|
A rep=
ort
(based on that considered by the Board) will be available shortly as a PI=
LCH
research report. This report reviews existing PILCH services; provides
information on the sector and the complex regulatory environment in which
NFPs operate; looks at the need for new services and documents feedback f=
rom
NFPs, members of PILCH and other stakeholders; considers current Victorian
government reviews of the sector and possible service models; proposes a =
new
PILCH service delivery model; and looks at funding options. Please contac=
t us
(see below) if you would like to be put on the distribution list for the
report or would like more information about it.
As mentioned in previous articles, the overall aim is to
introduce new, specialist services for not-for-profits to improve the
capacity of this important sector to meet its legal obligations, be well-=
governed
and, most importantly, to be more effective service providers to the
community. It is also important to ensure that the financial resources of
community organisations are not diverted from core service delivery.=
The following is an overview of our priorities for new
services:
a.=
as an immediate priority, develop a comprehensive
web-portal that:
·
maps and links the relevant existing legal resources=
and
services for NFPs (both Victorian-based and relevant national ones);=
·
provides a guide which is user-friendly,
easy-to-understand and navigate to these resources and services, including
summaries and introductory information; and
·
fully explains the eligibility criteria for pro bono
referrals through PILCH’s Public Interest Scheme.=
b.=
when the web portal is fully operational, offer a ba=
sic
telephone and/or on-line inquiry service:
·
in the way that PILCH currently operates, using stud=
ent
volunteers to take the inquiries, ascertain the basic nature of the inqui=
ry
and, where appropriate (eg, if is not a legal query easily answered by
material on the website), direct it to an in-house NFP lawyer(s);
·
use an in-house NFP lawyer(s) (trained in or recruit=
ed
for their experience in common NFP issues such as taxation, incorporation
issues, governance and fundraising) to call back and give basic advice
(possibly only on limited common issues), or obtain more information such
that the need for a referral can be considered;
c.=
further develop the NFP seminar program by linking a=
nd
co-branding with both a PILCH member and a NFP peak body so that sessions=
can
be tailored to meet the particular needs of different groups within the
sector. Also, investigate holding some ‘outreach’ seminars for
NFPs - eg, at outer metropolitan community centres and in regional
areas;
d.=
identify gaps in existing resources and develop
user-friendly, easy-to-understand facts sheets, checklists, frequently as=
ked
questions and (with expert assistance from PILCH members) key precedents;=
e.=
establish an email notification system for legislati=
ve
changes and as a two-way link in relation law reform proposals (ie, to li=
nk
NFP groups that are working on proposals requesting reform and those seek=
ing
to make submissions about proposed reforms);
f.=
develop and trial an organisational ‘legal hea=
lth
check’ with at least 2-3 NFPs. Experienced gained from this pilot w=
ill
inform both the development of resources for the website and for the
‘legal health check’ service itself. The longer term aim will=
be
to develop a ‘train-the-trainer’ model that could be offered =
via
peak bodies, with assistance from PILCH for those organisations who ident=
ify
the need for assistance as a result of a self-check; and
g.=
develop training for lawyers about the sector and the
common issues for NFPs: eg, a unit on common issues for NFPs/consideratio=
ns when
advising a NFP that attracts Continuing Professional Development points.<=
o:p>
It would help us if any submissions being made to the
Victorian Government’s review of NFP regulation (see http://=
www.ssa.vic.gov.au)
emphasised the need for these types of services and indicated support for
PILCH in this regard.
Sue Wo=
odward
PILCH =
Policy
Officer
9225 6=
657
p=
olicy.pilch@vicbar.com.au
Re=
turn to top
|
|
Thank
you to Nick Perkins, Jorden Taing and all PILCH staff who contributed to =
this
edition, and to PILCH Photographer Henrietta Zeffert.
Edited
by Rachel Brown.
|
Upcoming Events
|
The Right to Humane Treatment in Detention - 17 May 2007
PILCH Law Week Seminar=
with
Brian Walters SC (Liberty<=
/st1:City>
Victoria), Amanda George
(Federation of Community Legal Centres) and Beth Midgley & Cecilia
Riebl (Black Dawson Waldron lawyers)
Click
here for more detail
or visit
www.victorialaw.org.au/L=
awWeek
|
HPLC Induc=
tion
Training - 1, 8, 15 and 22 May 2024
Recommended and free t=
o all
Clinic lawyers. The program is also open to community lawyers and
volunteers, pro bono practitioners and workers in homelessness and other
community organisations.
Click
here for more detail
Human Rights Law Resou=
rce
Centre
Killings and the UN: The Strengths and Weaknesses of UN Human
Rights Monitoring - 14 May 2024
With Professor Philip =
Alston
Click
here for more detail
|
PILCH farewells Emma Hunt, a PILCH staff member since August 2000 and =
the
Co-Executive Director for most of that period. Emma has accepted a positi=
on
in the Department of Justice. Emma has been a major part of PILCH for many
years and has contributed to the huge growth and success of the organisat=
ion.
She was instrumental in the development of Homeless Persons’ Legal =
Clinic
model and in securing funding for its establishment in 2001. The HPLC has
gone on to be one of PILCH’s most successful programs. Emma also
facilitated the coming together of the Public Interest Law Scheme, the
Victorian Bar Legal Assistance Scheme and the Law Institute of Victoria L=
egal
Assistance Scheme to form a ‘one stop pro bono shop’. This wa=
s an
Australian-first and is considered best practice in pro bono legal service
delivery. Emma was heavily involved in the significant Tampa
litigation in 2001, as well as many other key public interest matters, su=
ch
as the Islamic Council of Victoria
v Catch the Fire Ministries, the DNA testing of prisoners case, and t=
he
young women in football case. Emma was completely dedicated to assisting =
the
disadvantaged and marginalised individuals and the not-for-profit
organisations who come to PILCH. Her commitment to social justice was a g=
reat
part of her leadership strength. Emma supported and guided many staff,
secondees and volunteers during her time at PILCH and always generously
shared her experience and expertise as a legal aid and community legal ce=
ntre
lawyer. Emma will be very missed by PILCH. We wish her very well in her
future career.
Edwina Scott also left PILCH last month to take up a journalist position at the
Bendigo Advertiser. Edwina began at PILCH mid last year and worked in a r=
ange
of roles providing administrative assistance to the Victorian Bar Legal
Assistance Scheme, the Public Interest Scheme and the office generally.
Edwina also made a significant contribution to PILCH through her publicat=
ions
work, editing the PILCH Matters newsletter and the PILCH An=
nual
Report. We wish Edwina the best of luck in her new career in journalism.<=
o:p>
PILCH Nominated for Community Responsibility Aw=
ard at
the Business 3000 Awards
PILCH was recently nominated for the Community
Responsibility Award of the Business 3000 awards. Business 3000 aims to
promote business success, innovation and excellence in Melbourne.
|
Pa=
mela
Sutton (Bush Heritage Australia),
Neil Perry (Renewtek), Mark Courtney (City of Melbourne) & Tabitha Lovett (PI=
LCH)
|
|
The achievements of businesses and not-for-profit
organisations are also acknowledged through an annual awards program. T=
welve
nominees are nominated each year in one of the four categories - Export,
Innovation, Community Responsibility and New Business.
On behalf of PILCH, Tabitha Lovett was asked to speak at=
the
business breakfast on 17 April attended by 200 business people from acr=
oss Melbourne. Her
presentation highlighted PILCH’s achievements and role in
facilitating the provision of pro bono legal services to disadvantaged =
and
marginalised members of the community and the not-for-profits which ass=
ist
them. The presentation provided a great opportunity to talk to the busi=
ness
sector about the legal profession’s long term commitment to
undertaking pro bono work and opportunities for corporates to join PILCH
and also provide support.
Winners will be announced in October
2007.
|
PILCH Member Spotlight
|
|
Nick Perkins - Visy Industrial Packagi=
ng
Holdings Pty Ltd (VIP) - Legal Department
VIP=
’s
legal department is one of PILCH’s newest corporate members, join=
ing
PILCH in October 2006. Nick Perkins has worked as General Counsel in
VIP’s Legal Department for approximately 4 years, following anoth=
er
in-house role, and at law firms Corrs Chambers Westgarth and Freehills.=
What is your inspiration /
motivation to do pro bono work? All the members of the legal team at VIP have previously
undertaken pro bono work through a variety of voluntary and firm sponso=
red
programs. As individuals, we are all firmly committed to the concept of
social responsibility. As a team, we agreed that pro bono work, and
partnering with PILCH, was a great way to convert our values into actio=
n.
It’s also an opportunity to contribute to and extend the breadth =
of
philanthropic and charitable endeavours, of which there is a strong
tradition in our business under its current ownership.
We =
are
hopeful that our projects with PILCH will promote an awareness of the
underlying issues within PILCH’s mandate and stimulate a broader
discussion between our business and the NFP community.
Has there been any particular =
pro
bono work or project that stands out as achieving success in an area of
public interest or has been significant in any other way? Often the most significant suc=
cesses
arise out of a personal experience - being able to provide a
disadvantaged person or group with assistance, or indeed hope, can be
tremendously satisfying. We see our membership of PILCH as being a way =
to
combine our corporate experience with an opportunity to enrich our
experience of practising law.
Pri=
vate
practice does a fantastic job in providing PILCH clients, especially
NFP’s with legal advice, particularly in relation to transactions=
and
compliance. As a corporate legal department, we would like to think tha=
t we
can, in many instances, take this one step further and provide practical
methods of the application of legal advice in a corporate / business
environment.
How would you describe current
attitudes towards pro bono outside VIP? Pro bono work as a form of corporate social
responsibility is gaining momentum, however the risk in this is that the
activity becomes institutionalised and inflexible. One of the things that attract=
ed us
to being involved with PILCH is the level of direct engagement that PIL=
CH continues
to have with those whom it assists.
=
Return to
top
|
=
=
=
Don’t touch that dial R=
11;
3CR sits at 855 on the AM dial, not quite easy listening, not quite Radio
National…
=
<=
/p>
=
Done
by Law is an alternative law and legal=
affairs
program presented every Tuesday night at 6.00pm by volunteer (as yet unkn=
own)
radio personalities who discuss topics of interest in law and justice fro=
m a
perspective that is very much independent of the mainstream. Tabitha Lovett, PILCH Manager, a=
nd
barrister Matthew Barrett present the show on the second Tuesday of each
month for the Federation of Community Legal Centres. Kate Fischer, VBLAS Solicitor, is
joining them in May as the 3rd co-presenter.
=
<=
/p>
=
Recent shows have discussed the
national census and the law surrounding the collection of personal
information; the issue of legalized gambling in Victoria and its effects =
on
the families of gamblers and the community generally; and the High Court
challenge to the legislation restricting prisoners’ right to vote,
coordinated by the Human Rights Law Resource Centre. According to Tabitha, Done by Law provides an irrevere=
nt
view of topics which are overlooked or glossed over by the mainstream med=
ia.
The program also features guests who discuss otherwise familiar topics fr=
om a
community justice perspective.
And of course great music!
=
<=
/p>
=
3CR commenced broadcasting in 19=
76 and is run by, and for, the
community. It aims to provi=
de a
voice to those groups denied access to mainstream media. Around 400 volun=
teer
programmers present more than 135 programs that go to air each week. As well as the Federation of Com=
munity
Legal Centres, some of the groups involved in presenting programs include=
the
Victorian Jazz Club, Vivaids, Hepatitis C Council, Latin American Informa=
tion
Centre, Songlines Aboriginal Music Corporation, Anarchist Media Institute=
and
the CFMEU Building Division. The
station broadcasts in 20 languages, including English.<=
/span>
=
<=
/p>
=
Kate says that topics for upcomi=
ng
programs include discussion with the new head of the Federation of Commun=
ity
Legal Centres, Hugh de Kretser on current burning issues and the recent
formation of an Animal Welfare Law interest group at the Victorian Bar. <=
o:p>
=
<=
/p>
=
Suggestions from PILCH members a=
nd
supporters for future Done by Law=
broadcasts are welcome. If =
you
have an idea for a law or justice story which we should cover, or would l=
ike
to be a guest on our show contact Kate Fischer or Tabitha Lovett at PILCH=
on
9225 6680.
=
<=
/p>
=
That’s Done by Law 6.00pm every Tuesday on 3CR 855 on your AM dial.<=
o:p>
=
Return to top
PILCH Volunteer Profile
Jorden Taing
Having volunteered with PILCH for a little over a year n=
ow I
feel my experience here has been both mentally challenging and rewardin=
g. Facing
such a broad spectrum of public interest legal issues experienced by
under-represented individuals has proven to be a tremendous eye-opener =
for
myself, a law student who is more accustomed to black-letter law and the
more corporate client. The work that PILCH embarks upon has not only ta=
ught
me the skills to prepare me for my career upon graduation, but has adde=
d a
humanitarian perspective to my thinking process when analysing an issue=
.
With PILCH having been a main contributor to my motivati=
on,
I have more recently embarked on another position for a non-profit
organization - the Melbourne Human Rights Arts and Film Festival
(HRAFF). I have taken on the role of a marketing/publicity co-coordinat=
or;
it has been so inspiring to be working with HRAFF, especially having se=
en
some human-rights law issues come through to PILCH. The festival is an
enormous bright spot, particularly in the Australian domain of human ri=
ghts
concerns, as it aims to bring forth to the general public an awareness =
of
these issues, both within Australia and internationally, through the
presentation of independent films and artwork; and further to encourage
affirmative action to assist in combating these problems.
|
|
Another ambition I have gained through being exposed to =
PILCH
matters is a heightened interest in international law and its developme=
nt
in correlation with human rights and customary laws. In effect, I furth=
er
decided to take on the role as subscriptions manager for the =
Melbourne
Journal of International Law (MJIL). A relatively young,
bi-annually published journal, MJIL has sought to expand its horizons, =
both
in public awareness as well as in coverage of international law issues.=
Jorden Taing - PILCH Volu=
nteer
|
http://hraff.org.au
<=
/p>
|
=
|
PILCH receives many
requests for assistance under its Public Interest Law Scheme. Those applications that satisfy
means, legal merit and public interest criteria are able to referred to
PILCH members for pro bono assistance.
The following summaries, while far from
constituting a complete list of either referrals or PILCH members who h=
ave
undertaken referral work, are reported to give an indication of the ran=
ge
of individuals and organisations applying for assistance, the types of
assistance they seek, and the variety of pro bono work undertaken by PI=
LCH
members.
PILCH is very grateful to all its members who
have accepted pro bono referrals to assist individuals and not-for-prof=
it
organisations.
Case Studies
In =
February
2007, Allens Arthur Robinson (AAR) hosted a seminar on intellectual
property issues which was attended by representatives of not-for-profit
organisations. As a result of that seminar, PILCH received a numb=
er
of requests for assistance from not-for-profits, including the
Monash Volunteer
Resource Centre’s Crimcheck EMR Project (the Project). The
Project is a not-for-profit partnership between six Victorian volunteer
resource centres. The Project has developed an electronic system
whereby community organisations can save significant time and cost in
obtaining police checks of potential volunteers. AAR
is providing general corporate and taxation advice with a view to provi=
ding
intellectual property advice once the appropriate corporate and taxation
structures have been put in place.
Lan=
der
& Rogers are assisting the Ethnic Communities’ Council of
Victoria (ECCV) in respect of their complaint to the Victorian Equal
Opportunity and Human Rights Commission about international students be=
ing
denied concession fares on public transport. ECCV believes that t=
he
Victorian Department of Infrastructure’s denial of concession far=
es
to international students amounts to racial discrimination in the provi=
sion
of goods and services under the Equal
Opportunity Act and may be inconsistent with the Victorian Charter =
of
Human Rights and Responsibilities.
=
Return to
top
|
|
The =
Law
Institute of Victoria Legal Assistance Scheme (‘LIV LAS’)
receives many requests for assistance.=
Where the application satisfies a means and legal merits test, a=
nd
the client is ineligible for legal aid, or it inappropriate to refer the
matter to a community legal centre, legal assistance can be provided
through a referral to a solicitor on the LIV LAS register for pro bono
assistance.
|
|
|
Staff=
ing News
<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;color:#003366'>The LIVLAS manager Ms Eve Stag=
oll resigned
from her position in April 2007 and has commenced work at the Departmen=
t of
Justice, in the Human Rights Unit.&nbs=
p;
Eve would like to take this opportunity to extend her gratitude =
to
all staff at PILCH, the Board of PILCH and the LIV Access to Justice
Committee for their support and commitment to ensuring the continued
availability of bono legal advice.&nbs=
p;
Eve would also like to thank all member firms who accepted refer=
ral
work under the Scheme and wishes the Scheme a productive and positive
period ahead.
<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;color:#003366'>
<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;color:#003366'>PILCH looks forward to welcomi=
ng
Lauren Adamson as the new LIVLAS manager in May. PILCH would also like to thank=
Janet
Van der Kolk, secondee solicitor from TAC, for assisting with the day to
day running of LIVLAS in the interim.
<=
span
style=3D'mso-bidi-font-size:9.0pt;color:#003366'>
Eve Stagoll, former LIVLAS Mana=
ger
& Teresa Cianciosi, LIVLAS
Administrator
Return to top=
|
Case
Summaries
LIV=
LAS
continues to help numerous clients seeking pro bono assistance. Our work is made possible by t=
he
continuing commitment and generosity of legal firms providing legal
assistance to those members of the community unable to obtain assistance
from any other source. LIV LAS is very grateful to all its members who =
have
accepted pro bono referrals.
The
following summary highlights the type of referral work undertaken by LIV
members on behalf of individuals who have applied for assistance.<=
/o:p>
Retail lease=
Mr M
conceived of a project to assist young designers in a co-operative busi=
ness
structure to exhibit and sell their clothes to the public. The young designers all contri=
buted
financially to the project, and Mr M set up a business and entered into=
a
commercial lease for an appropriate premises. It transpired that the plannin=
g law
prohibited retail activities at the premises and the business was force=
d to
close. Mr M brought an
application in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal against =
the
landlord and real estate agent seeking compensation. Thank you to Peter Kritikides =
of law
firm Lander and Rogers and Claudio Bozzi of Counsel for generously agre=
eing
to represent Mr M in the Tribunal proceedings. At the time of writing t=
he
matter is still pending.
=
<=
/span>
|
|
|
|
Victorian Bar Legal Assistance Sche=
me
The Victorian Bar Legal Assistance Scheme (‘VBLAS’) is
now in its sixth year of administration by PILCH and has continued to
develop and improve access to pro bono legal services from barristers.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> It is now staffed by two part-=
time
solicitor/managers, a part-time solicitor two days per week and two
part-time administrators. Matters referred to barristers continue to co=
ver
diverse areas of law, including family, crime, migration, contract, tru=
sts,
tort, personal injury, TAC, employment, debt recovery, tenancy and
discrimination. However,
following the changes to the Migration Act in December 2005, the
percentage of migration matters has now grown to 70% of all referrals. =
|
|
|
His H=
onour
Justice
Chris
Maxwell
|
=
Victorian
Bar Pro Bono Reception - 19 April 2024
On 19 April 2024 the Victorian
Bar hosted the annual function at the Essoign to acknowledge the
contribution of barristers to VBLAS and the PILCH Scheme and other pro =
bono
work.
Over one hundred members of t=
he
Bar who have accepted briefs over the past year to advise and appear
without fee for members of the community who would not otherwise have
access to legal representation, attended the reception.
=
|
|
Also present were members of =
the
judiciary, court staff and members of PILCH who are actively involved in
VBLAS.
Mr Ross Macaw QC, Chairman of=
the
Legal Assistance Committee of the Victorian Bar, welcomed and thanked a=
ll
present on behalf of the Bar and acknowledged the history of commitment=
to
pro bono and access to justice by its members. Ross noted that currentl=
y as
many as 576 barristers have signed up to undertake pro bono work through
VBLAS and PILCH across all areas of law and all jurisdictions. Their wo=
rk
includes all areas of practice, including those that are not traditiona=
lly
considered pro bono practice areas such as corporate and commercial
matters, property and planning cases, and appearing in the High Court a=
nd
in the Coroners Court<=
/st1:address>.
His Honour Justice Maxwell,
President of the Court of Appeal and longstanding supporter and advocat=
e of
pro bono practice, was the guest speaker for the evening. Justice Maxwe=
ll
praised the work of the Bar and the barristers who had donated their ti=
me
to the disadvantaged in our community. He also took the opportunity to
announce the ongoing commitment of the Supreme Court of Victoria to the=
ir
Self-Represented Litigants program, highlighting the outstanding work of
coordinator Bronwyn Hammond in her role over the past year. He also pas=
sed
on thanks to VBLAS and PILCH in working closely with Bronwyn to assist
Self-Represented Litigants before the Supreme Court.<=
/p>
The Function is intended to
continue as an annual event to recognize and reward the pro bono practi=
ce
of members of the Victorian Bar. For any enquiries or information
concerning pro bono activities or opportunities at the Bar, please do n=
ot
hesitate to contact VBLAS staff Michelle Panayi, Susannah Sage Jacobson,
Kate Fischer or Marlena Pitrone on 9225 6692.
Susa=
nnah
Sage-Jacobson - VBLAS Co-Manager
|
|
=
=
Case
Summaries
=
Nigel Evans of Counsel<=
/b> advised and assisted Mr B, wh=
o was
referred to VBLAS by the Unrepresented Litigants Coordinator at the Sup=
reme
Court of Victoria. Mr B h=
ad
been representing himself for some years in a civil claim. With Counsel’s assistanc=
e Mr B
was able to prepare interlocutory applications and comply with Court
orders.
Anna Robertson of Counsel accepted a referral to provide
merits advice for a client wishing to appeal a decision of the Federal
Magistrates Court in a refugee claim.&=
nbsp;
Counsel considered that there were good grounds of appeal and the
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre agreed to act as instructing solicitor. In a great result for the clie=
nt,
two days before the date of the hearing the Minister agreed to remit the
matter for rehearing by the Refugee Review Tribunal.<=
/p>
=
Return to
top
=
|
Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic
New Funding
The Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic (HPLC) has been
successful in its recent funding application to the Helen Macpherson Sm=
ith
Trust. HPLC will receive $36,000 from the Trust to fund its Consumer
Advisory Group (CAG) for two years.
CAG, which was formed in 2006 thanks to an initial small
grant from the Victoria Law Foundation, comprises of people who are hom=
eless
or formerly homeless. CAG is convened to provide strategic guidance and
advice to the Clinic to enhance and more effectively target its service
delivery, law reform, advocacy, education and community development
activities.
Photographic Exhibition
On =
any
given night there are more than 100,000 people across Australia
who experience some form of homelessness. Over 23,000 of these people a=
re
Victorians and 60% are under the age of 25. People who experience
homelessness are at greater risk of extreme poverty, poor mental health=
and
poor physical health. They are more likely to be the victim of a crime =
and
many will suffer enduring forms of degrading treatment and debilitating
discrimination that results in social exclusion, low self esteem and a
sense of hopelessness. People who are homeless find it more difficult to
access health, employment and educational services and are more likely =
to
have difficulty accessing legal representation and justice through the
legal system.
In =
spite of
these significant challenges, HPLC, in the five years since its
establishment, has also seen another affect of marginalisation and
disadvantage. That is, that many of those who have been intermittently =
or
permanently homeless have developed incredible resilience, strength,
insight and have powerful stories to tell about how as a society we can
better respond to the needs of those most vulnerable.=
HPL=
C is
currently involved in a very exciting project in partnership with the
Future Focus Group from the Committee for Melbourne to create a photographic
exhibition to bring to light these stories. HPLC called for participants
for the project, and as a result, 11 people who are experiencing or have
previously experienced homelessness, have been paired with photographer
mentors to capture images which will form part of an exhibition to be h=
eld
in August. The Artists come from an array of backgrounds, and each has
their own story to tell. The exhibition will present the artists with an
opportunity to tell their life through a lens.
The=
first
step is for these artists to be mentored by professional photographers =
on
the art of photography. The artists have been provided with cameras and,
working with their mentor, will take a portfolio of photographs depicti=
ng
their own journey and stories.
This
exhibition has two main aims. It will seek to educate the broader public
about the nature, causes and extent of homelessness and it will also
celebrate the talents and skills of the participants of the exhibition =
in
an effort to break down negative stereotypes of homeless people by show=
ing
images and stories that create a sense of community and mobilise broader
concern for those who are denied the right to adequate housing.
We =
have
been fortunate enough to receive generous assistance from organisations
such as Australia Post, Metlink, VicUrban, and the National Gallery of
Victoria, who have provided support in many ways and forms. CAG has provided substantial
support, advice and assistance with the project. In addition, 8 mentors=
of
great skill and varied background have generously provided guidance and
training to the Artists. The 'Atrium' space of =
Federation Square has been prov=
ided
for the exhibition, with the opening night to be held on 6 August 2007,
coinciding with National Homelessness Week. Stay tuned for further
information in coming months.
=
Return to
top
|
|
|
|
Innovations in Pro Bono
New public interest pro bono organisation in South Africa
PILCH is pleased to s=
ee
the launch of ProBono.Org in =
Johannesburg, South Africa, a new
not-for-profit organisation which provides pro bono legal services in pub=
lic
interest matters. ProBono.Org has adopted the PILCH Victoria definition of
‘public interest’ matters, being those that raise issues of b=
road
public concern or which impact on marginalised or disadvantaged groups or
which affect a significant number of people, not just the individual. PIL=
CH
Vic provided some information and resources to ProBono.Org in its planning
stages. PILCH Vic wishes ProBono.Org a successful and vibrant future.
Release of government legal services annual report
The Victorian Governm=
ent
has released its report on its Legal Services to Government Panel Contract
and associated arrangements for 2005/2006 (www.justice.vic.gov.au). The report re=
cords
that panel firms, since 2002, have delivered about $11 million in pro bono
legal services giving access to justice for the disadvantaged, or assista=
nce
in matters which are in the public interest. Seventeen panel firms report=
ed
pro bono achievements in excess of their contractual obligations and only=
two
firms did not meet their contractual obligations regarding pro bono. Work=
for
PILCH and the HPLC were the two largest areas in which pro bono services were
provided by panel firms. PILCH supports the government’s panel
arrangements and acknowledges the contribution they have made to the buil=
ding
of an even stronger pro bono culture in Victoria. <=
/p>
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|
PILCH
Members
|
&n=
bsp;
|
|
Law Fir=
ms
Aitken Walker & Strachan=
Allens Arthur Robinson
Andrew George Solicitors
Arnold
Bloch Leibler
Arnold<=
span
lang=3DEN-GB style=3D'font-size:7.5pt;color:#003366;mso-ansi-language:E=
N-GB'> Dallas McPher=
son
Baker & McKenzie
Blake Dawson Waldron
Clayton Utz
Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Deacons
Ebsworth & Ebsworth
Francis Abourizk Lightowlers=
Freehills
Herbert Geer & Rundle
Holding Redlich
Hunt & Hunt
Lander & Rogers
Maddocks
Mallesons Stephen Jaques
Middletons
Minter Ellison
Phillips Fox
Robinson Gill
Russell Kennedy
Sparke Helmore
The Office of David Grace QC=
TressCox
Wisewoulds
Corpora=
te
Legal Departments
BHP Billiton
Goldman Sachs J B Were
Linfox
National Australia Bank Ltd, Legal Department<=
o:p>
TABCORP Holdings Ltd, Legal Department
Transport Accident Commission
Visy Industrial Packaging Holdings<=
/span>
Univers=
ities
=
Deakin University
La Trobe
University, Sch=
ool of
Law & Legal Studies
Monash=
University, Law School
Univer=
sity
of Melbourne, Law School
=
Victoria University, Facul=
ty of
Business & Law
|
Communi=
ty
Legal Centres
Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal
Service
Casey Cardinia Community Legal Service
Central Highlands<=
/st1:place>
Community Legal Centre
Coburg<=
span
lang=3DEN-GB style=3D'font-size:7.5pt;color:#003366;mso-ansi-language:E=
N-GB'> Brunswick Com=
munity
Legal and Financial Counselling Centre
Community West
Consumer Law Centre Victoria
Darebin Community Legal Centre
Environment Defenders’ Office (Vic) Ltd<=
o:p>
Essendon Community Legal Centre
Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic)
Fitzroy Legal Service
Flemington-Kensington Legal Centre<=
/span>
Geelong
Community Legal Service
Gippsland Community Legal Service
JobWatch Inc
Loddon Campapse Community Legal Centre
=
Melbourne University Student
Union Legal Service
Mental Health Legal Centre
Monash Oakleigh Community Legal Centre
Peninsula Community Legal Centre
Southport
Community Legal Centre
Springvale Monash Legal Service
SRC Legal Service, La <=
st1:PlaceName
w:st=3D"on">Trobe Universit=
y
Tenants Union of Victoria
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service Co-operative
Ltd
West Heidelberg
Community Legal Centre
Western Suburbs Legal Service
Women’s Legal Service<=
/p>
&n=
bsp;
Profess=
ional
Organisations
Law Institute of Victoria
Lawyers Engaged in Alternative Dispute Resolut=
ion
Victorian Bar
|
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|