Pro Bono Legal Support for Indigenous NFPs
23 November 2010 at 3:54 pm
A new legal support service will provide pro-bono legal advice for Not for Profit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporations.
LawHelp will give corporations registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 access to pro-bono legal advice from established law firms across Australia.
Launching the initiative, Attorney-General, Robert McClelland says advice provided through LawHelp will help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations with contract negotiations, intellectual property arrangements, property management, tax issues and employment management.
McClelland congratulated all the LawHelp partners who will provide their time and expertise free of charge, and acknowledging the increasingly role of the legal profession in undertaking pro bono work.
Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin highlighted the important role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations played in improving the lives of Indigenous Australians.
Macklin says indigenous organisations play a central role in representing, assisting and providing services to Indigenous people across the country and are at the heard of the work being done to ‘close the gap’.
Eligible corporations include medical services, native title bodies, community stores, art centres, media organisations and those delivering key environmental health, municipal and remote services.
LawHelp has been developed by the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations and the Australian Government Solicitor.
Legal advice will be provided by a number of law practitioners including the Australian Government Solicitor, Clayton Utz, Minter Ellison, Blake Dawson, Williams Love & Nicol Lawyers and Peter Tree SC from Tasmanian-based Derwent and Tamar Chambers.
