or company sponsor one of these eight CLCs that are still hoping for a corporate sponsor?
Wage theft: what can pro bono do to help?
With the publication of Wage Theft in Australia: Findings of the National Temporary Migrant Work Survey, we’re highlighting the crucial need for pro bono work in this space. See the story for more on the report and how two large law firms are helping tackle the problem.
Q&A with Peter Livers, Slattery Thompson
Continuing our series of Q&A interviews with Target Signatories, this month we catch up with a NSW lawyer from a small firm who was nominated for the 2017 Law Society President’s Award. See what Peter Livers, principal of Slattery Thompson, has to share about his many years of involvement in pro bono.
Pro bono staff movements in the new year
See who’s new and who’s been promoted into key pro bono coordination roles at the end of 2017/start of 2018.
Advancing LGBTIQ rights through pro bono
Last week, the Parliament of Australia passed a Bill legalising same-sex marriage. In this special chronology, we highlight and celebrate the diversity of work done by lawyers and law firms in support of LGBTIQ rights, including pro bono legal services.
Q&A with Dean Bainbridge, Bainbridge Legal
For this next instalment of our series on Foundation Signatories of the National Pro Bono Aspirational Target, we spoke with Dean Bainbridge about his small firm’s pro bono work.
Volunteers and Pro Bono Partnerships make significant contribution to Community Legal Centres
The recent survey by the National Association of Community Legal Centres reveals that pro bono partnerships contributed 57,848 hours of assistance to Community Legal Centres in 2015/16, with volunteers supplying an additional 17,098 hours of work per week. Individual volunteers supplied an additional 17,098 hours of work per week or an estimated 889,096 hours to 112 CLCs in the year 2015/16.
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.
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.
Nominate now for the 2017 Pro Bono Partnership Award
Nominations for the 2017 Law & Justice Foundation Justice Awards are still open – but closing soon, at 5pm on Friday 7 July.