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Pro bono work in firms garnering more and more respect
A dedicated pro bono category at the Partner of the Year Awards program is a testament to how Australia is paving the way in this area of the law, according to an award winner.
Malavika Santhebennur
Ashurst partner and global head of pro bono practice Sarah Morton-Ramwell was crowned Pro Bono Partner of the Year at the 2021 Partner of the Year Awards, which she said was recognition of her and her team’s achievements during a challenging period when the need for community support and pro bono services has significantly increased.
Ahead of the 2022 Partner of the Year Awards (for which submissions close on 20 May), she commented that the inclusion of a Pro Bono Partner of the Year category in the awards program is a “testament” to the growing value placed on pro bono work, while walking away with the trophy boosted her morale during a difficult period.
“When you work in social justice you tend to focus on the work rather than shining a light on the work you do. You’re in the weeds doing the work,” Ms Morton-Ramwell said.
“But this award category is such an important way for the wider sector to understand the incredible impact of pro bono work. The fact that the Partner of the Year Awards has a dedicated category to recognise pro bono partners demonstrates that there are enough of us in Australia to warrant it. This is something we should be incredibly proud of. It supports pro bono practitioners at that level.”
Ms Morton-Ramwell worked across a range of areas during the 2020 period, which she said contributed to her winning the award last year.
Ashurst has a global pro bono practice that focuses on four areas, including citizenship and placement, modern slavery, gender rights and diversity, and racial justice (with a significant focus on First Nations, people, and communities in Australia). The COVID-19 crisis also became an area of focus in the last couple of years.
“We’d never had to implement an emergency response at that scale that affected every single office, country, client, and staff members around the world. It really was a crisis like I’ve never seen before. But I think we rose to the challenge and worked incredibly hard to give immediate and ongoing support,” Ms Morton-Ramwell said.
“Moreover, all the other areas of work have continued despite the ongoing health crisis.”
Ms Morton-Ramwell remarked that the Pro Bono Partner of the Year award category not only shines a spotlight on the contribution of firms in the community, it also demonstrates that Australia is forging new paths in pro bono.
“When I started my career, there were not that many pro bono partners, but then more and more people were being promoted to full-time pro bono partners in Australia,” she said.
“It’s really one of the jurisdictions along with the US that will lead the way on this.
“I think this category should be of immense pride to the Australian legal sector because it shows how much pro bono is respected. It also celebrates law firms that have taken that step to appoint pro bono partners who lead this incredibly important and complex area of the law.”
For those compiling submissions for this year’s awards, Ms Morton-Ramwell recommended that candidates should become storytellers to provide an overview of their achievements and support them with data, an overview of their strategy, and examples of the projects they participated in.
“We use various metrics to measure the effectiveness of pro bono and its social impact so it’s ideal to have quotes and provide some storytelling to give an essence of what you do,” she said.
“The numbers in no way show the full impact that pro bono practitioners are having in our community today so the storytelling component plays an equally important role in an effective submission.”
Lawyers Weekly is calling on all pro bono partners to submit your entry or nominate a colleague to be in the running at the 2022 Partner of the Year Awards.
Lawyers Weekly will host the 2022 Partner of the Year Awards black-tie ceremony on Thursday, 28 July 2022, at The Star in Sydney.
For more information about the awards, including the categories, click here.
