We have a long history of providing pro bono legal services, and we consider pro bono legal work to be a vital part of our cultural make-up. Not only does pro bono provide our lawyers with an opportunity to give back to the communities in which we operate, we also believe that pro bono can make a genuine difference to our clients.
Our focus areas
Our pro bono practice is led by national pro bono partner, Chris Owen, and complements our broader strategic focus on ESG. It is defined by four impact pillars and four focus themes. Targeting these specific legal areas helps us to build our expertise and provide more impactful outcomes.
Impact pillars
We focus on providing legal support to projects which:
- Benefit the environment (including biodiversity) or increase the sustainable use of resources;
- Protect international human rights, particularly through projects that (i) support refugees, (ii) reduce modern slavery, and (iii) promote human rights through sport;
- Assist individuals with poor mental health or those living with disabilities; and
- Support people who have experienced financial abuse and vulnerable consumers in seeking redress.
Focus pillars
Within our focus areas, we prioritise projects which support one or more of the following cross-cutting themes:
- Projects benefiting First Nations communities (something we have committed to in our stretch RAP);
- Strategic litigation which seeks to deliver wide-reaching positive social change;
- Law reform and policy work, designed to bring about systemic change; and
- Harnessing new technologies and services to maximise access to justice.
Our impact
We’re proud of our contribution to pro bono, and in FY23, we completed more than 25,000 hours of pro bono work across Australia.
Within our practice and priority themes we act for disadvantaged or marginalised people who cannot afford legal services; non-profit organisations that support those individuals; and public interest matters of broad public or community concern that would not otherwise be pursued.
We also have a strong commitment to community legal centres through the provision of volunteer lawyers to legal clinics. Many of our lawyers have engaged in pro bono secondments to entities including Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Immigration Advice and Rights Centre, Refugee Advice and Casework Services, Anti-Slavery Australia and Settlement Services International in Sydney; Justice Connect, Refugee Legal and Human Rights Law Centre in Melbourne; Caxton Community Legal Centre and Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion in Brisbane; and Ruah Community Services and the Circle Green Community Legal Centre in Perth.
More information
For more information on our pro bono practice, please email us.
Please note that we do not accept direct requests for legal assistance. If you need legal assistance, we recommend that you contact your local Legal Aid or Community Legal Centre.
If you are unable obtain assistance from Legal Aid or a Community Legal Centre, you can request a pro bono referral through your state’s law society pro bono referral scheme or through Justice Connect (NSW and Victoria), JusticeNet (South Australia), LawRight (Queensland), Law Access (Western Australia) and Everyday Justice (every state and territory).
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