UQ takes pro bono to the world
The University of Queensland's Pro Bono Centre has gone global after students from UQ's TC Beirne School of Law last month finalised a project supporting Advocates for International Development
The University of Queensland's Pro Bono Centre has gone global after students from UQ's TC Beirne School of Law last month finalised a project supporting Advocates for International Development (A4ID).
The five students signed up to the project - which involved researching A4ID's global computer database - after registering with the Pro Bono Centre's online student roster which partners student volunteers to pro bono work being undertaken by community legal centres, barristers and law firms.
Peter O'Shea, co-director of the Centre told Lawyer2B Tuesday that the university established its pro bono service earlier this year after realising it needed to establish something more structural after running a clinical legal education program for a numbers of years.
"The demand of students to participate far outstripped the places available so that was one pressure," he said. "Then there is also within the legal profession a growing awareness that structured pro bono schemes and the more formal opportunities for solicitors to engage in pro bono is good for the legal profession and good for everybody."
After completing the A4ID research work in October, O'Shea said the law school is now undertaking more work with the London-based organisation.