Each lawyer logged an average of nearly 42 hours of pro bono work over 2022-2023
Barry.Nilsson has gone above and beyond the national pro bono target with its new 2025 strategy, which has seen lawyers averaging nearly 42 hours of pro bono work each over 2022-2023.
With this figure, the firm exceeded the target by 20%.
“Achieving and exceeding the annual target of 35 hours of pro bono work per lawyer so quickly is due to the unequivocal messaging from Principals that pro bono is valued by the firm, which is strengthened by equivalent recognition of pro bono in performance measures”, said Katie Swain, Barry.Nilsson principal and head of pro bono and responsible business. “Over the past year, we have represented First Nations families at coronial inquests into deaths in custody and acted for victims of domestic violence to secure their family homes and children in discrimination cases among many others”.
The firm positioned social impact as a critical part of its 2025 strategy. The pro bono practice and Impact Project are dedicated to driving “meaningful change, particularly for women, children and First Nations peoples”, the firm said.
Barry.Nilsson has offered legal services at no cost and made community legal donations of $3m. The firm also provided financial support to community legal centres across the country in addition to equipment like phones and laptops.
CEO Graeme Walsh highlighted the firm’s pro bono placement program.
“As part of BN's graduate program, we offer a pro bono placement at a community legal centre for one day a week, for up to six months. These placements strengthen the capacity of community legal centres to service the community and also provide valuable and meaningful experiences to our graduates. It has been such a successful offering that every graduate this year has chosen a pro bono placement”, he explained.
Last month, two lawyers from Barry.Nilsson’s wills and estates team joined a wills clinic for First Nations peoples in WA. The clinic’s goal was to provide free wills to regional and remote First Nations peoples, the firm said. One of the firm’s associates also completed a part-time secondment for five months with the Redfern Legal Centre.
