From the beginning, our Pro Bono work has always been about access to justice. We act for low income and vulnerable people who cannot obtain Legal Aid, and for not-for-profit organisations which support them. Over a quarter-century, we have made pro bono work a part of every lawyer's everyday practice.
We are serious about pro bono best practice. We were the first large Australian law firm to establish a formal pro bono practice; appoint a pro bono partner and pro bono senior associate; and sign the National Pro Bono Target. In 2018 we became one of only three firms in the world to appoint a second pro bono partner. Our dedication to pro bono has helped to shape what it means to be a leading Australian law firm.
In the 25 years since we launched our Pro Bono practice in 1997, we have acted for over 6,000 people as pro bono clients of the firm, and helped thousands of others at external legal clinics. We have advised more than 1,600 not-for-profit organisations. We have provided 815,416 hours of pro bono legal work. We have acted for 622 First Nations people and organisations, and over 2,000 people who were homeless or at risk of homelessness. We have pioneered compensation pathways for people held in slavery in Australia, and championed the Health-Justice Partnership model. We have recovered $11,149,440 in statutory compensation for over 600 survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
The numbers are not the whole story, and cannot show the real difference our work makes to our clients' lives.