Directory

Pro Bono 
Pro Bono Seminar Series
Volunteering
Student Mentoring program
Workplace Giving
Fundraising and Gift Matching
The Shopfront Youth Legal Centre
Small Grants Scheme
Secondments
Donations

Pro Bono

Every year Freehills assists more than 1000 pro bono clients through our pro bono legal work. Pro bono legal work includes transactional matters and litigation. Cases can range from an advice to a High Court matter. We deal with client organisations that work with communities of all shapes and sizes in Australia, and some that deliver services overseas. We focus on assisting people in need, and our pro bono client organisations include both the established and the start-ups.

We help many people at the Shopfront Youth Legal Centre and other legal centres. Most of our referrals come through word-of-mouth from existing pro bono clients or community legal centres, or through Freehills partners and staff who are involved in numerous community organisations. We work within a public interest guideline and many of our clients are not-for-profit organisations. We act for individuals if the matter has a public interest and will be of benefit to many people—if it will set a precedent or clarify a point of law.

Pro Bono Seminar Series

Our Pro Bono Seminar Series is designed to ease the workload of boards of not-for-profit organisations. Freehills provides training and education in governance areas such as taxation, privacy, directors’ duties, contracts and employee relations. We are committed to the access of justice through education and believe that providing our clients with information about the law empowers them. We conduct seminars and provide mentoring to solicitors in the community legal sector.

Our pro bono legal work is supported by providing assistance to organisations from other teams within Freehills including design, printing, word processing, catering and the provision of meeting rooms.

Volunteering

Freehills coordinates volunteering activities with community organisations on a regular basis. Staff give their time and undertake a variety of activities including excursions with disadvantaged children, tree planting, community barbeques, and renovation projects. Freehills encourages volunteering and grants each staff member one working day a year to participate in the program.

Student Mentoring program

The Student Mentoring program involves Freehills people volunteering as mentors and acting as positive role models for students from schools in disadvantaged areas. One hour per fortnight, the mentors engage in structured sessions with students on a range of topics providing guidance, support and learning opportunities. The students also visit their mentors in the workplace, and together the mentors and students attend a number of social activities.

The program aims to expand the students’ skill set by assisting them with developing skills and encouraging them to set career and life goals. The program also aims to empower students to deal effectively with challenges and opportunities they will encounter throughout their lives.

Workplace Giving

Freehills Foundation offers a Workplace Giving program, a payroll giving system that allows staff to make simple and more effective donations to their favourite charities. Deductions are made pre-tax, avoiding the need to collect receipts and make claims on their tax return at the end of each financial year. In addition, if the charity is recognised as a preferred charity we gift match the donation, making it doubly effective.

Fundraising and Gift Matching

We regularly initiate and coordinate fundraising activities to support the communities in which we live and work. We support the efforts of our people and the donations made through gift matching funds raised dollar-for-dollar. We also encourage teams-based fundraising where groups of employees embrace a cause and work together to raise funds.

The Shopfront Youth Legal Centre

Since establishing the Shopfront Youth Legal Centre in 1993, Freehills has enjoyed longstanding business community partnerships with Mission Australia and The Salvation Army. The Shopfront provides legal advice and representation for homeless and disadvantaged young people in Sydney’s inner city area. Our lawyers work to help their clients holistically, working collaboratively with youth services using the legal crisis to help the young person to transition. The Shopfront also runs training sessions for youth workers, and is involved in law reform work.

The Shopfront is staffed by around six permanent Freehills positions, including solicitors and legal support staff. Twice a year we second a solicitor to the Shopfront for a six-month period, as well as a secretary for a 12-month period.

Charity Law

With the growing demand for accountability in the not-for-profit sector, there has been an increased need for charitable organisations to obtain expert legal advice. Freehills’ Charity Law practice specialises in servicing the needs of charities and foundations and is recognised throughout Australia as the leading team in this area. The Charity Law practice was established in Melbourne and is now available in all of our offices.

The Charity Law practice advises on structural options and governance issues for boards of directors of charities and foundations. The practice provides seminars to the not-for-profit sector on relevant areas of law.

Small Grants Scheme

Our Small Grants Scheme gives Freehills people the opportunity to further assist those they help already through their commitment to volunteer work in their own time. Twice a year, Freehills Foundation offers 12 grants of up to $5,000 each to benefit a charitable organisation, either large or small, where an employee has a direct and ongoing volunteering relationship.

Secondments

At Freehills, we encourage and support our lawyers who choose to undertake a public interest secondment. A secondment involves the lawyer physically relocating offsite to provide a community service for an agreed period of time, and can be either full-time or sessional.

Donations

Freehills Foundation provides financial assistance to a variety of community organisations at a local, national and international level. Grants are carefully considered and reflect our focus areas. Other factors such as project support, prevention and intervention are also considered.