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We have a strong sense of social responsibility and involvement in the community. Mills Oakley supports and assists a number of community organisations and charities. Contents Pro bono program
Mills Oakley’s pro bono program aims to assist individuals and organisations that do not have sufficient or adequate access to legal services, by providing “pro bono” (free) legal services through both advice and where appropriate, representation, and in doing so support the community and charitable causes as a whole. Mills Oakley is affiliated with Public Law Interest Clearing House (PILCH) which is one of the forums through which it receives pro bono matters. Pro Bono Committee Organisor, Mills Oakley Lawyers
4th Floor, 121 William St
MELBOURNE 3000
Telephone (03) 9670 9111
Facsimile (03) 9605 0933
DX 558, Melbourne
www.millsoakley.com.au
We also encourage our lawyers to be involved in activities outside of our formal pro bono program with a number of lawyers involved in community legal centres, and legal support services for various groups. [back to top] Brainwave Australia Mills Oakley is very proud to be aligned with Brainwave Australia. Brainwave provides support for children and their families facing brain cancer and other brain-related disorders including epilepsy, MS and road trauma to name a few. Brain cancer is one of the most common cancers in children under 15 years of age and yet little is known of its causes. Brainwave’s work embraces not only children who suffer brain cancer and brain disorders, but also their families. Through their work, Brainwave helps them to cope, manage and hopefully improve the quality of their lives under difficult and sometimes heartbreaking circumstances. The employees of Mills Oakley chose to support Brainwave because they felt they could make a real difference to the work of this charity. [back to top] Salvation Army Mills Oakley is proud to support The Salvation Army through the pro-bono work of one of our lawyers, Luke Geary, at the Auburn and Parramatta Salvation Army Corps in Sydney’s western suburbs.
In August 2005 Luke established “Courtyard Legal” at the Auburn Corps, offering free legal advice and assistance to those who otherwise could not afford it. Luke came up with the idea after recognising a lack of justice as a result of the greater western suburbs of Sydney not having proper access to the right legal advice and by not having well resourced Solicitors to act for them in times of need. In March 2005, after having had over 200 clients at the Auburn legal centre, Luke opened a second legal centre up at Parramatta. The difference between Courtyard Legal and other community legal centres is that Courtyard Legal takes on cases free of charge or through grants of Legal Aid and runs those cases, representing the individual clients in the various courts and tribunals through Mills Oakley.
Luke and his team advises more than 10 clients a week on topics ranging from criminal law, family and child custody law, welfare, debt and housing matters to refugee and immigration law. Luke is also a registered Migration Agent (number 0635598) and on average, takes on 10 new pro bono cases through Mills Oakley per month. The Courtyard Legal team now comprises of 8 people, including 4 fully qualified solicitors, 2 law students and 2 administrative assistants.
In 2007, the partnership between Mills Oakley and Courtyard Legal was nominated for the NSW Law & Justice Foundation Pro-bono Partnership Award at the NSW Justice Awards.
[back to top] Environment Committee
Mills Oakley’s Environment Committee has been established to promote an environmentally friendly workplace where all staff members are committed to and involved in behavioural change to ensure environmental responsibility.
With the first environmental audit conducted in 2008, the environment committee is dedicated to reducing Mills Oakley’s carbon footprint. [back to top]
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Community