Natasha Simonsen (Member of the Charity Committee since January 2006) is currently in Pakistan working for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees. Pakistan has the single largest refugee population of any country in the world, playing host to more than two million Afghans who crossed the border in successive waves since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The refugee flow from Pakistan is continuing today. Natasha's role in the legal protection team involves interviewing refugees to determine whether they are in need of international protection, providing legal advice on cases submitted for resettlement, and assisting with a large-scale population profiling project that aims to identify the special needs and vulnerabilities of the Afghan population in Pakistan.
Allens in the community
Michael Rose
Chief Executive Partner
We recognise that we have broad responsibilities to our people, their families and the community
in which they live.
Our success as a firm is built on the talent and enthusiasm of our people and the values they bring with them from their homes and communities.
We are privileged to have gifted and motivated people who want to make a difference, not only in the law and in business, but also in the wider community. Our charity, pro bono and environment programs are our way of responding to these aspirations. Also, as a firm, we recognise that we have broad responsibilities – to our people, their families and the communities in which they live.
For many years now, our firm has built close relationships with charities and has supported them through personal engagement, direct financial support and the provision of pro bono legal assistance. Our pro bono work is not limited to the charities with which we have continuing relationships. Through our extensive pro bono practice, we are able to use the talent and experience of our lawyers, not only for organisations and people in need, but also to advance the public interest and to assist in the resolution of important legal issues.
Guided by our Footprint Committee, we strive to minimise our impact on the environment. Our focus on the environment reflects another attribute of our people: a keen eye to the future.
We are proud of our charitable, pro bono and environmental activities and proud of our people who work so energetically in these areas. They work with great passion, energy and commitment and they deserve our thanks.
Michael Rose
You can download the pdf version of our Community Commitment brochure (1.8MB).
Community projects
Volunteers at Allens Arthur Robinson
The firm takes great pride in the individual contributions of partners and staff who volunteer their time for charitable causes.
Despite busy working lives, many people take the opportunity to help those in need. The firm regularly informs staff of opportunities to volunteer at organisations with whom it has a relationship.
Learning Links – Reading for Life
In 2007, a group of 15 staff participated in the Reading For Life program, to assist children in grades 2-4 with their reading skills, confidence and motivation. Volunteers visited their 'reading buddy' at St James Primary School in Glebe for 45 minutes over 15 weeks. The program is now in its third year and helps children to improve their reading through one-on-one practice with a staff member. Volunteers found it immensely rewarding to see the children's skills improve, and their confidence grow.
OzHarvest
OzHarvest is a 'food rescue' charity that collects excess food from restaurants, delis, caterers and corporate events, and delivers it to organisations that feed the hungry and homeless in Sydney. The firm regularly assists with the supply of food.
The firm has had a very close connection with this charity since day one. Partner Oscar Shub is a founding member of their board. Several members of staff have volunteered with OzHarvest to help deliver meals to needy people.
In December 2007, 10 staff members spent the afternoon with the residents of Northcott, a housing estate in Surry Hills, Sydney, distributing a Christmas meal provided by OzHarvest. The purpose of the event was to provide a much-needed opportunity for Northcott residents, many of whom are elderly, disabled and disadvantaged, to socialise with one another and to facilitate a greater sense of community.
Matched Funding Program
The Matched Funding Program is one of the means through which the firm facilitates philanthropy among staff. The Program is a combined initiative of the Charity and Pro Bono Committees and was introduced in 2005. The program enables staff to make regular monthly donations from their pre-tax salary, and those donations will be matched dollar for dollar by the firm. Initially, the program was only open to an approved list of charitable organisations. After an extensive review, the Matched Funding Program has now been changed to allow staff to nominate any charity for inclusion in the program.
LEAPS! Program
LEAPS! (Law firms Encouraging and Assisting Promising Students) is a Sydney-based mentoring program conducted with the NSW Department of Education. Our program's legal and non-legal staff mentor Year 9 students, assisting and encouraging them to develop their self confidence and reach their full potential. The students involved in the program come from schools whose students suffer from social and/or economic disadvantages and for whom a mentoring program of this type has the potential to make a real, lasting and positive difference. More than 30 of our staff work with students from two such schools at regular mentoring lunches, providing them with support and encouragement and assisting with skills such as goal setting and time management. The program is immensely rewarding to both students and staff, culminating in an always touching 'graduation' at the end of each year.
Surf Life Saving Australia – Equipment for Nippers
Training
of junior members is a priority for the Surf Lifesaving movement. The Nipper
program gives young members the opportunity to learn everything they need to
know about being a lifesaver. Thank you to Allens Arthur Robinson for your
wonderful commitment to Surf Life Saving.
Steve Francia, Executive Director, Surf Life Saving Foundation
In 2007, the firm's management decided to shift away from sending our traditional Christmas cards and to convey Christmas and season's greetings electronically. Part of the resulting cost savings were directed to Surf Life Saving Australia. The firm provided financial support to buy special rescue boards for the training of young boys and girls (aged seven to 14) as part of the Nipper program. The rescue board is one of the most used pieces of rescue equipment and is designed for a single person to perform a rescue and transfer the patient back to shore.
2007 was 'The Year of the Surf Lifesaver', marking 100 years of protecting swimmers at beaches around Australia.
Allens Arthur Robinson lawyers in the community
Natasha Simonsen – UNHCR
Rebecca O'Brien, Senior Associate, Perth – volunteer with Information Radio
Being able to read is something that I have always taken for granted – I can't imagine being unable to browse the paper while having my morning coffee. Reading the Fin Review for Information Radio enables me to help bring information to people who wouldn't otherwise be able to access it. It also means that I read all of the main stories word for word at least once a week!
Information Radio is a Perth community-based radio station that caters for print handicapped listeners. Volunteers read aloud from a number of publications, ranging from local and national daily newspapers to popular magazines, as well as bus timetable changes, lottery results and other information that may otherwise be inaccessible to people with vision impairments or literacy problems. Rebecca O'Brien, a Senior Associate in the Perth office, has been a volunteer with Information Radio for more than two years. Rebecca reads The Australian Financial Review most Wednesdays.
Fundraising
White Ribbon Day – Sydney
The firm celebrated White Ribbon Day on Friday 30 November 2007 in our Sydney office, in support of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Our summer clerks sold white ribbons and raffle tickets throughout the day, and staff drinks were aptly themed 'Bright & White'. Television celebrity Andrew O'Keefe, an Allens Arthur Robinson alumnus who is now the chairman of the White Ribbon Foundation, made a special presentation on the night, and announced the lucky raffle winners. The event was a great success, and everyone enjoyed the opportunity to dress up, have fun, and raise money for a worthwhile cause.
Oxfam Trailwalker – Melbourne
In 2008, two teams from the firm's Melbourne office participated in the Oxfam Trailwalker, walking 100kms as a team of four in under 48 hours. Each of the 2008 teams, 'AAR we there yet?' and the 'TeachAARs', pledged to raise at least $5000 for Oxfam. Staff in our Melbourne office enjoyed a great morning tea and casual clothes day fundraiser in support of the event. Funds raised by the Oxfam Trailwalker go to supporting Oxfam's work in 28 countries around the world, including its work with indigenous people in Australia.
Jeans for Genes Day
We take great pride in our ongoing support of Jeans for Genes Day, and are extremely proud of our success in raising funds for such a wonderful cause.
Jeans for Genes Day is a true highlight in the firm's calendar, and this year was no exception. Our partners and staff participated in a variety of activities across our Australian offices, raising more than $20,000 for the Children's Medical Research Institute. Decked out in their finest denim, our 'Jean Genies' worked tirelessly to sell badges and merchandise throughout the day. One of the highlights was the interdepartmental 'Battle of the Bands', held in our Sydney and Melbourne offices, which took us back to the golden era of rock 'n' roll – the 1960s. There was a high level of involvement right across the firm and everyone who participated had a great time, whether as singers, musicians, badge-wearers, auction bidders, enthusiastic partygoers or all of the above. We take great pride in our ongoing support of Jeans for Genes Day, and are extremely proud of our success in raising funds for such a wonderful cause.
The Smith Family 'Around The Bay In A Day' – Melbourne
The firm's Melbourne office raised funds for The Smith Family at a morning tea/casual clothes day on 17 October, organised on the eve of our involvement in the annual Around the Bay in a Day cycling event. Partner Lynne Jensen spoke about the firm's long-standing involvement with The Smith Family. Twenty-two of the firm's cycling enthusiasts took part in the annual event, which involves riding 210km around the bay in the one day.
Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal Melbourne
For the past several years, the Melbourne Charity Committee has conducted a Hot Cross Bun Drive in the lead-up to Easter to raise money for the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal. The Royal Children's Hospital is the major specialist paediatric hospital in Victoria, and also cares for children from Tasmania and southern New South Wales and other states around Australia and overseas. It is internationally recognised as a leading centre for research and education and treats approximately 280,000 children each year.
World's Greatest Shave
The Leukaemia Foundation is dedicated to the care and cure of patients and families living with leukaemia, lymphomas, myeloma and related blood disorders. Brave Simon Fraser, from the Business and Technology Services Department in Brisbane, had his head shaved at work to raise money for the World's Greatest Shave. All donations from the event went to The Leukaemia Foundation to support its life-saving research. In Sydney, five other brave participants subjected themselves to the clippers: Leighton O'Brien, Jonathon Pagon, William Ball, Henry Fraser, and Justin Simpkins.
Walk to Cure Diabetes – Sydney
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is a world leader in diabetes research, funding an estimated 35 per cent of global research into Type 1 Diabetes. In 2007, more than 100 partners and staff from the Sydney office came together with their families and friends to participate in the 'Walk to Cure Diabetes' and raised money to help the Foundation with its critical research.
