Maddocks works with Justice Connect

Justice Connect is a valuable and long-standing pro bono partner which connects people and organisations with legal assistance. In the face of rising unmet legal need, Justice Connect believes in a world in which legal support is within everyone’s reach.

Maddocks has a longstanding partnership with Justice Connect and is a regular user of its online Pro Bono Portal where pro bono opportunities are posted for law firms to consider taking on. Through the portal, Maddocks has accepted legal referrals across many areas, including for First Nations clients; and people experiencing homelessness, as well as cases involving women and children’s safety, elder abuse, disability issues and the environment. 

We have also assisted Justice Connect directly on many occasions, for example by helping Justice Connect to review and update key fact sheets for its Not-for-profit Law team, which provides legal support for not-for-profit organisations and charities.

We have also partnered with Justice Connect on various projects including:

• creating a bailment guide for consumers and small businesses that explains their responsibilities when it comes to personal property in the context of disasters. A team of six lawyers worked on this guide, which includes an overview of various rights and responsibilities related to the care of personal property and presents several scenarios to help people understand the relevant legal concepts.
   

‘One community legal service told us: "I can't overstate the level of excitement there is at having this resource. We get so many questions about this topic and the handbook seems to cover all of them. I am sure it will be well used by our lawyers for many disasters to come.'

Melanie Saunders, Pro Bono Engagement Lead, Justice Connect.

• offering Power of Attorney clinics to older people in the community. Lawyers from across various teams in the Melbourne office have been working with the clients at these clinics to provide them with valid, legally binding and enforceable power of attorney documents, safeguarding their interests and providing clear instructions for their care and financial and medical management.  Many clients expressed a sense of relief and gratitude once their documents were finalised, enabling them to have peace of mind knowing that their wishes were formally and legally documented.
   

"Justice Connect is delighted to be partnering with Maddocks to deliver essential free legal help with future planning documents to older people. Having access to the expertise, care and passion of Maddocks' volunteer pro bono lawyers enables Justice Connect's pro bono referral clinics to grow. Future planning documents (such as Enduring Power of Attorney) are a proven strategy in the prevention of financial elder abuse, a rising unmet need facing older people. Through our partnership with Maddocks, many older people now have the necessary legal protections in place. 

With 100 per cent of surveyed clients reporting their lawyer made them feel safe and treated them with respect, we're pleased to attest to Maddocks' ongoing and best practice pro bono legal assistance and thank them for their continued support."

– Justice Connect.

Chris Povey, CEO Justice Connect, has also shared the following reflections about our partnership:

"On behalf of Justice Connect, I would like to thank Maddocks for their work with our organisation this last year, and over the course of our long partnership. Whether it be through helping us to improve the capacity of frontline workers to respond to disasters in their community or increasing access to legal support through pro bono referrals, Maddocks has provided invaluable support.

Our work together will continue to tackle social justice issues and scale access to legal support in the face of rising unmet need, by collaborating to deliver impactful interventions. Together, we've played a major role in realising our vision for a strong and fair community."