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Clayton Utz pro bono practice celebrates 25th anniversary
Clayton Utz has celebrated the 25th year anniversary of its pro bono practice, having first established it in 1997.
Lauren Croft
The national law firm has provided over 815,000 hours of pro bono legal work over the course of a quarter century – and said that since 1977, their pro bono work has been focused on access to justice, acting for low-income and vulnerable people who cannot obtain Legal Aid, and for the not-for-profits which support them.
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Since its inception, the practice has run 12,785 pro bono files, acted for 6,115 people, and helped thousands more at external legal clinics, advised 1,617 not-for-profit organisations and assisted clients in 513 regional and remote communities across Australia.
The dedicated national practice group at the firm is led by David Hillard ̶ Clayton Utz's first pro bono lawyer, who became the first pro bono partner in 2006. In 2018, Mr Hillard was joined by Jessica Morath as the firm’s second pro bono partner, who said lawyers of all levels at the firm engage in pro bono work.
"Clayton Utz has made pro bono work a part of every lawyer's everyday practice. At its core is our belief that all lawyers have a professional responsibility to help people who might otherwise fall through the cracks of our legal system,” she said.
“Pro bono work at Clayton Utz is real work, and the shared responsibility of all of our lawyers, at every level of seniority and in every area of practice."
Mr Hillard added that it was particularly rewarding to see the pro bono culture at the firm – and Australia wide – flourish over the last 25 years.
"Twenty-five years of pro bono practice has shaped Clayton Utz and helped shift perceptions of what it means to be a successful law firm in Australia. When I started our pro bono practice in 1997, the Australian law firm pro bono community could meet in a phone booth. Today, structured pro bono practices acting for vulnerable clients, and led by dedicated pro bono partners and specialist lawyers, have become the norm at Australia's large law firms,” he said.
“Pro bono simply is now part of what we do, and the Australian pro bono culture is one of the world's strongest. Looking back, it has been a phenomenal transformation. I am so proud of our firm and the real difference that our pro bono work continues to make to change our clients' lives."
