National Pro Bono Day

20/05/2025

Today marks National Pro Bono Day and we take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks for our barristers’ service through the New South Wales Bar Association’s Duty Barrister Scheme and Legal Assistance Referral Scheme (LARS). The Duty Barrister Scheme, established in 1994, and our LARS program, reflect the New South Wales Bar Association’s long-standing commitment to access to justice. They also fulfill objects in our Constitution, namely, ‘to promote the administration of justice’ at 3.1.1 and ‘to seek to ensure that the benefits of the administration of justice are reasonably and equally available to all members of the community’ at 3.1.4 of our Constitution.

In the 2023/24 financial year, LARS received 520 applications for assistance. This is a substantial increase from 338 the year before. With the support of 105 volunteer barristers, over 3,137 hours of pro bono work were delivered, amounting to $2,028,456 in value. The Annual Report for 2023/24 is available here for your information. Our barristers’ contribution makes a real impact in promoting access to justice for individuals who otherwise would not be afforded professional legal assistance.

If you are willing to offer your services to assist, please complete this online form to register your interest in either or both of the Duty Barrister Scheme and LARS. The scheme's guidelines are available from the NSW Bar Association's website under About Legal Assistance. Should you have any questions, please contact Anita Gargiulo, Manager of LARS.