Every Issue
Cite as: (2007) 81(7) LIJ, p. 89
The legal profession recently honoured women who have not only excelled in
their profession but also in pro bono.
This year’s Women Lawyers Achievement Awards acknowledged the
recipients for their work in furthering the interests of women in the
profession, but also highlighted their significant pro bono contributions.
The three recipients honoured at the awards, Alexandra Richards QC, Public
Interest Law Clearing House (PILCH) executive director Paula O’Brien and
Professor Jenny Morgan, have shown outstanding commitment to pro bono across the
public and private legal sectors.
Ms Richards has had a highly distinguished career and a longstanding
involvement in pro bono.
This includes work with Indigenous communities in Victoria and Queensland,
specifically in the area of deadlock disputes within Indigenous land council
corporations and in matters related to the abolition of ATSIC. She has also
acted in numerous refugee and anti-discrimination cases, and on behalf of the
Tenants Union of Victoria.
Ms Richards applies her advocacy skills as vigorously in pro bono as in her
private practice.
In 2005, she was awarded the Law Institute of Victoria President’s
Access to Justice Award.
At the Achievement Awards, Ms O’Brien was awarded the “Rising
Star” Award. The award recognises the achievements of a woman lawyer in
the comparatively early stages of her career.
Before taking up her current position at PILCH, she worked at commercial law
firm Minter Ellison and lectured at the University of Melbourne. She was a
founding board member of the Human Rights Law Resource Centre (HRLRC),
Australia’s first specialist human rights legal service.
In her acceptance speech, Ms O’Brien described PILCH as “one of
the loves of my life”.
“I consider myself very fortunate to have worked at PILCH which has
always attracted an outstanding group of staff who are highly committed to
improving access to justice for the many vulnerable people in our
community,” she said.
From October, Ms O’Brien will begin her Master of Laws at Cambridge
University as a Commonwealth Scholarship recipient.
“My plan is to come back to use the skills and knowledge I acquire in
the access to justice sector. I suppose this may mean being involved in
different parts of the profession in the future, but I have a continuing
commitment to access to justice.”
Ms O’Brien said she has personally observed a growing awareness of pro
bono.
“The ongoing growth of a pro bono culture in Victoria is something over
the past four or five years that I’ve definitely noticed. It’s not
static at all, knowledge about pro bono is increasing all the time.”
This year’s Women Lawyers Achievement Awards paid tribute to Prof
Morgan for her support for women’s rights and justice.
She is a member and previous co-chair of the Women’s Domestic Violence
Crisis Service and has extensive experience in victims’ issues.
A former Centre Against Sexual Assault House board chair, Prof Morgan is also
a former member of the Court Network board.
She has sat on the Women’s Legal Service, Women’s Domestic
Violence Crisis Service, the Royal Women’s Hospital and the VicHealth
Advisory Panel on Community Attitudes to Violence Against Women Committees.
Prof Morgan is widely published in feminist legal theory, criminal and
discrimination law and is the co-author of The Hidden Gender of Law.
The Women Lawyers Awards, which were held in May [see “Women legal
leaders aim higher”, June LIJ, page 29], are designed to encourage
female lawyers to excel in their chosen profession.
This year, they have shone a spotlight on women who have achieved both
personal and professional goals through their engagement in pro bono, while also
benefiting the community and promoting access to justice.
The message seems to be that the increasing number of women in the legal
profession will lead to a positive flow-on effect for access to justice, and a
bright future for pro bono.
VICTORIA LAW FOUNDATION (VLF) writer LAURA MACINTYRE
contributed this column, which is coordinated by the VLF. For further
information, contact the Pro Bono Secretariat via the VLF website
http://www.victorialaw.org.au
Looking to help?
To facilitate lawyers and firms becoming involved in pro bono work other than
legal services, the LIJ will profile a community group and its needs each
month.
Name of group Dolphin Research Institute
Contact person Jeff Weir
Phone 5979 7100
Email director@dolphinresearch.org.au
Web http://www.dolphinresearch.org.au
Brief description of work of group
The Dolphin Research Institute has provided dolphin research and marine
education and conservation services to the community on a not-for-profit basis
for 15 years.
The Institute was set up in the 1980s by people who were concerned about the
local dolphins and marine environment.
Twenty years later it is now a well-managed and sustainable not-for-profit
conservation organisation.
Current needs of group
The Institute is accepting expressions of interest from people with business,
governance, marketing and communications skills interestedin joining its
board.
For more information about volunteering, visit