Matching last year's effort, 10 Clayton Utz partners joined business leaders around Australia in spending last Thursday night in the cold to raise awareness of homelessness as well as funds to support St Vincent de Paul Society's essential homeless services across the country.
Our participants in this year's annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout have raised $47,070 to date. The Clayton Utz Foundation donated $5,000 to the cause.
The Clayton Utz partners who took part were: Alan Maguire, Brian Noble and Majella Pollard (Brisbane); Polat Siva (Darwin); Geoff Hoffman, Mark Friezer, Greg Williams (Sydney); Stuart Pill (Melbourne); and Steven Power and Clayton Utz's new Chief Executive Partner Rob Cutler (Canberra).
This is the second time Rob has participated in Vinnies CEO Sleepout. "Clayton Utz's participation in Vinnies' CEO Sleepout builds upon a range of assistance we provide to support those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and the organisations that support them, through our Pro Bono practice, Community Engagement program and the Clayton Utz Foundation," said Rob.
"For well over a decade, the Firm has provided advice and representation to thousands of clients at seven different outreach legal clinics, located at places where clients can feel more confident about speaking to a lawyer. We also conduct three drop-in legal clinics for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness: in Melbourne at Drill Hall as part of the PILCH Victoria Homeless Persons' Legal Clinic, and in Brisbane at the Salvation Army Pindari Men's and Pindari Women's Hostels as part of the QPILCH Homeless Persons' Legal Clinic. Clayton Utz is also part of the Welfare Rights Legal StreetLaw project in Canberra.
"I am proud of that contribution and my sleeping out is just a small part of our continuing contribution to those who find themselves in less fortunate circumstances than ourselves."
A number of Clayton Utz partners and employees have participated in CEO Sleepout since 2009.