The Australian Pro Bono Centre warmly invites members of the Association of Corporate Counsel Australia to become signatories to the National Pro Bono Target.
What is the Target?
The Target is a voluntary and aspirational target of at least 20 hours of pro bono legal services per in-house lawyer per year. Both in-house legal teams and individual in-house lawyers can sign up.
The Target has been open to in-house legal teams since 1 July 2020 and there are now nine leading legal teams, including AIG, AMEX, Harvey Norman Property, LexisNexis and Willis Towers Watson, and ten individual in-house lawyers on the register. You can view a list of current signatories here.
Signatories to the Target across the legal profession have collectively reported over 4.3 million hours of pro bono legal work since the Target’s commencement in 2007.
Why should you sign up to the Target?
Through involvement in pro bono work, ACCA members can use their unique skills to support a wide range of vulnerable individuals in our community and provide vital legal assistance to community organisations. Many in-house lawyers are already helping others in this way. Others are keen to participate and indeed many feel an ethical professional responsibility to do so. Although the Target is entirely voluntary and unenforceable, becoming a signatory prompts involvement in pro bono work and helps each lawyer or legal team as a whole to set a goal for the amount of pro bono work they will undertake each year.
Moreover, by signing up to the Target, the Centre is able to formally recognise and record that work and, in doing so, inspire other in-house lawyers to become involved. The Centre publishes a de-identified report on pro bono hours performed by Target signatories each year and, through a variety of publications and events, showcases a range of pro bono work and lawyers involved to recognise this dedication of time and skills and its impact.
Significant professional and personal benefits ensue from using one's skills to help those in need. Please see the link below to learn more and sign up.
How to sign up to the Target
Please click here to learn more about the Target, and to become a signatory.
If you have any questions, please contact the Centre by email at info@probonocentre.org.au.
Announcing the launch of the ACC Australia National Pro-bono Special Interest Group
Australian in-house corporate and government legal teams and individual lawyers can make a significant contribution to pro bono legal services. In-house pro bono enables lawyers to give back to the community, enhances professional and personal development, and can bring long-term benefits for organisations which support pro bono work.
In response to the growing need for pro-bono assistance within our broader community and the expertise, passion and drive of ACC Australia members, the ACC Australia National Committee approved the formation of the ACC Australia National Pro-Bono Special Interest Group.
Our Special Interest Group, led by Jon Downes (Head of Legal (APAC), Willis Towers Watson) brings together pro-bono advocates from across Australia, including Stacey Giovanelli (Senior Legal Counsel, Mission Australia), Anna Bagley (Director and Chair, Finance Audit & Risk Committee, ACC Australia), Jin Poh (General Counsel, Super Retail Group), Deon Wong (Senior Legal Counsel, Seeing Machines), Marina Yastreboff (Legal Counsel, UNSW, President AUSCL) and Karen Lee (Legal Counsel, Novartis Australia and New Zealand).
Jon and Marina are also represent ACC Australia members on the Australian Pro Bono Centre In-house Steering Committee.
The ACC Australia National Pro-bono Special Interest Group proudly supports the Australian Pro-bono Centre Target and stands ready and willing to support you on the pro-bono journey and to sign up as a signatory to the Target. Together we will make a difference.