By LSJ Team -
The Australian Pro Bono Centre has invited members of the NSW legal profession to commit to undertaking pro bono legal work in their communities by signing up to the National Pro Bono Target. The centre said the target is a “voluntary and aspirational target” for lawyers to undertake at least 35 hours of pro bono work – the equivalent of a five-day, seven-hour work week – per year.
More than 200 signatories have already pledged to meet this target including top-tier law firms, government legal departments, in-house legal teams and individual solicitors. The signatories have collectively reported more than 4.3 million hours of pro bono legal work since its commencement in 2007.
“Through involvement in pro bono work, lawyers are able to use their unique skills to support a wide range of vulnerable individuals in our community and provide vital legal assistance to community organisations,” the Australian Pro Bono Centre said in a statement.
“Although the Target is entirely voluntary and unenforceable, becoming a signatory prompts involvement in pro bono work and helps each [lawyer or firm] set a goal for the amount of pro bono work they will undertake each year.”
Go to probonocentre.org.au for more information and to sign up.
