Pro bono:
legal services undertaken voluntarily
and without payment as a public
service
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
For who?
1. Students
2. The public
3. The courts
4. Universities
About Community Legal Practice
 6 unit topic
 Held in summer and semesters 1 and 2 each year.
 Joint initiative between the Adelaide and Flinders Law Schools
 Enrolment quota of 8 students from Flinders
 All places are currently with the Adelaide Magistrates Court Legal
Advice Clinic
About Community Legal Practice
 4 Flinders and 4 Adelaide students work at the clinic each
Thursday
 Students attend fortnightly seminars
 Assessment includes a professional journal and an ‘access to
justice’ project
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
1. For the Students participating at the clinic
Our Personal Goals
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
1. For the Students participating at the clinic
Our experiences include several compulsory practical exercises:
 conduct at least 3 interviews with clients
 carry out conflict searches
 open new files and close existing ones
 observe court hearings
Interviewing
Conflict Searches
Opening and Closing Files
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
1. For the Students participating at the clinic
Other experiences:
 opportunities to draft pleadings
 write letters of advice and opinion
 perform research at the Adelaide Supreme
Court Library
Observing Court Hearings
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
1. For the Students participating at the clinic
Other experiences cont.:
 exposure to a variety of practice areas
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
1. For the Students participating at the clinic
• Develop time management skills
The Clinic’s fabulous staff!
From Flinders University:
Rachel Spencer
Grant Niemann
David Bamford
The Clinic’s fabulous staff!
From Adelaide University:
Margaret Castles
Georgina Hone
The Clinic’s fabulous staff!
Managing Solicitor:
Christine Christopolous
Support from the Magistrates Court
Registry
Support from the Court’s Administration Authority:
Our new location!
Support from the Court’s Administration Authority:
Our new location!
Support from the Court’s Administration Authority:
Our new location!
Support from the Court’s Administration Authority:
Our new location!
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
For who?
1. Students
2. The Public
3. The Courts
4. Universities
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
2. For the Public
Client Satisfaction Survey :
• 43 participants
 36 positive responses
 5 negative in some aspect responses
 2 denied attendance
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
2. For the Public
Client Satisfaction Survey :
• Reasons For Attendance:
 to gain advice about a legal matter involving a Defence or
commencement of proceedings
 procedural assistance for appearance or documentation
Reason for Attending Clinic
Other, 1%
Advice about
a legal matter,
37%
Help to fill out
Court forms or
understanding
Court
documents,
15%
Assistance to
defend/
commence
matter, 33%
Assistance in
having to
appear in
court, 13%
Data and graph taken from “Client Survey Results” by Sally Cox et al
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
2. For the Public
Client Satisfaction Survey :
• Positive responses
● Constructive Criticisms:
 “ I felt supported”
 greater publicity
 “received invaluable assistance”
 supervisor present at interviews
 offer advice for criminal matters
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
3. For the Courts
• 668 files to date
• Caseflow Management
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
3. For the Courts
Dr Andrew Cannon
• Eases pressure off registry staff
• “When the clinic provides competent advice and ensures parties have
realistic expectations, then it is an invaluable service for the court and
the individuals involved.”
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
3. For the Courts
Dr Andrew Cannon cont.
• querulous litigants –
complaining in a petulant or whining manner
• majority of unrepresented litigants have genuine
and justifiable claims
• Magistrates need to be more aware of the clinic’s existence and services
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
4. For Universities
Perpetuating the Flinders Ethos
Think, Learn, Lead, Link
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
4. For Universities
Community Legal Practice enables us to:
THINK independently and
LEARN a range of skills that will assist in our development as lawyers.
We are LEADing the way to access justice and
LINKing Flinders University with the community.
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
4. For Universities
Promoting Community Legal Practice:
• Advocates legal work with a social focus
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
4. For Universities
Promoting Community Legal Practice:
• expands on practical skills learnt from core law topics
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
4. For Universities
Promoting Community Legal Practice:
• Strengthens relationship between Flinders and Adelaide Law schools
Examining the value of Pro Bono work:
4. For Universities
Promoting Community Legal Practice:
• ensures that students find out about the topic
Community Legal Practice
The Future
• Popularity growing
• Increasing demand for places
• Additional placements offered from Semester 2, 2007
Community Legal Practice
The Future
Additional placements:
• 2 places at the Tenants Information and Advice Service
 for students who have studied Housing Law
• 2 places at the Refugee Law and Policy Clinic
 for students who have studied Australian Immigration & Refugee Law
In Conclusion
Today we have:
• Talked to you about Community Legal Practice
• Explained how the Magistrates Court Legal Advice Clinic works
• Illustrated the positive impact the clinic has on students, the public, the
court and universities
In Conclusion
We hope that you can raise awareness about this
topic amongst students and continue to support all pro bono work
undertaken by students and fellow staff from Flinders University
Thank you for your time!