Pro bono promotions, September 2018
We’re pleased to congratulate pro bono coordinators Rebecca Dominguez and Sara Lane on their much-deserved promotions.
News
Q&A with The Hon. Malcolm McCusker QC, Law Access WA
The Hon. Malcolm McCusker AC CVO QC recently took up the post of Company Director and Chairman of Law Access WA, a legal pro bono referral service connecting some of the most vulnerable people from all over Western Australia, who cannot afford legal assistance, with lawyers willing to assist on a pro bono basis. We spoke to Mr. McCusker about his new role at Law Access WA and his experience of 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.
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.
Q&A with Nikki Pace, eBay Australia
Pro bono legal work isn’t just for law firms and barristers – in-house corporate counsel are increasingly active in this space and we were encouraged to hear from Nikki Pace from eBay about how she’s involved in partnering with Corrs Chambers Westgarth to provide pro bono legal assistance to not-for-profit ReachOut.
Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards: Q&A with Pro Bono category winners Lauree Coci and David Frew
With the recent announcement of the Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards, we spoke with the winners of the pro bono category – Lauree Coci from Clayton Utz and David Frew from Norton Rose Fulbright. See our Q&A to find out about their experience doing pro bono legal work at their respective firms.
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.
How are you celebrating National Pro Bono Day 2018?
National Pro Bono Day is just four short weeks away on Tuesday 15 May, the second Tuesday of Law Week. If you’re in Queensland, South Australia or Western Australia, get along to these Walks to raise funds for your state’s pro bono clearing house.
Q&A with Davyd Wong of the Hong Kong Conference Organising Committee for the Asia Pro Bono Conference
We spoke to expat Davyd Wong, Chair of the Hong Kong Conference Local Organising Committee and in-house counsel at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, about pro bono in Hong Kong and this year’s Asia Pro Bono Conference.
VIDEO: Q&A with Jo Renkin, Lander & Rogers
Jo Renkin, Head of Pro Bono and Community Engagement at Lander & Rogers, chats about the pro bono program at her firm. Watch this video to meet Jo and hear her insights!
Q&A with Joanne Sharah, Sharah & Associates
To round off our series of interviews with Target Signatories, for this edition we caught up with 2017 Law Society President’s Award nominee, Joanne Sharah. Each year the Law Society presents the Award to a member of its Pro Bono Scheme in recognition of the outstanding pro bono work they have done through the Scheme.
Joanne is principal of Sharah and Associates, a small firm based in Sydney’s inner west.
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.
Video Q&A with Lauren Miller, Carnival Australia
We asked Lauren Miller, General Counsel at Carnival Australia, what pro bono projects her team is engaged in, how their pro bono work is supported by the company, and what the benefits of pro bono for individual lawyers and the company more broadly are. See what she had to say in this short video.
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.
Moree/Walgett Housing Repairs Project wins 2017 Pro Bono Partnership Award
Located in North-Eastern NSW, Moree and Walgett are small outback towns with a rich Indigenous and colonial history. Regrettably, Indigenous disadvantage persists in the region to this day, particularly in relation to housing conditions. On a single street in Moree, issues ranged from black mould in a leaking bathroom or a shower with no floor, to exposed and dangerous electrical fittings, and an elderly woman living without a functioning stove.
PILnet Global Forum inspires in Budapest
It was fitting that the 2017 Global Pro Bono Forum (16-19 October 2017) was held in the place where PILnet established its first European clearing house in 2006. Celebrating 20 years since its inception, PILnet staged a forum that brought together many committed and talented public interest lawyers and pro bono enthusiasts to deliver an informative, thought-provoking and inspiring event. Notable was the depth of knowledge and experience of presenters.
The conference was held against the backdrop of pressing issues in Hungary concerning defence of the public interest and respect for the rule of law.
Q&A with Peter Seidel, Arnold Bloch Leibler
Congratulations to the pro bono team at Arnold Bloch Leibler on winning the 2017 Lawyers Weekly Pro Bono Program of the Year Award. We asked ABL public interest law partner Peter Seidel to tell us about the firm’s pro bono program. This article kicks off a new series of Q&A pieces focusing on some of the outstanding pro bono programs run by National Pro Bono Aspirational Target signatories, as part of the Target’s ten-year anniversary celebrations. ABL are a Foundation Signatory to the Target.
Q&A with Lauren Miller, Carnival Australia
“Our pro bono work is a natural extension of our organisation’s commitment to sustainability, diversity and inclusion. The idea that shared value is created through contribution to our communities is fundamental to how we operate. In some ways, our pro bono work is simply another expression of that principle. The shared value for our organisation and for the organisations we support through pro bono work is mutually reinforcing.”