VolunteeringACT Members can access free pro bono legal assistance

Do you need legal assistance?

Pro bono legal assistance is the client’s legal assistance undertaken without charge. Pro bono assistance is generally available for charities, not-for-profits (NFPs), and community organisations, or where the required legal assistance is in the broader public interest.

Hall & Wilcox and Synergy Law provide pro bono legal assistance to member organisations of Volunteering ACT. The legal assistance required must fall within one of the areas of expertise listed on the Pro Bono Legal Assistance Referral Form.

Please note, that there are some instances where Hall & Wilcox and Synergy Law may not be able to assist, for instance, if a matter is not within their areas of expertise, or where they do not have the necessary staff available at a particular time. Pro bono legal assistance is not available for personal legal matters. The request for legal assistance must be on behalf of a charity or not-for-profit organisation. For example, pro bono legal assistance is not available for personal legal matters such as the sale or purchase of personal property. 

Do you need legal assistance?

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Pro bono legal assistance is

Here’s What Our Legal Partners Can Assist With

Our Legal Partners are skilled in a variety of legal areas. They help you in the following ways:

They can help you to identify higher risk terms and conditions, recommend changes, extract and explain key obligations, and suggest how you can manage and comply with contract responsibilities.
They can help you develop a contract for goods and services, funding, employment, engaging volunteers, sponsorships, and other arrangements with people and organisations.
They can prepare legal templates for your organisation to use on a regular basis. Your organisation might use templates for contracts, consent forms, registration forms, and other purposes. They can also review and update any existing templates that may be outdated or otherwise benefit from or require a review.
Is there a particular legal topic your community or service user needs to know about? They can develop a legal fact sheet on a topic that is relevant to your organisation. A fact sheet could be for your staff, volunteers, or clients.
They can provide legal advice on a wide range of matters. Some common advice you may require includes the impact of legislative and regulatory change, such as COVID-19 mandates, and advice on complaints and grievances your organisation may receive.
They can help you develop documents such as constitutions, policies, and procedures. If you already have some of these documents, they can help you review them and update them in accordance with the law and other requirements.
They can provide assistance with the development of policy submissions, for instance in response to a Royal Commission, a discussion paper, or any other similar reviews that call for submissions.
They enjoy presenting to small or large groups on a particular topic, as well as more informal sessions like coming to chat at a staff meeting. They can provide sessions for staff, volunteers, or clients on various issues, such as managing funding or grant obligations, contracting with third-party organisations, or dealing with personal information.

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More information about the legal assistance that is offered can be found on the Hall & Wilcox and Synergy Law information webpages.

Hall & Wilcox – Smarter Law (hallandwilcox.com.au)

Synergy – Synergy Group | Dynamic Leaders in Solutions for Government

To assist Hall & Wilcox and Synergy Law in providing high-quality legal advice to VolunteeringACT members, please provide as detailed and as complete instructions as possible (using the Pro Bono Legal Assistance Referral Form below) and any documents relevant to the request for advice, such as application forms and letters etc.

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About Hall & Wilcox

Hall & Wilcox is a leading independent law firm. They have more than 950 people, including approximately 120 partners, working across eight offices. They build partnerships with and service corporate, public sector, and private clients, both Australian-based and those offshore doing business in Australia.

They are famous for their values-driven and friendly culture. This is shaped by their hallmarks and guides the way everyone at Hall & Wilcox works every day.

“Our commitment to contributing to our communities is embedded in our firm culture. We deliver this through a range of areas, including our substantial pro bono work, community initiatives and partnerships, and sustainable environmental and supply chain practices.”

About Synergy Law

Synergy Law is a proud Canberra law firm, and as part of the Synergy Group, is committed to and has a long-held tradition of sponsoring local organisations.

Synergy Law partners with its clients to gain a deep understanding of their ‘drivers’ and support them in achieving their outcomes.  Synergy Law’s purpose is to provide high-quality, defensible and timely legal services to all of its clients.

“We are passionate about giving back to our community, and we are proud to be partnering with VolunteeringACT to provide pro bono legal advice and assistance to essential Canberra organisations who lead the delivery of key community initiatives.” 

Let’s discuss your law needs

Click here for the Referral Form