Annual Report 2004 â 2005 - pilch

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PUBLIC INTEREST LAW CLEARING HOUSE 5 Tabitha Lovett – PILCH Manager Damien Pitts – PILCH Coordinator MEMBERSHIP PILCH welcomes new members for 2004-2005, including Ebsworth & Ebsworth, Sparke Helmore, Law Institute of Victoria and 16 new community legal centres. FUNDING PILCH is fully funded by membership fees paid by its members. It also receives generous in-kind assistance from many of its members. In 2004-2005, PILCH held a dinner to celebrate its 10th anniversary, which raised additional funds for the organisation. STAFFING PILCH is staffed by two part-time Co-Executive Directors, Emma Hunt and Paula O’Brien, a full-time Manager, Tabitha Lovett, a Coordinator, Damien Pitts, and two secondee solicitors. They are assisted by student volunteers, interns and fellows. CASEWORK STATISTICS During 2004-2005, PILCH received 543 requests for legal assistance under the Public Interest Law Scheme. This is an increase of 13% from the 2003-2004 financial year. Arising out of those requests, 186 referrals were made to barristers and solicitors. This is an increase of 54% from the 2003-2004 financial year. These were matters in which the client was without the means to pay for legal assistance, could not obtain legal assistance elsewhere, had a meritorious legal issue and met the public interest criterion. For individuals, this criterion requires that their legal issue affects a marginalised or disadvantaged group, raises a matter of broad public concern or impacts on a large number of people and requires addressing for the public good. Not-for-profit organisations which have public interest objectives also satisfy this criterion. Of the referrals made under the Public Interest Law Scheme, 53% were for not-for-profit organisations, 35% were for individuals, and 12% were for groups. Reasons were noted in the database for 358 inquiries which were rejected by the Scheme. Of those, 71 were rejected because they failed to meet the Scheme criteria, 95 were referred to other legal and/or community organisations (including the Schemes administered by PILCH), 86 clients failed to send in the application form or there was no further contact, and 16 clients found their own assistance or resolved the matter by other means. LAW REFORM AND ADVOCACY During 2004-2005, PILCH made the following submissions: • A joint submission on behalf of the Victorian Bar and PILCH to the Commonwealth Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee Inquiry into the Migration Litigation Reform Bill 2005 (April 2005) • A submission to the Victorian Human Rights Consultation Committee on the introduction of a Charter of Rights into Victoria (July 2005) TRAINING During 2004-2005, PILCH conducted the following training: • Pro bono migration litigation training with VB LAS (March 2005) • ‘Eviction Notices’ seminar with Tenants Union of Victoria and VB LAS (April 2005) PROJECTS Student Volunteering Program During 2004-2005, PILCH coordinated the following programs: • Volunteer program, with 24 students volunteering on a fortnightly basis • Internship program, with 24 students completing an internship during the university vacation periods • Fellowship program, with 8 seasonal clerks from PILCH member firms completing a fellowship at PILCH as an extension of their clerkship with the firm • University placement program, with 2 students from the La Trobe University Public Interest Placement and 1 student from the Melbourne University Law Students’ Society program. Rural, Regional and Remote Areas In February 2005, PILCH received confirmation from the Victoria Law Foundation that PILCH’s application for a Small Grant to conduct a Rural, Regional and Remote (‘RRR’) Pilot Project was successful. The Managers of PILCH, LIV LAS and VB LAS plan to travel to Morwell, Moe and Bairnsdale in 2005-2006, to meet with local lawyers, courts and community groups to encourage their use of PILCH’s pro bono services for their clients. Public Interest Law subjects PILCH has worked with Latrobe University Law School to develop a Public Interest Law Masters subject. This subject will most likely run in February 2006 with PILCH teaching some components of the course. EVENTS During 2004-2005, PILCH hosted the following events: • PILCH 10th Anniversary Dinner, with guest speakers the Honourable Rob Hulls MP and Sir Anthony Mason (September 2004) • Annual General Meeting, with guest speaker Chief Justice Marilyn Warren (November 2004) • ‘Human Rights and Guantanamo Bay’ seminar, with guest speakers Richard Bourke and Lex Lasry QC (December 2004) • SLAPP (Strategic Litigation Against Public Protest) Writs seminar, with guest speakers Brian Walters SC, Jodie Nicholls, Stuart McCallum and Andrew Kenyon (May 2005)
• Visit by a delegation of human rights academics from Vietnam (May 2005) • National Meeting of PILCH Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland (June 2005) • Victorian Government’s Human Rights Consultation seminar (June 2005) PROMOTION AND PUBLICATIONS During 2004-2005, PILCH staff made presentations to: • Allens Arthur Robinson seasonal clerks (July and December 2004) • Deacons (July 2004) • Leo Cussen Institute students (July 2004) • Monash University, Monash/Springvale Legal Service Professional Practice students (September 2004) • Victorian Council of Law Students’ Societies Careers Fair (September 2004) • University of Melbourne Law School, ‘Dispute Resolution and Legal Ethics’ students (January 2005) • Monash University Law School, ‘Human Rights in Australian Law‘ students (January 2005) • Ebsworth & Ebsworth staff (April 2005) • Transport Accident Commission staff (April 2005) • The Victorian Bar Readers Course (May 2005) • Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria staff (June 2005) During 2004-2005, PILCH staff have been interviewed by, or featured, in the following publications: • 3CR Radio • Bar News • Clayton’s Law (Monash Law Students' Society publication) • Lawyers Weekly • Law Institute Journal • Legal Practice Management Guide (Vic) • Radio New Zealand • University of Melbourne Equality Handbook PILCH produced and distributed the following publications: Pro Bono in Practice: an e-newsletter which covers PILCH news and developments in pro bono work, and focuses on issues affecting practitioners. Pro Bono in Practice was published in July 2004, October 2004, November 2004, June 2005 and August 2005 and was distributed to over 1000 practitioners and interested others. Those on the PILCH email list are encouraged to further distribute Pro Bono in Practice to their Clients of Housing for the Aged Action Group. Housing for the Aged Action Group was assisted by Maddocks to make a submission in relation to proposed amendments to the Retirement Villages Act 1986 (Vic). colleagues. Pro Bono in Practice can also be downloaded from the PILCH website. PILCH Matters: a newsletter which informs PILCH supporters and clients of issues and cases undertaken by the Public Interest Law Scheme, the Victorian Bar Legal Assistance Scheme, the Law Institute of Victoria Legal Assistance Scheme and the Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic. PILCH Matters was published in March 2005 and was distributed to 1500 practitioners and interested others. An electronic version of PILCH Matters can also be downloaded form the PILCH website. PILCH E-News: an email news bulletin containing a snapshot of PILCH activities specifically for PILCH members. PILCH E-News is distributed to PILCH members approximately every six weeks. COMMUNITY CONTACTS During 2004-2005, PILCH or its Co-Executive Directors were members of: • Consumer Law Centre Victoria, Board • Consumer Law Centre Victoria, Dispute Resolution Service Outreach Project, Steering Committee • Federation of Community Legal Centres • Financial and Consumer Rights Council, Management Committee • Human Rights Legal Centre Reference Group • JobWatch Inc • Law Institute of Victoria, Access to Justice Committee 6
Page 1 and 2: Annual Report 2004 - 2005
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Executive Directors’ Rep
Page 5: The other significant feature of PI
Page 9 and 10: CASE SUMMARIES Trade Practices Herb
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Page 15 and 16: ADVOCACY In 2004-2005, LIV LAS made
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Page 21 and 22: FELLOW PROFILE: ZOE BATEMAN My firs
Page 23 and 24: Statement of financial position as

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