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Pro-Bono & Community Involvement

Utilising our skills and resources to give back and help our community

Finlaysons has a long history of undertaking pro bono work for individuals, charities and not-for-profit organisations in South Australia & the Northern Territory

Finlaysons Pro Bono TargetFinlaysons is a signatory to the National Pro Bono Target.  The National Pro Bono Target is a voluntary and aspirational target of at least 35 hours of pro bono legal services per lawyer per year.

We are also a member of JusticeNet, a “clearing house” which coordinates the provision of pro bono legal assistance to low-income and disadvantaged individuals and not-for-profit and community organisations in South Australia.

Further, through one of our commercial litigation partners, we are also a member of the Federal Court Referral Scheme, which coordinates pro bono legal assistance for parties to proceedings in the Federal Court where this is in the interests of justice.

Supporting our Community

We are conscious of the world around us and find it important to give back whenever we can. We support local organisations such as non-profit hunger relief organisations, environmental charities, schools, local sport clubs and legal support organisations through volunteering, donating, sponsorship and partnership opportunities. We find it imperative and are proud to be involved and lend a hand to those who need it.

Our staff donate collectively on a monthly basis to selected charities as part of Finlaysons’ Casual Friday policy where staff dress casually for work on Fridays each week in return for a gold coin donation to the firm’s selected charity of the month.

Some examples of pro bono legal work we have recently undertaken include:

  • Representing a disadvantaged individual in an ACCC prosecution in the Federal Court for supplying infant sleeping bags which did not comply with Australian Standards, in contravention of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (strict liability offences).
  • Providing advice to a self-represented litigant in an appeal from the Federal Magistrates Court regarding privilege issues and a proposed appeal.
  • Following an approach by the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement, assisting an aboriginal man in negotiating with a state-wide organiser regarding a competition he had created to support young aboriginal footballers.
  • Assisting and representing a number of people in relation to applications/appeals relating to their pension entitlements.
  • Preparing and reviewing constitutions and player contracts for a number of community sporting clubs.

We regularly undertake pro bono legal work for charities and not-for-profit organisations working on behalf of low-income or disadvantaged members of the community or for the public good, such as the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Youthinc, Common Ground, Connecting Up and charitable trusts.

We also undertake pro bono legal work in the form of law reform and policy work on issues of public interest, such as through the Justice Reinvestment Working Group.