Law firms have been praised for their commitment to charitable work during the GFC in a recent National Pro Bono Resource Centre (NPBRC) report.
The report looked at 24 large firms - each with more than 50 full time lawyers - and revealed that during the credit-crunched 2009/2010 financial year they managed to contribute over 322,000 hours in pro bono work. That averaged out at a healthy 29 hours per lawyer, according to an ALB report.
Cynics might be quick to suggest that lawyers lucky enough to hang on to their jobs during the credit crunch were not exactly run off their feet - and that pro bono work was just a decent way for firms to use resources and stave off boredom. Not so, according to John Corker, the Executive Director of NPBRC. "From an individual lawyer perspective, there is a desire to assist people in need. It's an ethical obligation. During the GFC there was an increased legal need, more people in distress."
And there's been further proof of the lawyerly commitment to helping those in need recently. A new public health and human rights centre, named after Former High Court Justice Michael Kirby, has been opened in Melbourne, focusing on the impact of HIV/AIDS. And spare a thought for the good lawyers of Sydney who took part in the Oxfam Trailwalker 100 km walk. Teams from firms including Mallesons, Blake Dawson and Corrs Chambers Westgarth all pulled on their hiking boots for the grueling 48 hour charity event.
So it seems that pro bono can be added - along with cooking and politics - to the list of past-times getting lawyers through the GFC.
Tip Off ROF
The report looked at 24 large firms - each with more than 50 full time lawyers - and revealed that during the credit-crunched 2009/2010 financial year they managed to contribute over 322,000 hours in pro bono work. That averaged out at a healthy 29 hours per lawyer, according to an ALB report.
Cynics might be quick to suggest that lawyers lucky enough to hang on to their jobs during the credit crunch were not exactly run off their feet - and that pro bono work was just a decent way for firms to use resources and stave off boredom. Not so, according to John Corker, the Executive Director of NPBRC. "From an individual lawyer perspective, there is a desire to assist people in need. It's an ethical obligation. During the GFC there was an increased legal need, more people in distress."
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Some lawyers receiving praise for their pro bono efforts yesterday |
And there's been further proof of the lawyerly commitment to helping those in need recently. A new public health and human rights centre, named after Former High Court Justice Michael Kirby, has been opened in Melbourne, focusing on the impact of HIV/AIDS. And spare a thought for the good lawyers of Sydney who took part in the Oxfam Trailwalker 100 km walk. Teams from firms including Mallesons, Blake Dawson and Corrs Chambers Westgarth all pulled on their hiking boots for the grueling 48 hour charity event.
So it seems that pro bono can be added - along with cooking and politics - to the list of past-times getting lawyers through the GFC.