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Allens Arthur Robinson

Secretaries provide pro bono support for Redress WA applications

1 December 2008

Four legal secretaries from the Perth office of law firm Allens Arthur Robinson (Allens) are working pro bono with the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia to process claims for compensation made by victims of abuse suffered while children in State care.

The secretaries - Sarah Sutton, of Beechboro; Elisa Hartman, of Brentwood; Veronica Walsh, of Carramar; and Joanne Huston, of West Perth - are spending one day a week each at the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia in East Perth and provide secretarial and administrative support to the legal staff, especially in regard to Redress WA applications.

Under Redress WA, $114 million has been allocated by the Western Australian Government for adults who were abused or neglected as children while in State care.

Allens' Secretarial Services Manager for Perth, Toula Panopoulos, said the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia approached the firm with a request for assistance in completing Redress WA applications.

'Our firm was very pleased to set up a secretarial pro bono program to support the Aboriginal Legal Service with the processing of these claims,' Ms Panopoulos said.

'Before the commencement of this program, our secretaries participated in a short induction/orientation and a cross-cultural training session, which provided valuable insight into the background and importance of this process.

'The four secretaries involved are very committed to this project and they are very proud to be involved in such important work for the Indigenous community and for Western Australia.'

Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia CEO Dennis Eggington welcomed the additional support created through the pro bono program.

'We commend law firms like Allens for the support and resources they have provided,' Mr Eggington said.

'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 full benefits of this scheme.'

Allens Chief Executive Partner Michael Rose said relationships with organisations such as the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia were of high importance to the firm.

'Just as with our clients, our approach is to have real and effective relationships between those community organisations we support and all the people who work in the firm.

'That's why it's important that our charity and pro bono program involves everyone in our firm, not just the lawyers.'

The pro bono program is similar to one that was set up for Allens' secretaries in Melbourne five years ago. In that case, six secretaries help at the Fitzroy Legal Service, a community legal drop-in centre, by providing pro bono secretarial and administrative support to the legal staff.

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Notes for editors.

Allens Arthur Robinson has staff in 14 cities and eight countries across the Asia Pacific.