LawRight Newsletter - 31 August 2022
Bridging the gap
LawRight positions lawyers at locations and into processes where people who are already vulnerable need legal help. Without lawyers, their situations are likely to worsen and opportunities for stability inevitably reduce. This newsletter highlights three processes where the impact of our members’ pro bono intervention is profound.
Victim survivors of violence
People who are homeless (or at risk of homelessness) experience higher rates of violence, including sexual violence, but accessing support for victims is not easy. Liaising with bureaucratic systems and obtaining relevant medical and psychological reports is complicated and can potentially re-traumatise.
Our Community and Health Justice Partnerships lawyers help bridge this gap and deliver this support in conjunction with the health and social workers at the community locations we partner with. Over 15% of our files are Victim Assist applications and in 21/22 we secured >$146,000 of financial support and access to support services to help victims recover. Many more clients were guided to advocate for themselves. Some of these outcomes have taken years to secure or have been rejected initially, so we are also working on systemic change with the agencies involved.
Access to work and training
LawRight assists with almost 30% of Blue Card reviews at QCAT, and >50% of our clients with Blue Card reviews are referred to us by QCAT. Over 20% of clients we assist with Blue Card matters have the decision of Blue Card Services set aside. While the safety of children is paramount, the reasons why a person is denied a Blue Card (working with children check) often intersect with their vulnerability. People from remote Indigenous communities or with a history of living with domestic violence may be denied Blue Cards for reasons that are typical of systemic disadvantage (such as lack of opportunity to respond effectively to criminal charges). These same reasons are barriers to meaningful participation in BCS’s assessment of their circumstances, yet adverse decisions impact their access to employment or further training and frequently take over two years to review. LawRight’s co-location at QCAT (and our research into these challenges) is critical to disrupting these cycles of inequity.
Complex litigation
Litigation in the District and Supreme Courts is high-stakes financially and technically difficult to navigate. LawRight relies on the resources and skills of pro bono barristers and law firms to bridge the gap – for the whole of Queensland. Over 60% of our clients are referred by Legal Aid Queensland or other Community Legal Centres that do not have the expertise or resources to support clients in these matters.
Proceedings discontinued for massive debt
A defendant named in a Supreme Court claim for more than $500,000 believed he was not responsible for the debt and the co-defendant agreed. Without funds to afford a lawyer, they prepared and filed an inadequate defence. It took multiple appointments with pro bono and staff lawyers to prepare amended defences, make and respond to requests for particulars, undertake disclosure, prepare for various review hearings, and draft affidavits setting out their side of the story. These are complex processes that most typical Australians cannot navigate by themselves. Eventually, the plaintiff agreed to discontinue proceedings against both defendants. Our clients told us the assistance they received was “invaluable” and that they could not have done it without our help.
“Kind soul” whose representation ended decade-long case
Irene has severe and complex mental health issues which impact her ability to engage in the legal process. She was the defendant in District Court proceedings that started in 2008 and limited progress had been made. The Court asked LawRight to assist and a member barrister took a direct brief to represent Irene at mediation, where the matter finally settled after more than a decade. Irene appreciated the “kind soul” who gave “some of the professional time to assist the less privilege[d]”.
We agree that LawRight members are kind, but perhaps they are motivated even more by the essential and strategic link between access to justice and the rule of law, which protects us all.
Red Wine for Justice – Friday 14 October 2022
Red Wine for Justice is another opportunity to be kind and increase access to justice! Secure the fabulous auction wines and raise funds to support all LawRight services. We are sorry the event has changed dates so often – if you aren’t sure if you (and your friends) are registered or not, please email comms@lawright.org.au to check. Additional tickets are available at www.lawright.org.au/redwineforjustice.
RWFJ Update - 11 August 2022
Red Wine for Justice – August update
New date confirmed – 6pm, 14 October 2022
We are delighted to announce a new date for Red Wine for Justice – Friday 14 October.
We have moved all the lovely wine back into storage and look forward to a Spring event.
All tickets remain valid and we look forward to seeing you on 14 October. If you can no longer attend and would like a refund or to transfer your ticket, please contact us at comms@lawright.org.au. More tickets will be available shortly at www.lawright.org.au/redwineforjustice.
LawRight Newsletter - August 2022
Red Wine for Justice
Red Wine for Justice was scheduled for Friday 29 July, but with covid continuing to rampage, we postponed it. We are all disappointed and our sincere apologies to everyone inconvenienced by this change.
The event is now rescheduled for Friday 14 October and we will reopen registrations soon. All tickets from previous dates remain valid, and there will be more available.
We are looking forward to finally enjoying this elusive event.
From crisis to capability
Our Mater Health Justice Partnership and our Financial Counselling Service rely on your generosity at our fundraising events. Both of these services help clients shift from crisis to capability. We adapt our approach as the client needs, to carefully build their knowledge and self-advocacy skills.
As a young HJP client recently reflected: “You left me with initiative but still helped me when I needed it.”
16-year-old Tara has no trusted and responsible adults to turn to. When she had to vacate her regional student rental to access treatment and rehabilitation at the Mater, the landlord (who had been advised of her circumstances) demanded additional rent and issued a breach notice. Tara felt unheard and overwhelmed. LawRight negotiated the withdrawal of the breach notice, waiver of the remaining rent, the return of the bond and the reinstatement of Tara’s clean rental record.
After learning to trust us, Tara disclosed a history of sexual abuse. We helped her apply to Victim Assist Qld and linked her with Mater clinicians to provide trauma support and counselling.
After learning to trust herself, Tara reached out after she was fined while driving without supervision on L-plates – she had been buying groceries for younger family members who rely on her support. LawRight armed her with the knowledge and confidence to self-advocate and the fine was downgraded to a caution.
When Tara was impacted by the 2022 floods and couldn’t access disaster payments, she reached out to LawRight again and we linked her with our Financial Counsellor. Together, they are building Tara’s financial literacy, increasing her resilience and helping Tara access her entitlements.
LawRight Newsletter - July 2022 - Red Wine for Justice
Thank you for registering to attend Red Wine for Justice on July 29, 2022. This email has some important logistic notes as well as updates on the event. We still have some tickets so please consider inviting a colleague or friend today for a guaranteed great night. Tickets available here.
Please notify us about any allergies
Our hosts are catering for a range of dietary preferences but if you have a specific food allergy we should know about, please advise us at comms@lawright.org.au by COB Wednesday 20 July.
Covid safety
The venue is well-ventilated with large outdoor spaces and we’ve made some changes to the event to make it covid-safe, such as how we are serving food and drinks. Please do not attend if you have any symptoms. We are happy to provide a refund if you’re unwell. Our hosts Herbert Smith Freehills have also asked us to circulate their covid message:
To ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of our people and guests, we will require all attendees at this event to be double vaccinated against Covid-19. Please do not attend this event if you have been identified as a close contact or high risk contact to a positive Covid-19 case in the last 7 days. We hope you feel comfortable to join us for this event and ask that you please ensure you are familiar with our Covid-19-Meetings and Events disclaimer.
We’ve raided the cellar..
All the donated wine is now out of the cellar and ready to be enjoyed by you on the night or won by you at auction. Thanks to our generous donors, there are 50 lots to choose from, at either the silent or main auction. Auction booklets will be available on the night but we will continue to publish highlights until the event.
We have your name on the door list
All registrations and changes for tickets to the event have been recorded and will be on the door list without the need for printed tickets. You simply need to attend and be checked in.
Our latest newsletter is available here, and includes auction highlights and what to look forward to on the night, including:
- Bid for a picnic for eight, hosted by the Hon Roslyn Atkinson AO and the Hon Ann Lyons
- Bid for a high tea for five, hosted by the Hon Margaret McMurdo AC and the Hon Margaret White AO
- Enjoy great conversations, fine wines for drinking and gourmet winter food
- Ponder the musings of His Honour, Justice Peter Applegarth, our special guest speaker
- Join the fray at the wine auction
- Delight guests at your next celebration with your silent auction success – lots include 6 bottles of 2000 Kilikanoon Clare Valley Oracle Shiraz, or a stunning 6 bottles of 2016 E.Guigal Hermitage Rouge (with a further 6 bottles available in the main auction)
LawRight Newsletter - July 2022
We’re looking for new premises
The Queensland Law Society has been our landlord since July 2017 but the lease has now ended and we are looking for new premises near the CBD. If you can assist our search in any way, please contact Joint Director linda.macpherson@lawright.org.au for our rental specifications.
Magistrates Court service to pause
Regrettably, we have paused our service to self-represented litigants in the Magistrates Court, due to insufficient funds.
LawRight uses your donations to deliver innovative services that are not government-funded but respond to critical access to justice needs. Three such services are our Financial Counselling service, a Health Justice Partnership to vulnerable young adults at the Mater Young Adults Health Centre and our pilot self-representation service to the Magistrates Court.
The Magistrates Court service commenced in July 2021 and assisted 86 clients with over 220 advice sessions or task assistance to progress their matters, resolve their disputes, and navigate their proceedings more effectively. Proceedings in this jurisdiction can be just as legally complex as they are in the higher courts. Litigants still face the potentially ruinous impact of adverse decisions, the potential for costs orders for failing to understand process and procedures, and the stress and difficulty involved in navigating our legal system. However, the most vulnerable litigants in this court don’t have access to legal advice or representation for their civil law matters.
Despite this need we decided to pause the Magistrates Court service at the end of June, due to insufficient funds. We will continue to assist existing clients where possible but will not intake new clients until we review this decision in January 2023.
Increasing success with a financial counsellor
When women exit prison, they can face a barrage of debts that have grown in complexity during their incarceration and impact their capacity to build a stable future. Working with our lawyers, our financial counsellor helped a young parolee secure the waiver of >$20,000 debt and prevent repossession of her car by resolving an additional >$20,000 loan, which infringed responsible lending practices. The refund we secured helped the young woman as she re-integrated into society.
Each of our unfunded services relies on your donations with annual operational costs of >$100,000 per service. Your support always counts!
Give with pleasure!
- Bid for a picnic for eight, hosted by the Hon Roslyn Atkinson AO and the Hon Ann Lyons?
- Bid for a high tea for five, hosted by the Hon Margaret McMurdo AC and the Hon Margaret White AO?
- Enjoy great conversations, fine wines for drinking and gourmet winter food?
- Ponder the musings of His Honour, Justice Peter Applegarth, our special guest speaker?
- Join the fray at the wine auction?
- Delight guests at your next celebration with your silent auction success – lots include 6 bottles of 2000 Kilikanoon Clare Valley Oracle Shiraz, or a stunning 6 bottles of 2016 E.Guigal Hermitage Rouge (with a further 6 bottles available in the main auction)
- All of the above?
LawRight Newsletter - June 2022 - Red Wine for Justice
Celebrate pro bono winter style
Join us for Red Wine for Justice on Friday 29 July, starting at 6pm. Only $80 to enjoy fabulous drinking wines (highlights below), winter feasting, the drama of the wine auction and His Honour Justice Peter Applegarth as our wonderful guest speaker.
Register for Red Wine Justice here
Legal literacy training for community workers
233 staff from 75 health and community organisations registered for LawRight’s Caseworker Training event, held over three days in early June. People experiencing crisis and vulnerability struggle to recognise their legal needs and navigate complex systems. This free training increases the capacity of frontline workers to identify civil legal issues experienced by their clients, support and refer them for help. This was the tenth event LawRight has coordinated and the first held on-line, enabling workers from around Queensland to attend. Up to 50 people attended each of the 12 sessions on topics such as Domestic Violence Orders, consumer and credit disputes and support for crime victims. Lawyers from FisherDore, Maurice Blackburn, LAQ, Womens’ Legal Service, QAI, Tenants Qld and LawRight presented, together with advocates from Qld Youth Housing Coalition and Brisbane Emergency Response Outreach Service.
LawRight Newsletter - June - Barristers
Dear LawRight member barristers,
Thank you for your ongoing support of LawRight. It was a pleasure to see such strong support from the Bar at the Queensland Legal Walk and we also hope to see you soon at Red Wine for Justice (date to be confirmed very soon).
For the first time, we are offering auto-renewal of LawRight membership. If you renew your membership online, next year your membership fees will automatically be deducted, unless you opt out. We’ve answered some FAQs below, or feel free to contact us with other queries on (07) 3846 6317 or members@lawright.org.au.
Why move to automatic renewal?
This process will significantly reduce the administrative burden of membership renewals for LawRight and our members.When will the next payment happen?
Your next membership payment will be scheduled for 12 months from your first payment. At least 14 days before the payment is schedule, you will receive an email and have the opportunity to opt out.
How much is membership?
Your membership fee is calculated based on your years at the bar.
First year – $20
2-3 years – $100
4-5 years – $175
6+ years – $280
What payment method do you accept?
You can pay by credit card (including AMEX) or direct debit. If your details change in the next 12 months and the payment doesn’t go through, we’ll contact you to update your details.
Why be a LawRight member?
As one of our existing members, you may have directly impacted a vulnerable client through your pro bono work with LawRight, or have read our client stories, reports and submissions and want to support our strategic pro bono legal assistance. At her Welcome Ceremony, the newest member of the Supreme Court, Her Honour Melanie Hindman QC, referred to her pro bono work (including with LawRight) as one of the greatest achievements of her legal career.
More information is on the Barristers page on the LawRight website.
You’re making me use tech?
It’s barrister friendly! We tested it with the barristers on our management committee! Our learned friends Hamish Clift, Angela Rae and Andrew Crowe QC got through the process in a couple of seconds, so you can too!
Please give us a call on (07) 3846 6317 or email members@lawright.org.au.Yours faithfully,
Sue Garlick and Linda Macpherson
LawRight Joint Directors
LawRight Newsletter - 27 May 2022 - Queensland Legal Walk 9
Thank you to our wonderful legal community
Thank you to everyone for joining us for the Queensland Legal Walk 2022. Together we raised $130,000.
Special thanks to the champion fundraisers:
Chambers: Level 27 Chambers > $17,000
Law firm: Clayton Utz > $11,000
Individual: Oliver Cook of Level 27 Chambers > $15,000
Law School: Griffith Law School > $1,000 and
We haven’t achieved our $200,000 target, which is the cost of delivering of our self-funded services. We’ll keep you updated but here’s some photos from a great morning.
LawRight Newsletter - 12 May 2022 - Queensland Legal Walk 8
Thank you to our wonderful legal community
Thank you to our wonderful legal community for supporting tomorrow’s Queensland Legal Walk. 900 walkers have registered and raised $110,000 so far.
We need $200,000 to continue operating our Magistrates Court and Financial Counsellor services for another year, so every donation helps.
Clayton Utz were 2021 Team fundraising champions. They note:
“The whole office gets behind this annual fundraising activity through sponsorship, firm-wide fundraising lunches, a Friday afternoon drinks trolley and a firm-wide raffle – with some very generous prize donations from Clayton Utz Partners and community donors (including City Winery, Bellezza Group, Jade Buddha, Australian Venue Co.). Many of us are looking forward to walking on Tuesday morning in sunshine or rain!”
Level 27 Chambers are currently ahead as best barrister chambers. When encouraged to boast they responded:
“It’s not so much a question of competitiveness, most lawyers likely take pride in a job thoroughly and well done. Putting our skills towards supporting the wider community is no exception. We’ll leave the question whether we are the best prepared, best looking and most stylish to others, but if another chambers wishes to try and knock us off a perch, we’ll accept it as a challenge. Having recently completed a mountain marathon in Hobart, we look forward to seeing how many times Oliver Cook laps the rest of Chambers’ one loop.”
There are also trophies for best individual, law school and team spirit. We can’t wait to see where the flurry of late-minute donations takes the leader board, but it’s not too late to add your tax-deductible donation.
Please give generously. Donate here
Walks begin at 7 am tomorrow in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, and Toowoomba as well as smaller groups walking in their neighbourhoods.
Dress for wet weather and celebrate the resilience and power of pro bono.
LawRight Newsletter - 12 May 2022 - Queensland Legal Walk 7
When the glamour fades…
When the glamour fades…
Some financial products are marketed to young adults as the pathway to glamour but lead instead to vulnerable young people accumulating thousands of dollars of debt – impacting their capacity to sustain tenancies, support children or even buy food or medicine.
LawRight recently joined with Financial Counsellors Australia (FCA) to call for better regulation of financial products such as Afterpay and other Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) products. Read the full story. We consider the ASIC product intervention power is not sufficient to regulate BNPL as it does not appropriately and immediately respond to people in financial hardship or place clear guidelines on companies to lend responsibly and appropriately or to respond to hardship.
LawRight’s partnership for young adults at Brisbane Youth Service (BYS) integrates with our Financial Counsellor and frequently assists these young people.
A young client with multiple disabilities who met with us at BYS had accumulated $2000 of debts to three BNPL services. We resolved two of the debts but the final BNPL provider was unresponsive and could not be compelled due to the lack of protections that apply to other credit products. However, the advocacy and relationships of our Financial Counsellor resolved the debt. We were also able to meet with this provider to work together better next time.
Our client agrees with increased regulation and in response to our advocacy said: “a weight has been lifted and my confidence to move forward and be more financially secure has changed massively. The benefits to my mental health and wellbeing cannot be understated – it’s a completely different dynamic, it’s life changing, it feels very good to not have that weight anymore.”
No glamour on Tuesday but plenty of guts?
Gumboots and umbrellas may be required at the Brisbane walk on Tuesday?
Whether you walk or not, please knock LawRight’s team from the top of the fundraising leader board with your gutsy giving.
Thanks to everyone who has registered so far, with more still joining!
50 teams
900 walkers
50+ members of judiciary registered
10 chambers
25 firms