Barristers encouraged to sign up to the National Pro Bono Target

12/04/2024

The Australian Pro Bono Centre warmly invites members of the NSW Bar to become signatories to the National Pro Bono Target.

What is the Target?

The Target is a voluntary and aspirational benchmark of at least 35 hours of pro bono legal services per lawyer per year. Both individual barristers in a personal capacity and barristers’ chambers can sign up.

There are currently over 300 signatories to the Target, including dozens of barristers and three chambers (along with law firms, in-house legal teams and individual solicitors). You can view a list of current signatories here.

Signatories to the Target have collectively reported over 6.2 million hours of pro bono legal work since its commencement in 2007.

Why should you sign up to the Target?

Through involvement in pro bono work, barristers are able to use their unique skills to support a wide range of vulnerable individuals in our community and provide vital legal assistance to community organisations. Many barristers are already helping in this way. Other barristers are keen to participate and indeed many feel an ethical professional responsibility to do so. Although the Target is entirely voluntary, becoming a signatory prompts involvement in pro bono work and helps each barrister to set a goal for the amount of pro bono work they will undertake each year.

Moreover, by signing up to the Target, the Centre is able to formally recognise and record that work and, in doing so, inspire other barristers to become involved. The Centre publishes a de-identified report on pro bono hours performed by Target signatories each year. You can view our latest Target Report here. Through a variety of publications and events, the Centre also showcases the hard work and dedication of pro bono lawyers and the meaningful impact they have on our communities.

How to sign up to the Target

Please click here to learn more about the Target, and to become a signatory. You can sign up for yourself, or sign up for your whole chambers.

If you have any questions, please contact the Centre by email at info@probonocentre.org.au.

The Legal Assistance Referral Scheme

The NSW Bar Association administers the Legal Assistance Referral Scheme (LARS), which matches requests for legal assistance with barristers. Becoming a Target signatory is a way of recording the pro bono work barristers do both within and outside of LARS.

If you would like to sign up to do pro bono work through LARS, please register your interest via this online form.

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