Allens Arthur Robinson

• Introduction
• Our history
• In the community
  • Pro Bono
  • Charity
  • Environment
  • Reconciliation
• Our structure
• Art collection
• Sponsorship
• Seminars

Allens Arthur Robinson provides free legal assistance to those in need and to not-for-profit and charitable clients in many areas of the law.

Our pro bono practice has two goals:

• to contribute to the community by helping individuals and groups that need, but cannot readily access, legal assistance; and
• to provide opportunities for our staff to be involved in pro bono work.

We were a foundation signatory to the National Pro Bono Resource Centre Target for pro bono work, committing the firm to an average of at least 35 hours of pro bono work per lawyer per year. Our goal is to exceed this target significantly – which we have done this year.

It is not just our lawyers who can offer their expertise. Our vacation clerks, secretaries, IT experts and corporate services staff also provide much needed skills to our pro bono clients.

Contact: probono@aar.com.au.

Partner and Pro Bono Committee Chair Phillip Cornwell outlines the committee's goals.

View video

• Human rights
• Reconciliation
• Refugees
• Environment
• Health
• Secondments
• Projects
• A range of skills to offer
• Pro bono clients

Human rights

Our people find it rewarding to use their expertise as corporate lawyers to further the interests of human rights and the public good.

• Kracke v Mental Health Review Board

Kracke v Mental Health Review Board

This year, a team of lawyers assisted the Human Rights Law Resource Centre (HRLRC) in its appearance as a 'friend of the court' on an application to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to review a decision of the Mental Health Review Board (MHRB).

The case involved Mr Kracke, who was subjected to involuntary medical treatment for mental illness under a Community Treatment Order (CTO). Despite complaining of side effects, Mr Kracke had his CTO extended on two separate occasions without the MHRB reviewing it in the timeframe required by the Mental Health Act 1986 (Vic) (MHA).

The case raised several issues relating to how the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic) (the Charter) is interpreted and the obligations the Charter imposes on public authorities and tribunals. It is now clear from the Kracke case that when legislation is interpreted, it must be done in a manner that is consistent with the human rights protected by the Charter. The submissions on which Allens worked, and which were made by the HRLRC, were considered by the Tribunal in reaching its decision in the case. This decision was the first time that a court or tribunal in Victoria had given extensive consideration to how the MHA, and, in fact, all Victorian legislation, must be interpreted to reflect the human rights protected by the Charter.

Image: Senior Associate Rachel Nicolson, Lawyer Helen Beatty, Lawyer Monique Carroll and Partner Belinda Thompson.

Reconciliation

Our partners, lawyers, secretaries and corporate services staff work closely and extensively with many Indigenous organisations on a pro bono basis.

• Redress - WA

Redress WA

Working with the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (ALSWA), Allens' Perth office has been involved with Redress WA, a compensation scheme for people who were abused as children in State care in Western Australia.

The project involved a team of Allens lawyers interviewing the ALSWA clients and helping them to prepare detailed statements for Redress WA. Applying for compensation this way means applicants do not have to pursue their claims through court, arguably giving them a less traumatic and less costly option, with faster results.

Allens' contribution to the ALSWA does not just involve lawyers: legal secretaries from the Perth office are also providing ongoing pro bono help to the organisation. Allens' secretaries provide administrative support one day a week at the ALSWA offices, especially in relation to Redress WA applications.

ALSWA CEO Dennis Eggington welcomed the additional support created through the Allens pro bono program: 'We commend law firms like Allens for the support and resources they provide.

'This is such an important and overdue area of work, so it is wonderful to work together to ensure that our community receives the best outcome and the full benefits of this scheme.'

I found the Redress work immensely rewarding.

Of course, listening to clients' stories was a sobering experience; many clients had come through horrendous and traumatic circumstances during their time in State care. As a recently admitted lawyer, it was particularly valuable having the opportunity to interview clients in person and to see their applications through from start to finish. More importantly, it was clear that our work would be making a genuine, material difference to people's lives.

Robert French – Lawyer, Perth .

Refugees

• RACS

RACS

Sydney Senior Associate – and registered migration agent – Alexia Mayer works with RACS at its evening advice service. This year, Alexia was invited to go to Christmas Island and assist clients applying for refugee status.

At the request of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, RACS put together a task force to assist one half of a boat load of asylum seekers to make Refugee Status Assessment (RSA) applications and to represent them in their interviews with a delegate of the Minister.

'The work was extremely challenging. We worked under great time pressure to provide advice to our clients. Working in an immigration detention centre, which is like a gaol, can be oppressive at times,' said Alexia.

Alexia and the task force worked under pressure to prepare the applications, while building relationships of trust with their clients – often survivors of trauma – in a short time-frame and through the help of interpreters. '

In this type of role, you need to build a greater understanding of the culture and current political situation of your client’s country of origin. It is crucial to gain the client's trust quickly in order to find out what has happened to them, what persecution they fear and why. I have formed ongoing friendships with some of my clients. Their courage and bravery is very inspiring.'

Since Alexia's return, RACS has continued to represent these clients, making further written submissions where appropriate. 'Almost all of the RSAs have now been determined and, so far, protection visas have been granted in all cases. Once a protection visa – a permanent visa – is granted, the person is brought to the mainland. The relief and delight in hearing that a client has been granted a protection visa, has been brought to the mainland and will now be safe from persecution and can begin their new life makes the stress of the task force well worthwhile.'

Robert Lachowicz from The Refugee and Immigration Legal Service (RAILS) talks about the organisation and Allens' involvement.

View video

Environment

The firm's environmental pro bono work is part of Allens' overall commitment to initiatives and projects that support the environment

The firm is assisting The Climate Change Organisation and the Forest Stewardship Council on a pro bono basis to protect their intellectual property in Australia. Allens was approached by these environmental organisations to assist them to obtain trade mark protection for their brands.

• The Climate Change Organisation and Forest Stewardship Council
• Forest Stewardship Council
• World Wide Fund for Nature

The Climate Change Organisation and Forest Stewardship Council

The Climate Change Organisation (The Climate Group) is a registered UK charitable company that began as an initiative of the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2004.

The objective of The Climate Group is to address human-induced climate change and work towards adopting relevant solutions and recruiting members from among the leading organisations around the world to demonstrate climate leadership.

Forest Stewardship Council

The Forest Stewardship Council's mission is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests in Australia and countries supplying the Australian forest products market.

World Wide Fund for Nature

See how our people helped the WWF protect their world-famous panda.

View video

Health

Our firm encourages our people to be involved in a range of heath-related projects, including with mental health matters.

• Curwood Coronial Inquest

Curwood Coronial Inquest

Allens acted for the family of Andrew, a young man with mental health problems who was killed by his flatmate, a man diagnosed with schizophrenia. They were placed in a shared living arrangement by the Department of Human Services' mental health outreach and housing support program.

Andrew's family wanted a coronial inquest into Andrew's death because they believed lessons could be learnt in the areas of mental health service provision and the response of emergency services.

Throughout the inquest, which spanned five months, Allens sought to advocate for the interests of all users of both the mental health and emergency services systems.

The Coroner made special mention in court of the service Allens and its counsel had rendered through the inquest. After requests from the firm to the government-funded mental health bodies that they provide the Coroner with policy documents and internal incident reviews, a wider, a more comprehensive investigation of the relevant issues occurred.

Secondments

Secondments provide our lawyers with opportunities to work with pro bono clients and provide much needed help – not to mention a chance to work in areas of law that are quite different from the commercial work we usually do.

• Cellia Cotan Cognard's IDLO secondment
• SCALES secondment

Cellia Cotan Cognard's IDLO secondment

Last year, Sydney Lawyer Cellia Cotan Cognard was seconded to the International Development Law Organization's Asia-Pacific Regional Centre in Sydney.

Throughout her secondment, Cellia worked closely with IDLO's Program Legal Counsel and helped out on a range of programs – everything from conducting legal research, to designing and delivering various training courses, including an international commercial law course for Vietnamese judges and a climate change course for participants from developing countries in the Asia Pacific region.

IDLO has a consolidated presence in Indonesia, particularly following the devastating tsunami of 2004, and works closely with a range of government and private parties and civil society organisations. To further strengthen IDLO's relationship with Indonesia, Cellia organised and attended meetings with various Indonesian lawyers and government officials from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Trade in Jakarta. She also acted as an interpreter to facilitate communication with non-English-speaking officials during these meetings.

My secondment to the IDLO was a very interesting and enriching experience which allowed me to not only to interact with people from various countries in the Asia Pacific region and hear first-hand from them about topical issues they currently face in their countries, but also to deepen my understanding on various areas of international law.

Cellia Cotan Cognard

SCALES secondment

Lawyer Dave Filov talks about his secondment to SCALES.

View video

Projects

From a decade-long partnership, to responding to crisis situations, we continue to help a wide range of organisations.

• 10-year partnership with the Fitzroy Legal Service
• Pro bono work across Asia
• Finding Australia's First Submarine Incorporated
• QPILCH

10-year partnership with the Fitzroy Legal Service

In addition to the firm taking pro bono referrals from FLS on general matters and special projects, Allens has funded the employment of an Articled Clerk at the FLS since 2001, the only Articled Clerk position in the community legal sector in Victoria. Allens' secretaries also provide administrative support to FLS one day per week. Our librarians have also provided training to the lawyers at FLS.

Image: Allens Partner Sarah Matheson, High Court Justice Virginia Bell and Jenny Blakey from FLS at the 10-year celebration.

Photo courtesy of the Law Institute Journal

Hear about how our secretaries assist the FLS too.

View video

Pro bono work across Asia

Rebuilding schools damaged in the Sichuan earthquake

The firm provided pro bono legal assistance to ANZ and the Blue Scope Steel Group which donated funds to rebuild a school damaged in the 2008 earthquake in Mianyang in Sichuan Province, China.

Working with the government of Mianyang, the organisations reconstructed the Yangjia Middle School with six new classrooms for 600 students.

The green building is designed for resisting earthquakes of up to eight on the Richter scale and uses high-quality, recyclable building materials, including steel made in Australia.

Quang Nam Day Care Centre in Vietnam

The firm has assisted the Kianh Foundation to set up a Day Care Centre in Central Vietnam's Quang Nam Province for children with disabilities. Allens advised the Kianh Foundation on a memorandum of understanding with the local people's committee for the building of the Day Care Centre, and on the leasing of land and construction of the Day Care Centre.

Finding Australia's First Submarine Incorporated

Finding Australia's First Submarine Incorporated is an association established to locate the wreck of the AE1, the Australian submarine lost in mysterious circumstances in the waters off Rabaul during World War One in 1914. If and when found, the association will advocate for the location to be declared a war grave and for the provision of an appropriate memorial to the 35 officers and men lost with the submarine.

The association hopes to raise funds from public donations for these purposes and Allens is assisting the association to seek tax deductible gift recipient status.

Earlier this year, the association undertook two expeditions to attempt to locate the wreck, which were unfortunately unsuccessful. The firm provided confidentiality and intellectual property agreements to ensure the location of the site – if found – would be kept secret until the site could be adequately protected.

The search has been handed over to the Royal Australian Navy, and the association will focus its efforts on the memorial phase.

Image: What the AE1 looked like in 1914. (Photo provided by the Australian War Museum - Australian War Memorial Negative Number P01075.041.)

QPILCH

QPILCH is a legal referral and service organisation in Queensland. Coordinator Tony Woodyatt talks about QPILCH and the firm's involvement with the organisation.

View video

The QPILCH Self-Representation Civil Law Service helps eligible litigants conduct their cases in civil trials. Two Allens Senior Associates talk about their involvement with the service.

View video

A range of skills to offer

Our people provide much needed skills to our community organisation clients.

This year, our Marketing & Client Services' Design and Publications teams again worked with a number of organisations to assist in providing design expertise, editing and printing assistance for their publications, logo identity, marketing material and annual reports. These include:

• a continuing working relationship with the Refugee and Imigration Legal Centre, designing the Annual Report and various brochures.
• designing a t-shirt with a new logo for the Cambodian Youth Dance Group while they were touring and performing in Australia.
• providing print files for the Disability Discrimination Legal Service Inc for Braille business cards and letterhead.
• designing logo and brochures for the Women's Legal Referral Service.
• designing publications for Caxton Legal Centre, Women's Legal Service and Refugee and Immigration Legal Service.

We provide a number of our pro bono clients with a venue to hold meetings and other events. Our efficient reception, events and catering staff work hard to coordinate these occasions including:

• hosting training sessions for the Mental Health Legal Centre.
• hosting strategic planning days for Bush Heritage Australia.
• providing premises and catering for public events for UNIFEM Australia.

Our Perth secretarial team provides occasional assistance to community legal centre CASE for Refugees by transcribing recordings of tribunal proceedings, something that would otherwise take the under-staffed centre staff weeks to complete.

Pro bono clients

For more information about the Pro bono Committee, please contact probono@aar.com.au.